65491 
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Intcnuitional  Critifcil  (Toimncntarii 

on  ti]c  {^ohi   !5criptuvcg  of  tl)e  (Dlb  anb 
'Ncvo  (Testaments 


UNDER    THE    EDITORSHIP    OF 

The  Rev.  CHARLES   AUGUSTUS   BRIGGS,   D.D. 

Edxuard  Robinson  Pro/essor  o/  Biblical  Theology, 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  Neiv  York  : 

The  Rev.   SAMUEL   ROLLES   DRIVER,   D.D. 

Regius  Pt'o/cssor  o/  Hebrew,  Oxford ; 

The   Rev.   ALFRED   PLUMMER,   M.A.,  D.D. 

Master  of  University  College,  Durham. 


f|c  |utrniaiioua[   Critical   (Lommcntaiii 

oil  tl]c  Cjoln  Scriptures  of  tl)c  ©lb  a\\b 
K'ciu  (^cstamcnta. 


EDITORS'     PREFACE. 


There  are  now  before  the  public  many  Commentaries, 
written  by  British  and  American  divines,  of  a  popular  or 
homiletical  character.  T/ie  Cambridge  Bible  for-  Schools, 
the  Handbooks  for  Bible  Classes  and  Private  Students,  The 
Speaker  s  Commentary,  The  Popular  Commentary  (Schaff), 
The  Expositor  s  Bible,  and  other  similar  series,  have  their 
special  place  and  importance.  But  they  do  not  enter  into 
the  field  of  Critical  Biblical  scholarship  occupied  by  such 
series  of  Commentaries  as  the  Kurzgefasstes  exegctisches 
Handbuch  zum  A.  T.;  De  Wette's  Kurzgefasstes  excgetisches 
Handbuch  zum  N.  T.;  Meyer's  Kritisch-exegetischer  Kom- 
inentar;  Keil  and  Delitzsch's  Biblischer  Commentar  ilber  das 
A.  T.j  Lange's  Theologisch-homiletisches  Bibelwerk ;  Nowack's 
Handkommentar  zum  A.  T. ;  Holtzmann's  Handkotrimentar 
zum  N.  T.  Several  of  these  have  been  translated,  edited, 
and  in  some  cases  enlarged  and  adapted,  for  the  English- 
speaking  public  ;  others  are  in  process  of  translation.  But 
no  corresponding  series  by  British  or  American  divines 
has  hitherto  been  produced.  The  way  has  been  prepared 
by  special  Commentaries  by  Cheyne,  Ellicott,  Kalisch, 
Lightfoot,  Perownc,  Westcott,  and  others  ;  and  the  time  has 
come,  in  the  judgment  of  the  projectors  of  this  enterprise, 
when  it  is  practicable  to  combine  British  and  American 
scholars    in    the    production    of    a    critical,    comprehensive 


IV  I'.DiroK.s      IM<I-:i--ACK 

CoinniciUnry  thai  will  be  alircast  of  modern  l)iblical  scholar- 
ship, ami  in  a  measure  lead  its  van. 

Messrs.  (Iharlcs  Scribner's  Sons  of  New  \'ork,  and  Messrs. 
T.  &  T.  Clark  of  Edinburgh,  propose  to  publish  such  a 
series  of  Commentaries  on  the  Old  and  New  Testaments, 
under  the  editorship  of  Prof.  C.  A.  1'kiggs,  D. D.,  in  America, 
and  of  Prof.  S.  R.  Driver,  D.D.,  for  the  Old  Testament,  and 
the  Rev.  Ai.i-ki.d  Pi.um.mer,  D.D.,  for  the  New  Testament, 
in  Great  Britain. 

The  Commentaries  will  be  international  and  inter-con- 
fessional, and  will  be  free  from  polemical  and  ecclesiastical 
bias.  They  will  be  based  upon  a  thorough  critical  study  of 
the  original  texts  of  the  Bible,  and  upon  critical  methods  of 
interpretation.  They  are  designed  chiefly  for  students  and 
clergymen,  and  will  be  written  in  a  compact  style.  Each 
book  will  be  preceded  by  an  Introduction,  stating  the  results 
of  criticism  upon  it,  and  discussing  impartially  the  questions 
still  remaining  open.  The  details  of  criticism  will  appear 
in  their  proper  place  in  the  body  of  the  Commentary.  Each 
section  of  the  Text  will  be  introduced  with  a  paraphrase, 
or  summary  of  contents.  Technical  details  of  textual  and 
philological  criticism  will,  as  a  rule,  be  kept  distinct  from 
matter  of  a  more  general  character ;  and  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment the  exegetical  notes  will  be  arranged,  as  far  as 
possible,  so  as  to  be  serviceable  to  students  not  acquainted 
with  Hebrew.  The  History  of  Interpretation  of  the  Books 
will  be  dealt  with,  when  necessary,  in  the  Introductions, 
with  critical  notices  of  the  most  imiiortant  literature  of 
the  subject.  Historical  and  Archaeological  questions,  as 
well  as  questions  of  I'iblical  Theology,  are  included  in  the 
plan  of  the  Commentaries,  but  not  Practical  or  Homiletical 
lv\egesis.     The  A'olumes  will  constitute  a  uniform  series. 


THE   INTERNATIONAL   CRITICAL  COMMENTARY. 


The    following    eminent    Scholars    are    engaged    upon 
Volumes  named  below  : — 


the 


THE    OLD    TESTAMENT. 

Genesis.  The  Rev.  T.   K.   Cheyne,   D.D.,  Oriel   Professor  of  the 

Interpretation  of  Holy  Scripture,  Oxford. 

Exodus.  The  Rev.  A.  R.  S.  Kennedy,  D.D.  ,  Professor  of  Hebrew, 

University  of  Edinburgh. 
Leviticus.  The  Rev.  H.  A.  White,  M.A. ,  Fellow  of  New  College, 

O.xford. 

Numbers.  G.  Ruch.VNAN   Gray,  R.A.  ,  Lecturer  in  Hebrew,  Mans- 

field College.  O.xford. 

Deuteronomy.  The    Rev.    S.    R.    Driver,    D.  D.,    Regius    Professor    of 

Hebrew,   Oxford.  [A'ow  Ready. 

Joshua.  The    Rev.   George  Adam   Smith,    D.D.,  Professor  of 

Hebrew,  Free  Church  College,  Glasgow. 

Judges.  The  I^ev.  George  Moore,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Hebrew, 

Andover  Theological  Seminary,  Andover,  Mass. 

[///  the  Press. 

Samuel.  The  Rev.  H.  P.  Smith,  D.D.,  late  Professor  of  Hebrew, 

Lane  Theological  Seminary,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Kings.  The  Rev.  Francis  Brown,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Hebrew 

and  Cognate  Languages,  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
New  York  City. 

Chronicles.  The  Rev.  Edward  L.  Curtis,  D.D.,  Professor  of  He- 

brew, Yale  University,  New  Haven,  Conn. 

Ezra  and  The  Rev.  L.  W.   Batten,  Ph.D.,  Professor  of  Hebrew, 

Nehemiah.  p.  E.  Divinity  School,  Philadelphia. 

Isaiah.  The  Rev.  A.  B.  Davidson,   D. D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  of 

Hebrew,  Free  Church  College,  Edinburgh. 

Jeremiah.  The  Rev.  A.  F.  Kikkpatrick,  D.D.,  Regius  Professor  of 

Hebrew,  and  Fellow  of  Trinity  College,  Cambridge. 

Minor  Prophets.  W.  R.  Harper,  Ph.D.,  President  of  the  University  of 
Chicago,  Illinois. 

Psalms.  The  Rev.  Charles  A.  Briggs,  D.D.,  Edward  Robin.son 

Professor  of  Biblical  Theology,  Union  Theological 
Seminary,  New  York. 

Proverbs.  The  Rev.  C.  H.  Toy,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  Hebrew,  Har- 

vard University,  Cambridge,  Massachusetts. 

Daniel.  The   Rev.   John    P.    Peters,    Ph.D.,  late   Professor  of 

Hebrew,  P.  E.  Divinity  School.  Pliiladelphia,  now  Rec- 
tor of  St.  Michael's  Church,  New  York  City, 


THE  INTERMTiOML  CRITICAL  COMMENTARY— continued. 


THE    NEW    TESTAMENT. 

Mark.  The  Rev.  E.  P.  Gould,  D.D..  Professor  of  New  Testa- 

ment Exegesis,  P.  E.  Divinity  School,  Philadelphia. 

[///  the  I'ress. 

Luke.  The  Rev.  Alfred  Plummkk,  U.D.,  Master  of  University 

College,  Durham. 

Acts.  The    Rev.    Frederick    H.    Chase,    D.D.,    Fellow    of 

Christ's  College,  Cambridge. 

Romans.  The  Rev.  William  Sanday,  D.D.,  Dean  Ireland's  Pro- 

fessor of  E.xegesis,  Oxford,  and  the  Rev.  A.  C.   Head- 
LAM,  M.A.  ,  Follow  of  All  Souls'  College,  Oxford. 

[/«  the  Press. 

Corinthians.  The  Rev.  Arch.  Roukktson,   D.D.,  Principal  of  Bishop 

Hatfield's  Hall,  Durham. 

Galatians.  The  Rev.  Ernest  D.   Burton,  A.B.,  Professor  of  New 

Testament  Literature,  University  of  Chicago. 

Ephesians.  The  Rev.  T.  K.  Abbott,  B.D.,  D.Lit.,  formerly  Professor 

of  Biblical  Greek,  Trinity  College,  Dublin. 

Philippians.  The  Rev    Marvin  R.  Vincent,  D.D.,  Professor  of  Bib- 

lical   Literature,    Union    Theological    Seminary,    New 
York  City. 

Hebrews.  The  Rev.  T.  C.  Edwards,  D. D.,  Principal  of  University 

College,  Wales. 

The   Pastoral  The   Rev.  Walter   Lock,  MA.,  Fellow  of  Magd.alcn 

Epistles.         College,  and  Tutor  of  Keble  College,  Oxford. 

Revelation.  The  Rev.  Robert  H.  Charles,  M.A  ,  Trinity  College, 

Dublin,  and  Exeter  College,  Oxford. 


Other  enji^affemcnts  luill  be  ,r>/>ioii>ieed  shortly. 


DEUTERONOMY 

Rev.  S.  R.  DRIVER,  D.D. 


The    International    Critical    Commentary 


CRITICAL     AND     EXEGETICAL 
COMMENTARY 

ON 

DEUTERONOMY 


1!V    TJfE 

Rev.   S.    R.   DRIVER,  D.D. 

REGIUS    PROFKSSOR    OF    HEBREW,    AND   CANON   OF    CHRIST    CHURCH, 

OXFORD ; 

FORMERLY    FELLOW   OF   NEW   COLLEGE,    OXFORD. 


NEW   YORK 

CHARLES     SCRIBNER'S     SONS 

1895 


PREFACE. 


The  aim  of  the  present  volume  (in  accordance  with  the  phin 
of  the  series,  of  which  it  forms  part)  is  to  supply  the  English 
reader  with  a  Commentary  which,  so  far  as  the  writer's  powers 
permit  it,  may  be  abreast  of  the  best  scholarship  and  know- 
ledge of  the  day.  Deuteronomy  is  one  of  the  most  attractive, 
as  it  is  also  one  of  the  most  important,  books  of  the  Old 
Testament ;  and  a  Commentary  which  may  render  even 
approximate  justice  to  its  many-sided  contents  has  for  long- 
been  a  desideratum  in  English  theological  literature.  Certainly 
the  Hebrew  text  (except  in  parts  of  c.  32.  33)  is  not,  as  a  rule, 
difficult ;  nevertheless,  even  this  has  frequently  afforded  me 
the  opportunity  of  illustrating  delicacies  of  Hebrew  usage, 
which  might  escape  the  attention  of  some  readers.  On  the 
other  hand,  the  contents  of  Deuteronomy  call  for  much  ex- 
planation and  discussion  :  they  raise  many  difficult  and  con- 
troverted questions ;  and  they  afford  frequent  scope  for 
interesting  and  sometimes  far-reaching  inquiry.  Deuteronomy 
stands  out  conspicuously  in  the  literature  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment :  it  has  important  relations,  literary,  theological,  and 
historical,  with  other  parts  of  the  Old  Testament;  it  pos- 
sesses itself  a  profound  moral  and  spiritual  significance ;  it  is 
an  epoch-making  expression  of  the  life  and  feeling  of  the 
prophetic  nation.  I  have  done  my  best  to  give  due  prominence 
to  these  and  similar  characteristic  features  ;  and  by  pointing 
out  both  the  spiritual  and  other  factors  which  Deuteronomy 
presupposes,  and  the  spiritual  and  other  influences  which 
either  originated  with  it,  or  received  from  it  a  fresh  impulse, 
to  define  the  position  which  it  occupies  in  the  national  and 
religious  history  of  Israel.     Deuteronomy,  moreover,  by  many 


XII  treface 

of  the  observances  whicli  it  enjoins,  bears  witness  to  the  fact 
that  Israel's  civilization,  thoug-h  permeated  by  a  different 
spirit  from  that  of  other  ancient  nations,  was  nevertheless 
reared  upon  the  same  material  basis  ;  and  much  lig-ht  may 
often  be  thrown,  both  upon  the  institutions  and  customs  to 
which  it  alludes,  and  upon  the  manner  in  which  they  are 
treated  by  the  Hebrew  lei,'"islator,  from  the  archaeological 
researches  of  recent  years.  Nor  is  this  all.  The  study  of 
Deuteronomy  carries  the  reader  into  the  very  heart  of  the 
critical  problems  which  arise  in  connexion  with  the  Old 
Testament.  At  almost  every  step,  especially  in  the  central, 
leg'islative  part  (c.  12-26),  the  question  of  the  relation  of 
Deuteronomy  to  other  parts  of  the  Pentateuch  forces  itself 
upon  the  student's  attention.  In  dealing-  with  the  passag^es 
where  this  is  the  case,  I  have  stated  the  facts  as  clearly  and 
completely  as  was  possible  within  the  limits  of  space  at  my  dis- 
posal, adding-,  where  necessary,  references  to  authorities  who 
treat  them  at  greater  leng^th.  As  a  work  of  the  Mosaic  age, 
Deuteronomy,  I  must  own,  though  intelligible,  if  it  stood 
perfectly  alone, — i.e.  if  the  history  of  Israel  had  been  other 
than  it  was, — does  not  seem  to  me  to  be  intelligible,  when 
viewed  in  the  light  shed  upon  it  by  other  parts  of  the  Old 
Testament:  a  study  of  it  in  that  light  reveals  too  many 
features  which  are  inconsistent  with  such  a  supposition.  The 
entire  secret  of  its  composition,  and  the  full  nature  of  the 
sources  of  which  its  author  a\ailed  himself,  we  cannot  hope  to 
discover ;  but  enough  is  clear  to  show  that,  however  regret- 
fully we  may  abandon  it,  the  traditional  view  of  its  origin  and 
authorship  cannot  be  maintained.  The  adoption  of  this 
verdict  of  criticism  implies  no  detraction  either  from  the 
inspired  authority  of  Deuteronomy,  or  from  its  ethical  and 
religious  value.  Deuteronomy  marks  a  stage  in  the  Divine 
education  of  the  chosen  people:  but  the  methods  of  God's 
spiritual  providence  are  analogous  to  those  of  His  natural 
providence :  the  revelation  of  Himself  to  man  was  accom- 
plished not  once  for  all,  but  through  many  diverse  channels 
(Heb.  i^),  and  by  a  gradual  historical  process;  and  the  stage 
in  that  process  to  which  Deuteronomy  belongs  is  not  the  age 


rUEKACE  XIII 

of  Moses,  but  a  later  ai^e.  Deuteronomy  g-atliers  up  the 
spiritual  lessons  and  experiences  not  of  a  single  lifetime,  but 
of  many  generations  of  God-inspired  men.  It  is  a  nobly- 
conceived  endeavour  to  stir  the  conscience  of  the  individual 
Israelite,  and  to  infuse  Israel's  whole  national  life  with  new 
spiritual  and  moral  energy.  And  in  virtue  of  the  wonderful 
combination  of  the  national  with  the  universal,  which  char- 
acterizes the  higher  teaching  of  the  Old  Testament,  it  fulfils  a 
yet  wider  mission :  it  speaks  in  accents  which  all  can  still 
understand  ;  it  appeals  to  motives  and  principles,  which  can 
never  lose  their  validity  and  truth,  so  long  as  human  nature 
remains  what  it  is  :  it  is  the  bearer  of  a  message  to  all  time.* 
It  is  the  first  duty  of  a  Commentator  to  explain  his  text ; 
and  this  I  have  striven  to  do  to  the  best  of  my  ability,  partly 
by  summaries  of  the  argument,  partly  by  exegetical  annota- 
tions. Homiletical  comments,  it  will  be  borne  in  mind,  are 
purposely  excluded  from  the  plan  of  the  series  ;  but  I  hope 
that  I  have  not  shown  myself  neglectful  of  the  more  distinctive 
features  of  Biblical  theology,  which  called  for  explanation.  The 
translations  have  for  their  aim  exactness,  rather  than  elegance 
or  literary  finish  :  they  are  intended  to  express  as  fully  as  pos- 
sible the  force  of  the  original  Hebrew,  which  is  sometimes  very 
inadequately  represented  by  the  conventional  rendering  adopted 
in  the  English  versions.!  The  illustrative  references  may  in 
some  instances  appear  to  be  unnecessarily  numerous  :  but  the 
force  and  significance  of  words,  and  the  motives  prompting 
their  selection, — especially  when  they  are  nearly  or  entirely 
restricted  to  a  particular  group  of  writings, — can  often  be  only 
properly  estimated  by  copious,  or  even  exhaustive,  particulars  ; 
and  the  literary  affinities,  and  influence,  of  Deuteronomy 
have  seemed  to  me  to  call  for  somewhat  full  illustration. 
Subordinate  illustrative  matter — such  as  the  discussion  of 
special  difficulties,  archcEological  or  topographical  notes,  &c. 
— has  been  generally  distinguished  from  the  Commentary  as 
such  by  being  thrown  into  smaller  type.  The  explanations 
of  various  technical  expressions,  legal  or  theological,  occur- 

*  Comp.  below,  pp.  xixfF.,  xxvf. ,  xxviii,  xxxiv,  &c. 

t  Sec  conspicuous  examples  in  ^'-'-s^-se  51G  j27  20"  22-'  ^a"-"*^"--^  33-". 


XIV  PREFACE 

rini,'"  in  the  I'-iii^lish  versions,  will,  it  is  hoped,  be  found 
useful. 

I  JKive  not  deemed  it  desirable  to  exclude  entirely  Hebrew 
words  from  the  text  of  the  Commentary;  but  I  have  en- 
deavoured usually  to  meet  the  needs  of  those  not  conversant 
with  Hebrew,  by  adding'  translations,  or  otherwise  so  framing 
my  notes  as  to  render  them  intellig^ible  to  such  readers. 
Philolog-ical  matter  of  a  technical  kind  has  been  thrown 
rcg-ularly  into  the  notes.  Only,  sometimes,  in  citations,  where 
I  was  tempted,  by  its  superior  brevity,  to  quote  the  Hebrew 
text,  and  in  the  Tables  of  parallel  passages  (pp.  lo,  19,  24,  &c.) 
— in  using-  which  the  reader  is  supposed  to  have  the  Hebrew 
text  of  Deuteronomy  open  before  him — will  the  Hebraist  have 
an  advantage  over  the  non-Hebraist,  of  which  the  latter,  I  trust, 
will  not  be  envious;  in  the  case  of  the  Tables,  had  I  felt  that 
the  space  at  my  disposal  would  permit  it,  I  should  have  tran- 
scribed both  texts  in  English,  as  I  have  done  in  other  instances 
(pp.  157  f.,  181  f.,  &c.).  The  Tetragrammaton — not  without 
hesitation  —  has  been  represented  by  its  popular,  though 
undoubtedly  incorrect,  iorm  Jehovah:  this,  it  was  felt,  marked 
sufficiently  the  fact  that  the  name  was  a  personal  one ;  and 
Yahwehy  in  a  volume  not  designed  solely  for  the  use  of 
specialists,  might  be  to  some  readers  a  distasteful  innovation. 
For  typographical  reasons,  Arabic  words  have  usually  been 
transliterated  in  Roman  characters,*  and  Syriac  words  in 
square  Hebrew  characters.  Distinctions  between  Hebrew- 
sounds,  where  they  can  be  represented  by  a  breathing,  or  a 
diacritic  point  (//.,  /,  k,  s  or  ;:;),  I  have  thought  worth  pre- 
serving, though  I  have  shrunk  from  carrying  this  principle 
out  in  the  case  of  one  or  two  words  of  very  common  occurrence 
(such  as  Canaan),  in  which  its  application  might  seem  to 
savour  of  pedantry. 

The  authorities  to  w  hich  I  am  principally  indebted  will  be 
usually  apparent  from  the  names  quoted.     A  special  acknow- 

*j  =  dh;      j=d;U=t;_.=h:  ^=ch;   C=  trh.    An  occasional  ovcr- 

sii:;lit,  or  irrcj^ularity,  in  the  transliteration  of  a  proper  name,  the  original 
of  which  I  ma)-  not  have  seen,  will,  I  hope,  be  pardoned. 


PREFACE  XV 

ledgmcnt  is,  however,  due  to  the  great  philologist  and  cxegete 
of  Berlin,  August  Dillmann,  whose  death,  after  a  few  days' 
illness,  in  July  1894,  cut  short  a  career  of  exceptional  literary 
energ-y,  which  even  advancing-  years  seemed  powerless  to 
cripple  or  impair.  Having-  in  his  youngfer  and  middle  life  won 
his  laurels  as  an  Orientalist  by  reviving,  and  placing  upon  a 
scientific  basis,  the  study  of  Ethiopic,*  he  had,  since  i86g, 
devoted  himself  largely  to  the  exegesis  of  the  Old  Testament, 
and  produced  commentaries  upon  Job,t  the  Hexateuch,J  and 
Isaiah, §  which  for  thoroughness,  fine  scholarship,  and  critical 
yet  sober  judgment,  rank  among  the  best  that  have  ever  been 
written.  Kiiobel,  30-40  years  ago,  did  much  for  the  exegesis 
of  the  Hexateuch  ;  but  a  comparison  of  Dillmann's  volumes 
is  sufficient  to  show  how  materially  he  has  contributed  to  the 
advance  of  Biblical  learning,  and  how  greatly  by  his  labours 
he  has  raised  the  ideal  of  a  Biblical  Commentary.  At  the 
same  time,  the  needs  of  English  and  German  readers  are  not 
quite  the  same ;  and  hence,  while  I  have  not  felt  it  incumbent 
upon  me  to  notice  all  the  points  touched'  upon  by  Dillmann, 
there  are  others  which  I  have  deemed  it  necessary  to  treat  at 
greater  length. 

Deuteronomy,  as  remarked  above,  opens  many  topics  of 
archaeological  interest ;  and  when  commencing  my  prepara- 
tions for  the  present  Commentary,  I  wrote  to  my  friend. 
Professor  Robertson  Smith  (who,  as  is  well  known,  possessed 
an  almost  unique  knowledge  of  these  subjects),  to  inquire 
whether  there  were  any  particular  points  on  which  he  could 
supply  me  with  illustration.  Unhappily  his  strength  was 
already  undermined  by  the  fatal  malady  to  which  ere  long  he 

*  His  Ethiopic  Grammar  appeared  in  1857,  his  Ethiopic  Lexicon— a. 
magriificent  folio  volume  of  nearly  800  pages — in  1865  ;  he  also  edited 
the  Ethiopic  Octateuch  (Gn. -Kings),  as  well  as  many  other  Ethiopic  texts. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  had  just  completed  an  edition  of  the  Ethiopic 
Apocr3pha,  which  appeared  about  a  month  afterwards.  See  a  complete 
list  of  his  publications  in  the  Expository  Times,  May  1895,  P-  35°  ^' 

t  1869 ;  ed.  2,  1 891. 

J  Genesis,  1875;  ed.  4,  1892:  Exodus  and  Leviticus,  1880;  Numbers, 
Detiteronomy,  and  Joshua,  1886.  An  English  translation  of  the  Cojn- 
mcnlary  on  Genesis  is  likelj',  it  is  understood,  to  appear  before  long. 

§  1S90. 


X\I  TRKFACE 

\\;is  dcslincd  to  succumb;  and  he  was  not  able  to  furnish 
me  with  more  than  a  few  isohited  notes  (see  the  Index, 
p.  434).  A  year  has  now  passed  since  this  most  brilHant  and 
accomplished  scholar  was  taken  to  his  rest;  but  in  his  Old 
Testament  in  the  Jewish  Church,  his  Prophets  of  Israel,  and  his 
Lectures  on  the  Religion  of  tlie  Semites  (not  to  mention  scattered 
articles  in  the  Encyclopcedia  Britannica  and  elsewhere),  he  has 
bequeathed  a  leg'acy  to  posterity,  which  will  for  long  continue 
to  be  prized  by  students,  and  to  stimulate  reflexion  and 
research. 

The  reader  is  requested,  before  using  the  volume,  to  notice 
the  Addenda  and  Corrigenda  (pp.  xvili-xx),  and  the  list  of 
principal  abbreviations  employed  (pp.  xxi-xxiv). 

S.  R.  D. 

April  1895 


CONTENTS. 


PACE 

Addenda  and  Corrigenda 

• 

XVIII 

Principal  Abbreviations  employed 

. 

XXI 

Introduction          .... 

. 

i-xcv 

§1.   Ititrodiiciory.      Ovtline  of  Contents 

. 

i 

§  2.   Relation  of  Deuteronomy  to  the  precedb 

ig  Books  of  th 

' 

Pentateuch 

, 

iii 

§3.   Scope   and    Character  of  Deiitaononiy : 

its    doDiinan 

f 

Ideas         ,             .             ,             .     ■ 

. 

xix 

§4.   Authorship,  Date,  and  Structure  . 

. 

xxxiv 

§  5.   Language  and  Style 

• 

Ixxvii 

Commentary            .... 

•                            « 

1-425 

Additional  Note  on  n;.?  (21**  32^'')          .            , 

• 

425 

Index            ...... 

.             . 

427 

ADDENDA     AND     CORRIGENDA. 


p.  xliii.  The  "  mountain{.s)  of  the  'Abarim,"  or  "of  the  parts  across" 
(cf.  G.  A.  Smith,  Gcoifr.  p.  262),  Dt.  32^''  Xu.  27'-  33"'''•■'^  of  the  ranjje  East 
of  Jordan,  is  another  not  less  significant  indication  of  the  country  in  which 
the  Pentateuch  was  written. 

P.  II  f.  Professor  J.  F.  McCurdy,  in  History,  Prophecy,  and  the  Monu- 
inenfs  (1S94),  pp.  159-161,  406-408,  arrives  independently  at  the  same  con- 
clusion that  Amorite  and  Canaayiite  (though  each  may  be  used  generally 
of  the  pre-Israelitish  population  of  Canaan)  are  properly  the  names  of  two 
distinct  peoples. 

P.  12,  1.  14.  See  also  W.  Max  Miiller,  Asien  nnd  Etiropa  nach  altagypt- 
ischen  Denhncilcm,  pp.  205-233. 

P.  21,  1.  15  :  for  our  read  thy.  (The  note  on  v.  21  should  have  been 
marked  as  beginning  in  1.  14.) 

P.  29,  1.  4  of  note  on  v.  42  :  dele  Ex.  34'". 

P.  34,  phil.  note  on  ii.  5  ^^'T  :  see  also  p.  Ixxi,  note  *. 

P.  38.  On  Edom,  see  further  F.  Buhl,  Gesrh.  der  Edomitcr,  1893. 

P.  43,  phil.  note  on  v.  27,  I.  3  :  for  §  133.  3''  read  §  123  d^. 

P.  48-49.  The  identification  of  the  Leja  with  Argob  is  rejected  also 
(iiukpcndently),  I  am  glad  to  see,  by  G.  A.  Smith,  Geogr.  p.  551. 

P.  58,  note,  1.  12  :  for  Moses  read  Moab. 

P.  64,  1.  6  of  note  on  v.  5  :  for  5'^  <-^J)  read  ^  <^-). 

P.  64,  next  line :  to  possess  it  (nnii'i'?).  On  the  very  common  Deut.  word 
CT  (p.  IxxviiifT.,  Nos.  4,  22,  46),  it  should  have  been  stated  that,  though 
(for  distinction  from  *?-.;,  n^nj)  it  is  commonly  rendered  to  possess,  it  denotes 
properly  to  take  possession  of  as  heir,  to  succeed  to  (cf.  2^'  -^' "" ;  'niN  cnv  Gn. 
15=*;  nvn  the  heir,  2  S.  14'';  n^'-;;  the  right  of  inheritance,  Jer.  32^);  and 
that  this  sense  of  the  word  gives  point  to  most  of  the  passages  in  which 
it  is  used,  not  only  in  Dt.  (i'^--^  &c.),  but  also  elsewhere,  as  i  K.  21^"  nniin 
ncT  d:i,  Mic.  i"  Jer.  S^"  49!-  2  Hab.  i"  &c.     Cf.  p.  Ixxi,  7iote  *. 

P.  69,  phil.  note  on  v.  16,  1.  3  :  read  rather  Milkyathon  (as  p.  223). 

P.  79,  1.  II.  On  the  claims  of  es-Salt  to  represent  the  ancient  Ramoth 
of  Gilc'ad,  my  friend,  the  Rev.  G.  A.  Cooke,  Fellow  of  Magdalen  College, 
Oxford,  who  visited  the  site  in  1894,  writes  :  "A  survey  of  the  references 
to  Ramoth  in  tlie  OT.,  shows  that  it  must  have  been  a  place  of  administra- 
tive and  strategic  importance  with  respect  to  Bashan  on  the  one  hand 
(i  K.  4'^),  and  Syria  and  X.  Israel  on  the  other  (i  K.  22'''''-),  accessible  from 
Samaria  and  Jezreel  by  road  (i   K.  22-'^  2  K.  8**'- 9") ;  it  must  have  lain 

xvui 


ADDENDA    AND    CORRTGEXDA  XIX 

consequently  N. ,  and  indeed  considcrablj-  N.,  of  the  Jaljbok  :  its  environs, 
also,  were  convenient  for  chariot  warfare  (i  K.  22-''"'-).  It  is  diilicult  under 
these  circumstances  to  understand  how  it  can  have  been  identified  with 
es-Salt,  the  phj'sical  features  of  which  present  none  of  the  conditions  which 
the  Biblical  passages  require  for  Ramoth.  An}'  one  who  has  visited 
cs-Salt  must  have  been  convinced  of  the  impossibility  of  approaching  it 
with  chariots.  The  town  hangs  on  the  steep  sides  of  a  narrow  gorge, 
entirel}'  shut  m  on  the  N.,  and  opening  out  on  a  narrow  flat  of  garden-land 
at  the  other  end  ;  and  even  this  open  extremity  of  the  ravine  is  blocked  by 
a  high  ridg-e  at  right  angles  to  the  town,  closing  up  the  only  outlet.  The 
descent  into  the  town,  and  the  streets  on  the  two  sides  of  the  ravine,  are 
so  steep  that  a  rider  is  almost  compelled  to  dismount  and  lead  his  horse, 
Es-Salt  is,  moreover,  far  too  South, — only  i8  miles  N.  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
and  12  miles  South  of  the  Jabbok  :  it  is  quite  off  the  road  to  Bashan,  while 
there  is  no  line  of  natural  highway  between  it  and  Samaria  or  Jezreel. 
El-jal'ud,  Dillmann's  site,  is  hardly  more  suitable  :  it  is  still  S.  of  the 
Jabbok.  Merrill,  East  of  Jordan,  p.  284  ff.,  proposes  Jerash,  about  22 
miles  NW.  of  es-Salt,  in  nearlj'  the  same  parallel  of  latitude  as  Samaria  ; 
and  it  is  true  that  the  rolling  plateau  on  which  Jerash  stands  would  be 
suitable  enough  for  chariots,  and  in  Gr^eco-Roman  times,  at  any  rate, 
there  must  have  been  easy  communication  between  Jerash  (Gerasa)  and 
W.  Palestine."  This  suggestion  must  be  admitted  to  be  a  plausible  one  : 
though  Mr.  Cooke  himself  (with  G.  A.  Smith,  Geogr.  p.  587)  would  prefer 
a  site  still  further  North,  and  nearer  to  Edre'i  (Der'at),  whence  access  would 
be  easy  to  either  Jezreel  or  Samaria,  up  the  broad  valley  now  called  the 
Wady  Jal'ud,  leading  up  from  the  Jordan  to  Jezreel  (ib.  p.  384  f.).  Der'at  is 
about  25  m.  NNE.  of  Jerash,  and  30  m.  ESE.  of  the  Lake  of  Gennesareth. 

P.  113,  1.  8,  and  p.  118,  1.  11  :  iot  second  ve^a.^  third  {see  Ex.  32^^). 

P.  140,  xii.  3:  Griitz  {Eniendd.  hi  plerosque  V.T.  libros,  Ease.  iii.  1894, 
p.  10)  may  be  right  in  supposing  that  the  verbs  panETi  and  jiyun  have 
accidentally  changed  places  ;  cf.  <&  and  7^-  ^, 

P.  142,  line  2  from  bottom  :  the  D'ii'n  janp  Neh.  10^^  i3^H  ought  perhaps 
to  have  been  noticed. 

P.  163,  phil.  note  on  v.  15, 1.  5  :  inw  Ps.  68''*  was  accidentally  overlooked. 
After  "besides,"  in  1.  4,  "except  with  nouns  formed  from  n"!?  verbs,  as 
incyo,"  should  have  been  added. 

P.    164,   1.   7-8:    add  {after  reptiles),   "and  small  quadrupeds,   as  the 
weasel  and  the  mouse  (Lev.  11^^)." 

P.  180,  XY.  9  ;  W^-2.  -\y]  lan"?  dj;  -th'  p  should  perhaps  be  read  (cf.  Griitz). 

P.  196,  xvi.  10 :  for  the  strange  nca,  Gratz  suggests  nm  (better,  per- 
haps, nm?  ;  notice  the  preceding  2) ;  cf.  v.",  and  Ez.  46''-  ^^  (it  nno  nn:D). 
Tribute  (AV.,  RV.)  comes  from  a  ver}'  improbable  etymological  connexion 
with  CC  task-work  (20^^). 

P.  203,  1.  12  from  bottom  :  the  words,  "which  thou  shalt  make  thee," 
should  not  have  been  omitted  from  the  quotation. 

P.  206,  1.  4  of  note  on  V.  5  :  add  "  Dt.  2ii»  zz-'^-^  i  K.  ai^"- "  Hos.  g^K" 

P.  232,  xix.  5 :  on  '?a':,  see  on  7^  (phil.  n.) ;  and  Levy,  NHWB.  iii.  451 
(used  in  post-Bibl.  Heb.  of  the  falling  off  of  limbs).  Gratz,  however, 
suggests  '?£33  (CJr  iKweaov  :  cf.  2  K.  G"). 


XX  ADDENDA    AND    CORUTGENDA 

P.  243,  1.  9  of  note  on  v.  8  :  for  subj.  read  ag'ent  (tlie  gT.-immn.tical  siihj. 
may  be  a  sacrifice,  or  the  blood  :  Lev.  i*  17")  ;  and  see  the  additional 
note  on  nsr,  p.  425  f. 

P.  255,  1.  3  of  note  on  v.  15  :  for  19  read  21  ;  and  in  1.  4,  add  Ut.  22^*  **. 

P.  269,  xxiii.  25  :  is  •\';zz'  a  t^loss  on  -rs^D? 

P.  276,  xxiv.  14:  -\%v  for  t:c  G5U  Gratz  (cf.  Mai.  3');  and  om.  liiK^ 
CSS  Gratz  (cf.  then  5'^  31'-). 

P.  303,  I.  14  from  bottom  :  for  v.^' '"'  read  v.^-  '^. 

P.  3T0,  phil.  note  on  v.  29,  1.  5  :  It  is  true  the  Syr.  T?  means  tenesmo 
laboraz'if,  and  K^n^o  and  Ninp  mean  dysentery ;  on  the  other  hand,  N'l^n?  in 
the  Pesh.  of  i  S.  6-7  is  used  of  concrete,  material  objects  ;  so  that  Dmna 
will  probably  have  denoted  rather  dysenteric  tumours. 

P.  326,  xxix.  19  (20)  :  Gratz  also  adopts  npmi  for  rvi-sm. 

P.  329,  phil.  note  on  xxx.  3 :  It  should  have  been  explained  that  nnS 
(Pr.  4^t)  from  nV  is  irregular  ;  and  that  even  n?3";  (from  on)  is  a  form  only 
once  found  from  a  verb  1  "v,  in  a  passage  (Ez.  32')  where  the  text  is  (upon 
other  grounds)  doubtful,  while  both  these  forms  are  common  from  verbs 
.t'^  {mbj,  rr:?,  &c.).  Preuschen,  in  a  long-  study  on  the  expression  {ZATW. 
1895,  p.  I  ff.),  returns  to  the  old  explanation  of  it,  pointing  in  particular  to 
the  support  which  this  derives  from  Jer.  48^'''-,  comp.  with  Nu.  21-':  the 
more  general,  metaphorical  sense,  he  finds  beginning  in  Lam.  2"  Ps.  85- 
126'*,  and  completed  in  Job  42'*. 


PRINCIPAL    ABBREVIATIONS    EMPLOYED. 


Benzinger     .         .     Benzinger,  J.,  Hehr.  Archciologie,  1894. 

An  eminently  readable,  ably-written  survey  of  the 
antiquities  of  the  Old  Testament. 

BR.  .  .  .  Robinson,  Edw.,  Biblical  Researches  in  Palestine, 
&c.,  ed.  2  (London,  1856). 

CIS.      ...     Corpus  Inscriptioniun  Semiticariim,  Paris,  i88i  fF. 

Dav.      .         .         ,     A.  B.  Davidson,  Hebrew  Syntax  (Edin.  1894). 

An  excellent  work,  which  may  be  w'armly  com- 
mended to  English  Hebraists.  It  only  reached  me 
in  time  to  be  referred  to  on  c.  29  fF. 

nB.  or  BB."  .  A  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,  edited  by  W.  Smith,  ed.  i 
(1863);  or  ed.  2  (A/\ron-Juttah),  1893. 

Dr.  .  .  .  Driver,  S.  R.,  ^  Treatise  on  the  Use  of  the  Tenses  in 
Hebrew  (ed.  3,  Oxford,  1892). 

Dillm.  (or  Di.)  .  DiWrnann,  Aug.,  A^umeri,  Deieteivno/nium  undfosua,  in 
the  Knrsgefasstes  Exegetisches  Handbuch  sum  AT., 
1886  (re-written,  on  the  basis  of  Knobel's  Com- 
mentary [Knob,  or  Kn.]  in  the  same  series,  1861). 

Ew.  ...  Ewald,  H.,  Lehrbuch  der  Hebr.  Sprache,  ed.  7,  1863; 
ed.  8,  1870. 

The  Syntax  has  been  translated  by  J.  Kennedy, 
Edin.  1 88 1. 

G.-K.  .  .  ,  Wilhelni  Geseniiis'  Hebrdische  Grammatik,  vollig' 
umgcarbeitet  von  Ed.  Kautzsch,  ed.  25,  18S9. 

The  best  grammar  for  ordinary  purposes,  the 
present  edition  being  greatly  improved,  especially 
in  the  syntax.  An  English  translation  will,  it  is 
hoped,  appear  before  long. 

nWB.  or  HWB.^  Handwurterbuch  des  Bibl.  Altertians,  ed.  by  Edw. 
Riehm,  ed.  i,  1884;  or  ed.  2,  1893-1894. 

Holziiigcr     ,         ,     Holzinger,  H.,  Ji:i?ileitH?ig  in  den  Hexateuch,  iSg^. 

A  comprehensive  discussion  of  the  problems  pre- 
sented by  the  Hexatcuch,  with  a  survey  of  the  prin- 
cipal solutions  that  have  been  offered  of  them.  The 
tabular  synopses  of  the  literary  usages  of  the  various 
sources  are  the  most  complete,  and  critical,  that 
have  been  hitherto  constructed. 


XXII  I'RINCIl'AL    AI5I!KEVIATI0NS    EMPLOYED 

JBLiL.         .  .    Jiiiinuil  of  Biblical  Literature  {'Shy.ss.  Xj.S.A.). 

JPh.      .         .         .    y<>:irn<il  oyP/iilolojry  (Ciimbn(\i:;i^  and  London). 

KlciiK  rt  .         .      Klcincrt,  V.,  Das  Deuteronomium  tind  der  Deulerono- 

iiiiker,  1872. 

Kiiii.  .  .  .  Ki3iiijj,  F.  E.,  II istorisch-kritisches  Lehrgehdiide  der 
Ifi'br.  Spntrhe,  vol.  i.  1881  ;  vol.  ii.  part  i,  1S95. 

Remarkably  comprehensive  and  complete.  The 
special  value  of  the  work  consists  in  the  careful  (Jis- 
cussion  of  all  difficult  or  anomalous  forms,  and  the 
copious  references  to  other  authorities,  both  ancient 
and  modern.  Vol.  i.  comprises  the  "  Lautlehre," 
and  the  "  Formenlehre "  of  verbs ;  vol.  ii.  i  deals 
principally  with  the  "  Formenlehre"  of  nouns  ;  and 
contains,  both  on  that  and  on  other  subjects  (e.i^: 
p.  207  fT.,  the  order  of  numerals,  classified  and 
tabulated  ;  p.  234 ff.,  the  usage  of  advs.,  preps.,  and 
interjections),  an  abundance  of  useful  and  interest- 
ing information. 

Kuen.  .  •  .  Kuenen,  A.,  The  Hexateuch  (Eng'l.  trans,  of  the 
corresponding  part  of  the  author's  Hist.-crit.  inquiry 
into  the  origin  of  the  Books  0/  the  OT.),  1886. 

Lex.  ,  ,  ,  A  Hebrew  and  English  Lexicon  0/  the  OT.,  based  on 
the  Lexicon  and  Thesaurus  of  Gcscnius,  b}'  F. 
Brown,  C.  A.  Briggs,  and  S.  R.  Driver,  Oxford, 
1891  ff.  (parts  1-4,  reaching  as  far  as  3^^,  at  present 
[April  1895]  published). 

L.O.T. .  ,  ,  An  Introduction  to  the  Literature  of  the  Old  Testament, 
by  S.  R.  Driver  (Edin.  1891  ;  ed.  5,  1894). 

NUB.  .  .  .  Natural  History  of  the  Bible,  by  H.  B.  Tristram, 
ed.  2,  London,  1868. 

Nowack         .         .     Nowack,  W.,  Lehrbuch  der  Hebr.  Archdologie,  1894. 

A  manual,  similar  to  that  of  Benzinger,  noted 
above,  but  larger,  and  offering  more  explanation 
and  discussion  of  the  subjects  dealt  with.  Both 
these  works  are  valuable  aids  to  the  study  of  the 
OT. ;  and  from  the  time  when  they  reached  me,  I 
have  referred  to  them  frequently. 

Oettli  ...  Oettli,  S.,  Das  Deuteronomittni  u.  die  Bb.  Josua  u. 
Richter  (in  Strack  and  Zockler's  "  Kurzgefasster 
Kommentar  "),  1893. 

Less  elaborate  and  complete  than  the  Comment.iry 
of  Dillmann,  but  sensible,  moderate,  and  critical. 

Ols.  ...  Olshausen,  Justus,  Lehrbuch  der  Heb.  Sprache,  i. 
1861.     (No  syntax.)     A  masterly  work, 

OTfC,  or  OTJC."  The  Old  Testament  in  the  Jewish  Church,  by  W. 
Robertson  Smith,  ed.  1,  i88i  ;  ed.  2,  1892. 

N.Zg.'^  .         .     Gesch.  des  Jiid.    Volkes  im  Zcitalter  Jesu  Christi,  by 

Emil  Schurer,  1886,  1890  (ed.  2  of  the  Lehrbuch  der 
Neutest.  Zeitgeschichte). 


PRINCIPAL    ABBREVIATIONS    EMPLOYED 


XXIII 


Schultz 

Samuel,   Xofes  on 
(or  "oh  Sam.") 


Stade    . 

Th  T.     . 
Valcton,  Sttidiihi 


Wellh.  Comp. 


PEP.     .         .  .      Palestine  Exploration  Fund. 

PEFOuSl.     .         .      Qua rferly  Sfafemenf  oi  do. 

PRE.'^  .         .         .     Hcrzog's     Real- Encyhlopiidie     fiir     Protestantische 

Theologie  und  Kirche,  ed.  2,  1877-1888. 
PS.        .         .         •     Paj'ne  Smith,  Thesaurus  Syriaciis. 

S.  &  P.  .         .     Sinai  and  Palestine  in  connection  ivith  their  History ^ 

by  A.  P.  Stanley,  ed.  1864. 
Schultz,  F.  W. ,  Das  Deuterononiiurn  erkldrt,  1859. 
Notes  on  the  Hebreiv   Text  of  the  Boolcs  of  Samuel, 
li'ith  a)i  Introduction  on  Hebreiv  Palceography  and 
the  Ancient  Versions,  and  Facsimiles  of  Inscriptions, 
by  S.  R.  Driver  (Oxford,  1890). 
Stade,   Bernhard,  Lehrbuch  der  Hebr.   Grammatik,  i. 

1879.     (X'o  sj'ntax.)     Very  convenient  and  useful. 
Theologisch  Tijdschrift  (Leiden). 

Valeton,  J.  J.  P.,  six  articles  on  the  contents  and 
structure  of  Dt.,  in  the  Studien,  published  in  con- 
nexion with  the  Theol.  Tijdschrift  (Leiden),  v.  (1879), 
parts  2,  3-4;  vi.  (1880),  parts  2-3,  4;  vii.  (1881), 
parts  I,  3. 
Wcllhausen,  J.,  Die  Composition  des  Hexateuchs  lend 
der  historischen  Bilcher  des  AT.s,  1889. 

A  reprint  of  the  important  articles  on  the  com- 
position of  the  Hexateuch,  published  by  the  author 
to  the  Jahrb.  fiir  Deutsche  Theologie,  1876,  p.  392  ff., 
p.  531  ff.,  1877,  p.  407  ff.  ;  and  of  the  matter  con- 
tributed by  him  to  the  4th  edition  of  Bleek's  Ein- 
leitung  in  das  AT.  (1878),  on,  the  composition  of 
Jud.  Sam.  and  Kings. 
Wcslphal,  Al.,  Les  Sources  du  Pentateuque,  Etude  dc 
critique  et  d'histoire.  i.  (1888)  Leproblimelitt^raire; 
ii.  (1892)  Le  problime  historique. 

Extremely  well-written,  the  author  often  rising; 
to  real  eloquence.  Vol.  i.  contains  an  historical 
account  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  critical 
study  of  the  Hexateuch  ;  .vol.  ii.  a  comparative 
study,  literary  and  historical,  of  the  documents  of 
which  the  Hexateuch  is  composed. 
Zeitschrift  fiir  die  Alttestamentliche  Wissenschaft,  ed. 

by  B.  Stade. 
Zeitschrift  der  Deutschen   Morgenldndischen    Gesell- 

schaft. 
Zeitschrift  des  Deutschen  Paldstina-Vereins. 
Zeitschrift  fiir   Kirchliche    Wissenschaft  und  Kirch- 
liches  Leben. 
MT.  =  Massorctic  text. 

(G  =  the  Greek  Version  of  the  OT.  (the  LXX) ;  iL=Lucian's  recension  of 
the    LXX;    ©=Onkelos;    S  =  the  Syriac   Version    (Peshitto) ;    21^= 
Targum  ;U= Vulgate. 


Westphal 


ZATW. 

ZDMG. 

ZDPV. 
ZKWI. 


XXIV  rRINCIl'AL    AI5i;in:VIATIOXS    EMPLOYED 

AV,  =Authoiizi(l  ViTsion  ;  RV,  =Rcviscfl  Version. 

D  =  the  Dcutcroiiomist ;  D-  =  Dcutcrononiic  sections  of  Joshua,  or  some- 
times (as  p.  Ixxvif.)  secondary  parts  of  Deuteronomy;  "Deut.," 
attached  to  citations  from  Jud,  or  Kinj^s,  indicates  that  the  passa_t;cs 
referred  to  are  the  work  of  tlie  Deuteronomic  compilers  of  the  books 
in  question  (see  p.  xci  f.). 

The  signs  JE,  II,  and  P — denoting  the  other  Pcntateuchal  sources — are 
explained  in  the  Introduction,  p,  iii  f. 

Biblical  passages  are  quoted  according  to  the  Hebrew  enumeration  of 
chapters  and  verses :  where  this  differs  in  the  English  (as  in  Dt.  13. 
23.  29),  the  reference  to  the  latter  has  been  (usually)  appended  in  a 
parenthesis  ;  as  Dt.  23I8O'-) ;  28"''  (29^) ;  i  Ch.  e*"  W  ;  Joel  4(3)5. 

The  sign  t,  following  a  series  of  references,  indicates  that  all  examples  of 
the  word  or  form  in  question,  occurring  in  the  OT.,  have  been  quoted. 


INTRODUCTION. 


§1.   IiitrodKctory.      Oiitluic  of  Contents. 

Deuteronomv,  the  name  of  the  fifth  book  of  the  Pentateuch, 
is  derived  from  to  Aevrepoyo/xtoi'  toi'to,  the  (uni^rammatical) 
LXX.  rendering  of  HN-in  nninn  njL'p  in  17I8.*  Ahhough,  how- 
ever, based  upon  a  grammatical  error,  the  name  is  not  an 
inappropriate  one ;  for  Deuteronomy  (see  28''^  [AV.  29^])  does 
embody  the  terms  of  a  second  legislative  "covenant,"  and 
includes  (by  the  side  of  much  fresh  matter)  a  repetition  of  a 
large  part  of  the  laws  contained  in  what  is  sometimes  called 
the  "  First  Legislation"  of  Exodus. f  The  period  covered  by 
it  is  the  last  month  of  the  wanderings  of  the  Israelites  (of.  i^ 
34^).  The  book  consists  chiefly  of  three  discourses,  purporting 
to  have  been  delivered  by  Moses  in  the  "Steppes"  (34^)  of 
Moab,  setting  forth  the  laws  which  the  Israelites  are  to  obey, 
and  the  spirit  in  which  they  are  to  obey  them,  when  they  are 
settled  in  the  land  of  promise.  More  particularly  the  contents 
of  the  Book  may  be  exhibited  as  follows  : — 

i^"'  Introduction,  specifying  the  place  and  time  at  which  the  followint;' 
discourses  were  delivered. 

i^-^^o  Moses' ^/"^Z,  or  introductory,  discourse,  comprising'  (a)  a  historical 
retrospect,  reviewing  the  principal  incidents  of  the  Israelites'  journey  from 
Horeb,  and  exemplifying  the  providence  which  had  brought  them  through 
the  desert,  and  past  the  territory  of  envious  or  hostile  neighbours  to  the 

*  The  Heb.  words  can  only  mean  "a  repetition  {i.e.  copy)  of  this 
law,"  not  "  this  repetition  of  the  law"  (which  would  require  ."T?n  for  nxirt, 
besides  being  inconsistent  with  the  meaning  of  njcn).  The  same  mis- 
rendering  of  n:t:'D  recurs  Jos.  9^  LXX.  (  =  Heb.  8"-).  By  the  Jews  the 
book  is  called,  from  its  opening  words,  c'lain  ."i'tn,  or,  more  briefly,  D'nm 
{Dcbdrlm). 

t  Ex.  20---23H     See  p.  iii  ;  W.  R.  Smith,  OTJC."  pp.  318,  34off. 
A 


11  INTRODUCTION 

border  of  tlic  Promised  L:iiul  (•"-j'');  aiul  (b)  the  practical  conclusion  of 
the  precedinjj;'  retrospect,  viir.  an  ap[)eal  to  the  nation,  reminding-  it  of  its 
ohlij;^ations  to  its  Benefactor,  and  urtfing  it  not  to  forget  the  great  truths 
of  the  spirituality  and  sole  Godhead  of  Jehovah,  impressed  upon  it  at 
Ijoreb  {4>--"*). 

^^41-43  Account  of  the  appointment  by  Moses  of  three  Cities  of  refuge  in 
the  trans-Jordanic  territory. 

4'""^  Superscription  to  Moses'  second  discourse,  containing  the  Exposi- 
tion of  the  Law  (c.  5-26.  28). 

C.  5-26.  28  The  Exposition  of  the  Law,  the  central  and  principal  part 
of  the  book,  falling  naturally  into  two  parts  :  (a)  c.  5-11,  consisting  of  a 
hortatory  introduction,  developing  the  first  commandment  of  the  Deca- 
logue, and  inculcating  the  general  theocratic  principles  by  which  Israel, 
as  a  nation,  is  to  be  governed;  (A)  c.  J  2-26.  28,  comprising  the  code  of 
special  laws,  which  it  is  the  object  of  the  legislator  to  "expound"  (1''), 
and  encourage  Israel  to  obey. 

C.  28,  connected  closely  with  26'^,  and  declaring  impressively  the  bless- 
ings and  curses  which  Israel  may  expect  to  follow,  according  as  it  observes, 
or  neglects,  the  Deuteronomic  law,  forms  the  peroration  of  the  central 
discourse  (c.  5-26). 

C.  27  Instructions  (interrupting  the  discourse  of  Moses,  and  narrated 
in  the  3rd  person)  relative  to  a  symbolical  acceptance  by  the  nation  of  the 
Deuteronomic  Code,  after  its  entrance  into  Canaan. 

29'  (-'-30-'^  Moses'  /////-^discourse,  of  the  nature  of  a  supplement,  insisting 
afresh  upon  the  fundamental  duty  of  loyalty  to  Jehovah,  and  embracing  ( i) 
an  appeal  to  Israel  to  accept  the  terms  of  the  Deuteronomic  covenant,  with 
a  renewed  warning  of  the  disastrous  consequences  of  a  lapse  into  idolatry 
(29'"*'-"-'');  (2)  a  promise  of  restoration,  even  after  the  abandonment 
threatened  in  c.  28,  provided  the  nation  then  sincerely  repents  (30^'") ; 
(3)  the  choice  now  set  before  Israel  (30"'-**). 

31^"*  Moses'  last  words  of  encouragement  to  the  people  and  Joshua. 

3i'''"i^  Moses'  delivery  of  the  Deuteronomic  law  to  the  Levitical  priests, 
with  instructions  for  it  to  be  read  publicly  every  seven  years. 

21I4-15.  :ii  Commission  of  Joshua  by  Jehovah. 

2jic-22. 34-30  22i-»^'-"  The  Song  of  Moses,  with  accompanying  notices. 

22*8-47  Moses'  final  commendation  of  the  Deuteronomic  law  to  Israel. 

32^^-34'-  Conclusion  of  the  whole  book,  containing  the  Blessing  of 
Moses  (c.  33),  and  narrating  the  circumstances  of  his  death. 

The  Ici^isldlioji  of  Dt.,  properly  so  called,  is  thus  included 
in  c.  12-26,  to  which  c.  5-11  form  an  introduction,  and  c.  28 
a  conclusion.  Even  here,  however,  not  less  than  in  every 
other  part  of  his  discourses,  the  author's  aim  is  still  essentially 
parciietic ;  he  does  not  merely  collect,  or  repeat,  a  series  of 
laws;  he  "expounds"  them  (i^),  i.e.  he  develops  them  with 
reference  to  the  moral  purposes  which  they  subserve,  and 
the   motives   by  which  the  Israelite  should  feel  prompted  to 


OUTl.lNK    OF    CONTKNTS  111 

obey  them.  In  Dt.  itsolf,  tlic  cxpix'ssion  f/i/'s  law  frequently 
occurs,  denotini;"  eitlier  tlie  Code  of  laws,  of  which  it  is  the 
"exposition"  (i'',  with  the  note),  or  (more  usually)  the  exposi- 
tion itself  (i^"  4^^  (cf.  V.-'-')  171s- !'•'  27«-8-2f-  28''S-«i  2928(29) 
.,j!..  11.12.  24  034.;.  ef.  //lis  book  of  /he  law  2920(-i')  30IO  3126.  ^o 
Jos.  18).  That  this  expression  refers  to  Dt.,  and  not  to  the 
entire  Pent.,  appears  (i)  from  the  wording-  of  i^  4^-**,  which 
points  to  a  law  on  the  point  of  being-  set  forth  ;  (2)  from  the 
parallel  expressions  //lis  coniuiaiidiiicii/,  //wse  s/a/u/cs,  /liese 
jiiiigmcii/s,  which  are  often  spoken  of  as  inculcated  to-day  (7^2 
[see  v.ii]  15-^  19^^  261'^  30^'). 

^/§  2.   Rcla/ioti  of  Dcii/cnmomv  to  the  preceding-  Books  of  the 

Pentatcnch. 

In  order  to  gain  a  right  estimate  of  Deuteronomy,  it  is 
necessary  to  compare  it  carefully  with  the  books  of  Genesis  to 
Numbers,  upon  which,  in  its  legislative  and  historical  parts 
alike,  it  is  largely  based.  In  conducting-  this  comparison,  it 
must  be  borne  in  mind  that  these  books  are  not  homogeneous, 
but  are  composed  of  distinct  documents,  each  marked  by 
definite  literary  and  other  features,  peculiar  to  itself.  Of  these 
documents,  one  bears  a  prophetical  character,  and,  showing 
itself  marks  of  being  in  turn  composed  of  two  sources,  in  one 
of  which  the  n3.n\G  Jehovah  is  preferred,  while  the  other  uses 
generally  Elohiiii,  is  commonly  denoted  by  the  s}mbol  JE  ;  the 
other  bears  a  pries/ly  character,  and  may  be  referred  to 
accordingly  by  the  letter  P.*  Each  of  these  documents  con- 
sists in  part  of  laws,  which  fall  into  three  groups  or  Codes, 
differing  considerably  from  each  other  in  character  and  scope. 
The  first  of  these  Codes  is  that  contained  in  JE,  viz.  Ex. 
20-23,  comprising-  the  Decalogue  (Ex.  20^-^''),  and  the  laws  in 
Ex.  20"-23^3 — commonly  known  as  the  "Book  of  the 
Covenant"  (see  Ex.  24") — consisting  chiefly  of  civil  enact- 
ments, designed  for  the  use  of  a  community  living  under 
simple  conditions  of  society,   but  partly  also  of  rudimentary 

*  See  more  fully  the  writer's  Introduction  to  tlie  Literature  of  the  Old 
Testament  (cited  afterwards  as  L.O.T.),  pp,  6-8,  11-12,  109 fF.,  iiSff. 


IV 


INTROnUCTION 


rclii,nous  regulations  {20"-'^'>  22i"- '••''•"• -O)- ^s-yo(Jtf-ai)  23io-"'),  to 
which  must  be  added  the  repetition  of  many  of  the  latter 
enactments  in  Ex.  34"'"-''',  and  the  kindred  regulations  (on  the 
Feast  of  Unleavened  Cakes,  and  the  Dedication  of  the  First- 
born) in  Ex.  i3''-i".  The  second  Code  consists  of  the  laws 
contained  in  P,  and  relating  in  particular  to  the  sacrificial 
system,  and  other  ceremonial  institutions  of  the  Hebrews; 
these  occupy  the  greater  part  of  Ex.  25-31.  35-40.  Lev.  1-16.  27. 
Nu.  ii-io-s.  15.  18-19.  25^^-36,  now  frequently  termed,  from 
the  predominant  character  of  its  contents,  the  "  Priests' 
Code."  The  ihird  Code,  also  now  incorporated  in  P,  but 
once  distinct  from  it,  and  marked  by  many  special  features  of 
its  own,  is  the  group  of  laws — partly  moral  (c.  18.  19  (largely). 
20),  partly  ceremonial — contained  in  Lev.  17-26,  often  called 
by  modern  scholars  (from  the  principle  v.hich  it  strives  mainly 
to  enforce)  the  "  Law  of  Holiness,"  and  denoted  for  brevity 
by  the  symbol  H.* 

It  will  be  convenient  to  consider  first  the  legislative  parts 
of  Dt.  The  following  synopsis  will  show  immediately  which 
of  the  laws  in  Dt.  relate  to  subjects  not  dealt  with  in  the  other 
Codes,  and  which  are  parallel  to  provisions  there  contained. 


SYNOPSIS  OF  LAWS  IN  DEUTERONOMY. 


JE. 

Dkuteronomv. 

r  (iN-CI.ri)ING  H). 

Ex.  2o'-i7 

^6-18  (21)  The  Decalos^ue 

20^* 

12' ■-■*  (place  of  sacrifice) 

Lev.  if-^* 

cf.  23--'  34'--  "5f- 

j2-!y-3i  ^uot  to  imitate  Canaanite 
rites) 

Nu.  zf 

Cf.  22l»t*)) 

c.     13    (cases    of    seduction    to 
idolatry) 

14''-  (disfigurement  in  mourniiit^) 

Lcv.  iq'-** 

14'''-"  (clean  and  unclean  animrils) 

^  II     n  ■-•-■•'  20'^ 

2,30(31) 

14-''"  (food  improperly  killed) 

„     i7'--ii^ 

23,..,  3^2.b 

14-'^''  (kid  in  mother's  milk) 

14  --2»  (tithes) 

II     27"'"'''^       Nu, 
18-1-2-* 

2^10f.» 

15^"^'  (year  of  Release) 

"     25-^* 

L.O.T.  pp.  43-55,  141-144. 


RELATION    OF    DT.    TO    CODES    OV    JE,    H,    AND    P 


JE. 

Deuteronomy. 

P  (including  H). 

Ex.    2T=-"* 

j^i2-]8  (Hebrew  slaves) 

Lev. 

2j-.'!9-4()» 

22-«(:W)   13^2.^19 

j^i:i-2:i  (firstling-s  of  ox  and  sliccp : 

Nu. 

i8''f-*  (cf.  Ex. 

cf.  I  2«- 1^-18  1423) 

13"- Lev.  2728 
Nu.  313  81") 

22l-t-lV  2|1^-  2iV«,f. 

16'"^''  (the  three  annual  Pilgrini- 

Lev. 

23*  Nu.  28- 

22-24 

ag-es) 
16'^  (appointment  of  judg-es) 

29* 

23!-..  6-8 

j5Ui--'0  (just  judgment) 

II 

19'^' 

16-''-^  (Asherahs  and  "pillars" 

II 

26I 

prohibited) 

17^    (sacrifices    to     be     without 

II 

22^''"^ 

blemish  :  cf.  15"') 

22l9(20)2o3  23l='34T 

1 7-"'' (worship  of  "other  gfods," 

or  of  the  host  of  heaven) 
jyS-i:i  (supreme  tribunal) 
I7i'*--''(law  of  the  king-) 

iS^'**  (rights  and  revenues  of  the 

^1. 

732-34*       Nu. 

tribe  of  Levi) 

jgl-7.8-20* 

iS'*'--  (law  of  the  prophet) 

i8'">  (Molech-worship:  cf.  12") 

II 

lS-1  2o2-5 

22i"(i8)  (sorceress 

iSU.b-n  (different  kinds  of  divina- 

II 

,g2.1,.:U2o«-27 

alone) 

tion  and  magfic) 

21I2-14. 

19^'^''    (asylum    for    manslayer : 

Nu. 

35»-34      Lev. 

murder) 

24.7.21 

19"  (the  landmark) 

23I 

jgis-ui  (i.-^w  of  witness) 

c.  20  (military  service  and  war : 

cf.  24-') 
21'""  (expiation    of  an    untraced 

murder) 
21'"""  (treatment  of  female  caji- 

tives) 
^ji-i-ir  (pi-imogeniture) 

Lev. 

^glGb 

Cf.    2  !»■'•" 

2iif--ji  (undutiful  son) 

cf.  Lev.  20^ 

21'--"-''  (body  of  malefactor) 

23« 

22^'*  (animals  straj'ing-  or  fallen  : 

lost  property) 
22''  (sexes    not    to    interchang-e 

garments) 
22'''"  (bird's  nest) 
23*  (battlement) 

239-11  (against  non-nalui-al    mix- 

Lev. 

I9I9 

tures) 

22'-  (law  of  "  tassels  ") 

Nu. 

,5.7-41 

VI 


INTRODUCTION 


JE. 

Deuteronomy. 

P  (including  H). 

22I3-21  (slander  agfainst  a  newly- 

married  maiden) 

Ex.  20" 

2222-2-  (adultery) 

Lev.  iS-»  2010 

22 '5  (•«)'• 

222»f.  (seduction) 

23^(22*')  (incest  with  stcpnioUicr) 

.,     i8«  20" 

232-ii(i-8)  (conditions  of  admittance 

into   the   theocratic    com- 

munity) 

2310-15(9-14)    (cleanliness     in     the 

Nu.  s'-** 

camp) 

23i6(i5)f.   (humanity    to    escaped 

slave) 

2318  (i7)f.  (against  religious  prosti- 

tution) 

2224  (25) 

2320  (i!.)f.  (usury) 

Lev.  25=15-37 

2322-24(21-23,  (vo^^.g) 

Xu.  30- 

2325  (24)f.  (regard  for  neiglihour's 

crops) 

24'"''  (divorce) 

22--"C^«)'- 

24«- 10-13  (pledges) 

2,16 

24"  (man-stealing) 

24'"-  (leprosy)                                  ^ 

■  Lev.  13-14 

24'^'-  (wages  of  hired  servant  not 

M     19I3 

to  be  detained) 

24!"  (the  family  of  a  criminal  not 

to  sufler  with  him) 

22»)-23C31-LM,  230 

24'''*  G"^''^^  towards   strangrr, 
widow,  and  orphan) 

M     J9^''- 

2_^i!)-22  (gleanings) 

.,     19"'- 23^ 

25'""  (moderation  in  infliction  of 

the  bastinado) 

25'*    (threshing    ox     not     to    be 

muzzled) 

J  5.5-10  (levirate-marriage) 

2511-1-  (modest}'  in  women) 

25'^''®  (just  weights) 

II     i9='''*' 

17" 

25i"-i9('Amalek!) 

cf.   22-**  1^="    23'*' 

26!""  (thanksgiving  at  the  ofTer- 

cf.  Xu.  iS'^*- 

34"* 

ing  of  firstfruits) 
2512-15  (thanksgiving  at  the  pay 
mentofthe  triennial  tithe) 

,3^-:« 

c.     28     (peroration,     presenting 
motives  for  the  observance 
of  the  Code) 

Lev.  36=-« 

RELATION    OF    DT.    TO    CODES    OF    JE,    II,    AND    P      VII 


JE. 

Deuteronomy. 

P  (including  H). 

Ex.  so-*-  '^  34^" 

^ifi-18. 23  y25  (against  images) 

Lev. 

19"'  j61 

23a-..b 

5"''     (philanthropic      object      of 
Sabbath) 

cf.  13"- '« 

6'^  1 1^*  (law  of  frontlets) 

20^  231^'  34'^ 

6^^  1 1^''  (against  "  other  gods  ") 

II 

i9'» 

13" 

6-"^-  (instruction  to  children) 

, 

2^24a.  :i2f.  ^  ,12.  ir.f. 

^•j-4.  ui  („Q  compact  with  Canaan- 
ites) 

Nu. 

33"'" 

T,':4i)  0  ,13 

7''i2-''(Canaanite  altars,  "pillars" 
&c.  to  be  destroyed) 

II 

33'- 

,gfi2229(30) 

f  14-- 21  26I"  283  (Israel  a  "holy 

Lev 

,,+4f.    ,r)2    20^- 

people  ")  (in  different  con- 

-^ Nu.  i5« 

nexions) 

22-«  (-1)230 

10"  (to  love  the  "  stranger") 

II 

193^ 

I2i6. 23  j^2:i  (blood  not  to  be  eaten) 

II 

iyl0-14jg2fia(cf. 
3I7  fM.  G„. 

9^) 

2318a  3425* 

i6^''  (leavened   bread    not   to  be 
eaten  with  Passover) 

Ex. 

128 

j^Cf.    ,-,15   ^,13 

'o      -.>     o4 

jg-b.  4a.  8   (unleavened    cakes    for 

II 

,2ir..  18-20    Lev. 

seven  days  afterwards) 

2f 

23IS.,  3_^a.b 

16^''   (flesh    of    Passover   not   to 
remain  till  morning) 

" 

12'"  Nu.  9I- 

1 6'"-  ^■'  ( feast  of  "  booths  "  ;  ' ' seven 

Lev 

2  -,"4.  .a.  41-43 

days") 

1^6    jg)5    ("two    or    three    wit- 

Nu. 

^-"0 

nesses") 

2I23-2B 

19-'  (lex  falionis)  (but  in  a  differ- 
ent application  in  each  case) 

Lev 

24l«- 

20=5 

27''"''  (altars  of  unhewn  stones) 

There  are  also  in  Ex.  20-23  and  Lev.  17-26  prohibitions  corresponding 
to  most  of  the  imprecations  in  27'°'-'' ;  sec  the  Table,  p.  299.* 

The  passages  should  in  all  cases  be  examined  individually  ; 
for  sometimes,  especially  in  the  case  of  those  cited  from  P,  the 
parallelism  extends  only  to  the  subject-matter,  the  details 
being  different,  or  even  actually  discrepant.  The  instances  in 
which  the  divergence  is  most  marked  are  indicated  by  an 
asterisk  (*) ;  for  a  discussion  of  the  differences  the  reader  is 
referred  to  the  Commentary. 

*  On  the  principle,  so  far  as  it  is  systematic,  on  which  the  laws  in 
C.  12-26  are  arranged,  see  p.  135  f. 


VllI  INTR0DUCTrO>I 

A  detailed  study  of  these  parallels  leads  at  once  to  an  im- 
portant result :  it  makes  it  apparent,  vis.  that  the  legislation 
of  Dt.  is  differently  related  to  each  of  the  three  otiier  Codes. 
(r)  The  laws  oi]^  form  the  foundation  of  the  Deuteronomic 
leg'islation.  This  is  evident  as  well  from  the  numerous  verbal 
coincidences  *  as  from  the  fact,  which  is  plain  from  the  left- 
hand  column,  that  nearly  the  whole  ground  covered  by  Ex. 
20---23''''  is  included  in  it,  almost  the  only  exception  being  the 
special  compensations  to  be  paid  for  various  injuries  (Ex.  21^*'- 
2216(15)^^  which  would  be  less  necessary  in  a  manual  intended 
for  the  people.!  In  a  few  cases  the  entire  law  is  repeated 
verbal ini,\  or  nearly  so;  §  elsewhere  only  particular  clauses:  || 
in  other  cases  the  older  law  is  expanded,  fresh  definitions 
being  added,  or  its  principle  extended,  or  parenetic  comments 
attached,  or  the  law  is  virtually  recast  in  the  Deuteronomic 
phraseology. 

Thus  c.  13  and  17-""  may  be  reg^arded  as  expansions,  with  reference  to 
particular  cases,  of  the  law  agfainst  idolatry  in  Ex.  22"'*'-*'';  15^"*  a  new 
institution  is  attached  to  the  fallow  seventh  year  of  Ex.  23'^''-;  15'"'^*  (tin- 
law  of  slavery)  is  based  upon  Ex.  21'-''^,  but  with  considerable  modifications, 
and  with  parenetic  additions  (v.^-*"^^- ^^) ;  i^is-^s  (firstlings)  specializes,  and 
at  the  same  time  modifies,  Ex.  13' "•  22^  <™'  34";  16^''"  (the  three  Pilgrim- 
ages) expands  Ex.  22,^*'^'  (  =  3^58. 20b.  22-2.1^^  ^^y  t]jg  addition  of  regulations 
partly  new,  partly  derived  from  EJx.  13^-*',  and  of  parenetic  comments; 
i6"*'*  (just  judgment)  partly  repeats,  partly  expands,  Ex.  23®*^;  i8""" 
(against  divination  and  sorcery)  extends  the  principle  of  Ex.  22'^  0*' 
(sorceress  alone)  to  analogous  cases ;  19^"'^  (asylum  for  manslaughter ; 
and  murder)  is  a  new  and  extended  application  of  the  principles  laid  down 

*  Specimens  may  be  seen  transcribed  in  the  notes  on  i^i"--i<>-i7  153-1.8.10. 
l:i.  15.  l«  22^'*. 

t  The  other  exceptions  are  Ex.  20^'*  22*  <■*'•'"' (-•''''. 

X  "Thou  shalt  not  seethe  a  kid  in  its  mother's  milk"  (14-  ''=Ex.  23''"'  = 
Ex.  TA^"^). 

§  7'  But  thus  shall  ye  do  to  them  :  Ex.  34^^  But 

their  altars  ye  shall  pull  down,  and     their  altars  ye  shall  pull  do7i.'>i,  and 
their  obelisks  ye  shall  break  in  pieces,      their  obelisks  ye  shall  break  in  pieces, 
and    their  Ashtfrahs  ye  shall  hew      atid  their    Aslu'rahs   ye    shall    cut 
down,  and  their  graven  images  ye     down, 
shall  burn  with  fire  (cf.  12^). 

See  also  i6-'-8-ifi-i9  2^^^  (pp.  ix,  192,  194,  198,  2S8). 

II  E.g.  6'*("forasign  upon  thine  hand,  and  .  .  .  for  frontlets  between  thine 
eyes")  ;  7^  ("  thou  shalt  not  make  a  covenant  with  them  "  :  see  Ex.  23''-)  ; 
also  i5i-- 'c-''  lO"'"  22}-^  (pp.  iSi  f.,  192,  196,  249). 


kKLATION    OF    DT.    TO    LAWS    OF    JE 


IX 


in  Ex.  21^-'^"*;  19"'"-'  (the  law  of  witness)  of  those  of  Ex.  23^  21^;  22^"' 
while  agreeing'  substantially  with  Ex.  23^  (a  lost  ox  or  ass  to  be  restored 
to  its  owner),  extends  in  v.--^''  the  principle  of  the  older  law  to  cases  of 
other  lost  property  ;  22-"-^  (seduction)  defines  with  g'reater  precision  (v.^'*) 
the  law  of  Ex.  22^*'"  t^"'-',  and  adds  provisions  (v.-'^"^'')  for  two  other  cases  of 
the  same  crime  ;  23™''  (interest)  accentuates,  and  impresses  with  a  new 
motive,  Ex.  22^  ('•^*,  as  24''-^*'"^^  (pledg'es)  does  similarly  for  Ex.  22^'*  (-'''•' ; 
the  general  regard  for  the  stranger,  the  fatherless,  and  the  widow,  incul- 
cated in  Ex.  22'-""-^  (-'"-■'',  determines  in  Dt.  the  form  of  an  entire  series  of 
philanthropic  regulations  (i6"-"  24^7- 1"- -"• -i  26'"  is  2719  ;  cf.  lo'S). 

The  style  of  the  Book  of  the  Covenant  is  concise,  the  laws  being  usually 
formulated  in  as  few  words  as   possible,  and  parenetic  additions  being 

rare     (222«b-22-23b.-.>6b(21b.  23-24b.27b)     339),        J^     J^^^     ^^     tj^g     Ojj^^^    ^^^^^^     ^^^^ 

where  the  substance  is  the  same,  the  law  is  usually  expanded  ;  and  the 
parenetic  element  is  considerable. 

The  following  parallels  will  illustrate  the  manner  in  which  a  thought, 
or  command,  expressed  briefly  in  Ex.,  is  expanded  in  Dt.  : — • 

1^*  Blessed  shalt  thou  be  above  all 
peoples  :  there  shalt  not  be  in  thee 
male  or  female  barren,  or  in  thy 
cattle,  i''  And  Jehovah  will  remove 
from  thee  all  sickness  ;  and  none  of 
the  evil  diseases  of  Egypt,  which 
thou  knowest,  ivill  he  lay  upon  thee, 
but  he  will  put  them  upon  all  them 
that  hate  thee,  i"  And  thou  shalt 
devour  all  the  peoples  which  Jehovah 
thy  God  is  giving  to  thee ;  thine 
eye  shall  not  pity  them ;  neither 
shalt  thou  serve  their  gods,  for  that 
(will  be)  a  snare  to  thee. 

16'''  Thou  shalt  not  ivrest  judg- 
ment :  thou  shalt  not  acknowledge 
persons  :  thou  shalt  not  take  a  bribe  ; 
for  a  bribe  blindeth  the  eyes  of  the 
wise,  and  subverteth  the  cause  of  the 
just.  ^'  Justice,  justice  shalt  thou 
pursue  ;  that  thou  mayest  live,  and 
inherit  the  land  which  Jehovah  thy 
God  is  giving  thee. 

In  these  additions,  the  strongly-marked  Dcuteronomic  style  (§  5)  is 
nearly  always  observable  (on  16'-'"',  cf.  also  p.  xxxiii,  note). 

In  some  cases  the  law  of  Ex.  is  so  modified  in  Dt.  as  to 
necessitate  the  conclusion  (p.  xxxviii)  that  in  its  Deuteronomic 
form  it  spring's  from  a  considerably  later,  and  more  developed, 
state  of  society;    but   these   modifications  do  not  afi'cct  the 


Ex.  23-^  There  shall  not  be  a 
female  casting  her  young,  or  barren, 
in  thy  land.  Ex.  15-"  If  thou 
hearkenest  &c.  .  .  .,  none  of  the 
sicknesses,  which  I  have  laid  upon 
the  Egj'ptians,  ifill  I  lay  upon  thee. 

Ex.  23^^  They  shall 
not  dwell  in  thy  land,  lest  they  make 
thee  sin  against  me  ; 

for  thou 
ii<ilt  (then)  serve  their  gods,  for  it 
will  be  a  snare  to  thee. 

Ex.  23''  Thou  shall  not  wrest  the 
judgment  of  thy  poor  in  his  cause. 

^  And  a  bribe  thou  shalt  not  take  ; 
for  a  bribe  blindeth  the  open-eyed, 
and  subverteth  the  cause  of  the  just. 


X  INTRODUCTION 

truth  of  the  general  position  that  the  legislation  of  Dt.   is 

essei^i'niWy  da scd  upon  that  of  JE  in  Exodus.     Dt.  5-1 1  is  a 

parenetic    expansion    of    the    First    Commandment    of    the 

Decalogue  ;   Dt.  12-26  is  an  enlarged  edition  of  the  "  Book  of 

the  Covenant"  (Ex.  20-'^- 2 t,''''),  and  the  kindred  laws  in  Ex. 

13^-!''  34^""^*',  characterized  by  a  considerable  increase  in  the 

parenetic  element,  and  containing  many  new  civil  and  social 

enactments,  designed   (like  the  modifications  just  noted)  to 

provide  for  cases  likely  to  arise  in  a  more  complex  and  hij^hly- 

organized  community  than  is  contemplated  in  the  legislation 

of  JE  in  Exodus. 

(2)   In    the    right-hand    column,    the    great    majority    of 

parallels  are  with  the  "  Law  of  Holiness."*     If  the  cases  are 

examined  individually,   it  will  be   found   that   they  are  less 

■systematic  and  complete  than  those  with  JE,   and  that    in 

particular,  even  where  the  substance  is  similar,  the  expression 

is  nearly  always  different,  and  is  decidedly  less  marked  than 

in  the  case  of  the  parallels  with  JE  (where  the  nucleus  of  the 

law,  however  much   expanded  in   Dt.,  is   often   to  be  found 

verbatim  in  Exodus). 

The  following  are  specimens :  the  resemblances,  it  will  be  observed, 
never  extend  be3-ond  one  or  two  common  terms,  which  so  belong-  to  the 
subject-matter  of  the  law,  that  their  occurrence  in  both  could  hardl}'  be 
avoided  : — 

Dt.  14'  Sons   are  ye   to  Jehovah  Lev.  19-"  And    lacerations    for    a 

your  God  :    ye  shall  not  cut  your-  (dead)  soul  ye  shall   not   make  in 

selves,    nor  put   baldness    between  your  flesh  ;    neither  shall  ye  make 

your  eyes,  for  the  dead.  tattooings  in  j-ou  :  I  am  Jehovah. 

16'"   Thou  shalt  not  wrest  j'/id^-  ig'' Ye  shall  not  do  unrightcous- 

vient :   tiiou  shalt  not  acknowledge  ncss    in  judgment;    thou    shalt   not 

(TDn)  persons :  thou  shalt  not  take  a  accept  (n:;ti)  the  person  of  the  poor, 

bribe  ;  for  a  bribe  blindcth  the  eyes  nor  honour  the  person  of  the  great : 
of   the    wise,    and    subverteth    the 
cause    of    the    just    [see    Ex.    23'']. 

^'^  Justice,  justice  shalt  thou  pursue  ;  \n  justice  shalt  thou  judge  thy  fellow- 

that  thou   mayest  live,  and   inherit  kinsman  ("n'Ci'). 
the  land  which  Jehovah  thy  God  is 
giving  thee. 

24'"  When  thou  reapest  thine  har-  19"  And  when  ye  reap  the  hari'est 

vest   in   the  field,    and   forgctlcst  a  of  your  land,  thou  shalt  not  wholly 

*  Which  includes,  not  only  the  greater  part  of  Lev.  17-26,  but  also, 
probably,  Lev.  ii'-"^  Xu.  15'"-"  33'>-'- •'^-'f-  (L.O.T.  p.  54). 


RELATION    OF    DT.    TO    LAWS    OF    II 


XI 


sheaf  in  the  field,  thou  sh.ilt  not 
return  to  take  it  :  it  shall  be  for  the 
strangfer,  for  the  fatherless,  and  for 
the  widow  ;  that  Jehovah  thy  God 
may  bless  thee  in  all  the  work  of 
thy  hands.  -^'  When  thou  beatest 
thine  olive-tree,  thou  shalt  not  do  the 
bougfhs  (again)  after  thee  :  it  shall 
be  for  the  stranger,  for  the  father- 
less, and  for  the  widow.  -^  When 
thou  g-atherest  thy  vineyard,  thou 
shalt  not  glean  ('?'?i>n)  it  after  thee: 
it  shall  be  for  the  stranger,  for  the 
fatherless,  and  for  the  widow. 
-'-  And  thou  shalt  remember  that 
thou  wast  a  bondman  in  the  land  of 
Egjpt  [5'^  is^'  16'-  24"^] ;  therefore 
I  command  thee  to  do  this  thing 
[v.  18;  of.  151^]. 


reap  the  comer  of  thyy7t'/rf;  neither 
shalt  thou  pick  up  the  pickings  of 
thine  harvest  (ap'?n  vh  "iTsp  cp'^i). 


1"  And  thy  vineyard  thoit  shalt  not 
glean  ('?'7ij;n)  ;  neither  shalt  thou  pick 
up  the  fallings  of  thy  vine3'ard  (d"i31 
apVn  nh  iDna) ;  thou  shalt  leave  them 
for  the  poor,  and  for  the  stranger: 
I  am  Jehovah  thy  God. 


See  also  Dt.  22^'"  and  Lev.  19'^,  transcribed  on  p.  252. 


It  follows  that  the  legislation  of  Dt.  cannot  be  said  to  be 
based  upon  this  Code,  or  connected  with  it  organically,  as  it 
is  with  the  code  of  JE  :  the  laws  of  Dt.  and  H  are  frequently 
parallel  in  substance,  they  must  therefore  be  derived  ultimately 
from  some  common  source,  but  they  are  formulated  without 
reference  to  each  other.  There  is  only  one  exception  to  what 
has  been  stated,  viz.  the  law  of  clean  and  unclean  animals  in 
Dt.  14^-20,  which  presents  undoubtedly,  in  the  main  (see 
pp.  157-159),  a.  remarkable  verbal  parallel  with  Lev.  112-2:3 
(if  this  be  referred  rightly  to  H,  rather  than  to  P) :  the  section, 
it  is  plain,  must  have  been  derived  directly  either  from  H,  or 
from  an  older  collection  of  priestly  TurotJi  (pp.  208,  275,  401  f.), 
the  immediate  source  (in  this  case)  of  both  H  and  Dt. 

(3)  With  the  other  parts  of  Ex.-Nu.,  the  "  Priests'  Code" 
properly  so  called,  the  parallelism  of  Dt.  is  both  much  less 
frequent,  and  (where  it  is  present)  much  less  complete,  even 
than  with  the  "Law  of  Holiness."  There  are  no  verbal 
parallels  between  Dt.  and  P ;  much  that  is  of  central  signifi- 
cance in  the  system  of  P  is  ignored  in  Dt.,  while  in  the  laws 
which  touch  common  ground,  great,  and  indeed  irreconcilable, 
discrepancies  often  display  themselves  :  hence  the  legislation 


Xll  INTKOhUCTION 

of  P  ciinnot  be  considered  In  any  degree  to  have  been  one  of 
the  sources  employed  by  the  author  of  Dt. 

Several  of  the  institutions,  or  observances,  codified  in  P 
arc,  it  is  true,  mentioned  in  Dt.  ;  but  the  allusions  are  of  a 
kind  resembling-  those  in  JE  and  other  early  Heb.  writers:* 
they  seldom,  if  ever,  presuppose  the  distinctive  regulations  of 
P,  or,  in  tJie  light  of  the  silence,  or  contradiction^  observable  in 
other  cases,  are  such  as  to  establish  the  writer's  use  of  P,  as 
we  now  have  it.  The  following  are  the  instances  which 
should  be  noted  :  — 

Aaron,  the  founder  of  a  hereditary  priesthood  (lo'') ;  burnt-  and  peace- 
offering-s  (i2"-ii- '■'• ''••27  jg^  2"]'^-'^ :  so  Ex.  20-^  24''  i  S.  10^,  and  constantly  in 
the  early  historical  books),  with  a  brief  notice  of  the  ritual  accompanying' 
them  (12'":  see  note);  tithes  (12^*  "-^^  I4'-''-'"-'  26'-:  Am.  4^);  "  heave  "- 
ofrerings  (i2«  [see  note]  "•  i^  :  ?  2  S.  i^') ;  vows  (i2''- "-"--s  23'3- 22-24 (is. 21-23) . 
2  S.  i^-^al.)',  free-will  offerings  (i2^"^'^  16'";  ?  23^^ :  Am.  4'') ;  sanctity  of 
firstlings  (i2«-^7  i^M  1^19.  Ex.  2229{30));  and  of  firstfruits  (18^  262-J»:  Ex. 
23''');  the  distinction  of  "clean"  and  "  unclean,"  in  persons  (i2^''" 22  1^22 . 
1  S.  202*5),  ;„  fQQfj  (,^3-20.  Q,^^  y2  Qj7j  jmj  1^4  Hos.  9''),  produced  by  par- 
ticular causes  (zi-'^  [Nu.  35^^],  23"  H";'-  [Lev.  15"^],  24-' [Lev.  18-"  Nu.  5'"], 
26'^*  [Nu.  19"-"  :  Hos.  9-*]) ;  the  prohibition  to  eat  blood  (122*:  i  S.  I4''''-) ; 
and  to  eat  ncbelah,  the  flesh  of  an  animal  d\ing  of  itself  (142^);  holy,  or 
dedicated,  things  (122''  [see  note],  26''') ;  animals  offered  in  sacrifice  to  be 
without  blemish  (152'  17') ;  the  'asdreth  or  "  solemn  assembly  "  (16® :  cf.  Am. 
52^  Is.  i'' ;  and  see  note);  priestly  rights  of  the  tribe  of  Levi  (iS''*  «/•); 
"fire-sacrifices"  (18':  i  S.  22*);  the  "avenger  of  blood"  (i9''*^2.  2  S. 
14^*) ;  the  atoning  efficacy  of  a  sacrificial  rite,  though  not  of  one  prescribed 
in  P  (21*'' t  '•  cf.  I  S.  s''*  Is.  22'^) ;  a  torCih  for  leprosy  (24^). 

Notice  also  the  expressions,  to  hold  (^cy)  the  sabbath  (5'' :  so  Ex. 
31^"  H),  or  a  feast  (16'  [see  notej^"-^^);  to  do  (pavi),  in  a  sacrificial  sense 
(122^  :  I  K.  8"-*  2  K.  io2^) ;  to  profane  (SVn)  or  treat  as  common,  a  vineyard, 
of  first  enjoying  its  fruit  (20''  28''*':  so  Jer.  31®  ;  the  -word,  however,  is  not 
found,  in  this  application,  in  P  or  H,  but  cf.  the  opp.  holy  in  Lev.  19  "•  H) ; 
to  be  forfeited,  lit.  to  become  holy  (22" :  Lev.  27'"*2i ;  but  cf.  in  JE  Jos.  6''-') ; 
24^  ni'Tir:  yjj ;  25^*  Siy  nrj*  to  do  iinriffhteojisness  (an  unusual  phrase  :  see 
note):  imsco  nac  to  keefi  Ji  is  charge  (11'),  n^N-'ja  7\vy  to  do  7i<ork  (16^),  and 
utterance  of  the  lips  (23-'*(23)),  are  less  distinctive  (see  notes).  Perhaps  also 
Dillm.  is  right  (pp.  605,  608 f.)  in  seeing  in  12-'  ("to  eat  the  soul  with  the 
flesh),  14^  ("cut  yourselves,"  and  "for  the  dead"),  14^  ("abomination"), 
I41''' '"  ("unclean  "),  i6^"  ®  ("  in  the  evening," — P  "between  the  two  even- 
ings "),  explanations  of  more  technical  priestly  terms. 


•SeeZ-ar.  p.  135  f. 

t  In  21^  (see  note  ;  also  p.  423 f.),  32^^  the  subject  of  nsa  ("clear")  is 
not  (as  in  P)  the  priest  (annulling  the  sin  by  means  of  an  atoning  rite)  but 
Jehoz'ah :  hence  a  sacrificial  rile  is  not  here  denoted  by  the  term. 


RELATION    OF    DT.    TO    LAWS    OF    P  Xlll 

On  the  other  side,  there  must  be  remembered  the  serious 
contradictions  between  many  of  these  provisions  (especially 
those  relating  to  the  position  and  privileges  of  the  priestly 
tribe),  and  the  regulations  of  P  (p.  xxxix),  and  the  complete 
silence  of  Dt.  respecting  some  of  the  principles  and  institutions, 
which  are  of  fundamental  importance  in  the  system  of  P. 
The  "  Tent  of  Meeting,"  with  its  appurtenances,  which  figures 
so  largely  in  P  (Ex.  25-31.  35-40, — together  with  many 
allusions  elsewhere) ;  the  distinction  between  the  priests,  the 
sons  of  Aaron,  and  the  common  "Levites,"  so  often  and 
emphatically  insisted  on  in  the  same  source ;  the  Levitical 
cities,  and  the  year  of  Jubile ;  the  elaborately  developed 
sacrificial  system  of  P  ;  the  meal-offering  (nnj?^),  the  guilt- 
oftering  (d::'X),  and  especially  the  sin-offering  (nsDn) — all 
these  are  never  mentioned  in  Dt. :  *  the  atoning  efficacy  of 
sacrifice,  on  which  such  stress  is  laid  in  the  sacrificial  laws  of 
■P,  is  alluded  to  once  in  Dt.  (21^1'!),  and  that  in  a  law  for 
w  hich  which  there  is  in  P  no  parallel ;  the  great  Day  of 
Atonement  (Lev.  16),  in  which  the  Levitical  system  of  sacrifice 
and  purification  (Lev.  1-15)  culminates,  is  in  Dt.  passed  by 
in  silence.  Of  course,  in  a  discourse  addressed  to  the  people, 
and  representing  the  prophetical  and  spiritual,  rather  than 
the  priestly  and  ceremonial  point  of  view,  detailed  references  to 
such  institutions,  or  a  repetition  of  the  directions  for  their 
observance,  would  not  be  expected  :  but,  even  if  the  document 
describing  them  existed  at  the  time  when  Dt.  was  written, 
— a  question  with  which  we  are  not  here  concerned, — it  is 
clear  that  the  writer  did  not  attach  any  great  importance  to  it, 
or  treat  it  practically  as  one  of  his  sources.  Had  he  so  treated 
it,  and  especially  if  it  had  possessed  in  his  eyes  a  recognized 
authority  and  importance,  it  is  incredible  that  his  references 

*  The  Tent  of  Meeting-  is  mentioned  in  Dt.  3i''*'",  but  in  a  passage 
belonging-  not  to  D,  but  to  JE  (p.  337  f.).  Nor,  even  there,  does  it  appear  as 
the  centre  of  a  great  sacrificial  organization.  The  non-mention  of  thesin- 
ofTering  beside  the  burnt-  and  peace-offering  in  12^-^^  is  very  remarkable. 
(That  it  is  not  included  in  the  term  scbah,  "sacrifice,"  is  clear  from  12-''''; 
cf.  on  V.®.)  It  is  also  singular  that  korban,  P's  very  common,  and  most 
general  term  for  offering  (including  sacrifices),  never  occurs  in  Dt. 

t  On  21^  32^-',  see  p.  xii,  note. 


XIV  INTRODUCTION 

to  it  should  not  have  been  more  systematic  and  exact.  As  it 
is,  hu  moves  on,  without  displaying  the  smallest  concern  or 
reg'ard  for  the  system  of  P :  such  institutions  of  P  as  he  refers 
to  are  mentioned  almost  incidentally,  without  any  sense  of 
the  significance  attaching  to  them  in  the  system  of  which  they 
form  part ;  and  many  of  P's  most  characteristic  and  funda- 
mental institutions,  if  they  are  not  contradicted  in  Dt.,  are 
simply  ignored  in  it.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  author 
of  Dt.  was  acquainted  with  priestly  laws  and  institutions ; 
but  the  nature  of  his  allusions  shows  that  his  knowledge  of 
ihcm  was  derived,  not  from  the  systematic  exposition  of  them 
contained  in  P,  but  from  his  practical  acquaintance  with  the 
form  in  which  they  were  operative  in  Israel  in  his  own  day; 
and  this  in  many  particulars  differed  materially  from  the  regu- 
lations laid  down  in  P.* 

The  different  relation  in  which  Dt.  thus  stands  to  the  three 
Codes  of  JE,  H,  and  P,  may  be  described  generally  as  follows  : 
it  is  an  expansion  of  the  laws  in  JE  (Ex.  2d—-2y^  34^""'^  i3""^'') » 
it  is,  in  sev^eral  features,  panillcl  to  the  Law  of  Holiness ;  it 
contains  allusions  to  laws — not,  indeed,  always  the  same  as, 
but — similar  to  the  ceremonial  institutions  and  observances 
codified  in  the  rest  of  P.f 

The  dependence  of  Dt.  upon  JE,  on  the  one  hand,  and  its 
independence  of  P,  on" the  other,  which  is  thus  established  for 
the  legislative  sections  of  the  book,  is  maintained,  in  exactly 
the  same  manner,  through  the  historical  sections.  Dt.  con- 
tains two  retrospects  of  the  earlier  stages  of  the  Israelites' 
wanderings,  one  (i*'-3-'')  embracing  the  period  from  their 
departure  from  Horeb  to  their  arrival  in  the  land  of  Moab ; 
the  other  (9^-10'^),  the  episode  of  the  Golden  Calf,  and  the 

*  In  24^,  it  may  be  observed,  the  reference  is  not  to  any  ivritten  reg'ula- 
tions  on  leprosy,  but  to  the  oral — though  authorized  (cn'is  ntxa  :  p.  275) 
— "direction"  of  tlie  priests.  (Of  course,  the  ceremonial  usages  alluded 
to  by  D  must  not  be  imagined  to  be  the  otily  ones  current  in  his  day.) 

t  The  real  explanation  of  this  apparently  anomalous  peculiarity  in 
the  relation  of  Dt.  to  the  preceding  books  of  the  Pent. — its  dependence 
upon  one  set  of  passages,  while  it  ignores  another — is  of  course  to  be 
found  in  the  fact  that,  at  the  time  when  Dt.  was  composed,  the  two  sets  of 
passages  (JE  and  P)  were  not  yet  combined  into  a  single  -worky  and  the 
author  only  made  use  of  JE. 


RKLATION    OK    DT.    TO    NARRATIVE    OK    JE  XV 

events  immediately  tbllowing-  it  (I'^x.  32  34) ;  there  are  also 
several  incidental  allusions  to  other  occurrences  narrated  in 
Gn.-Nu.  In  the  retrospects,  the  narrative  of  Ex.  Nu.  is 
followed  step  by  step,  and  clauses,  or  sometimes  entire  verses, 
arc  transcribed  from  it  verbatim,  placing  beyond  the  possibility 
of  doubt  the  use  by  the  writer  of  the  earlier  narrative  of  the 
Pent.  All  the  passages  thus  followed,  or  transcribed,  belong 
to  parts  of  Ex.  Nu.  which  are  referred  (upon  independent 
grounds)  to  JE;  even  where  (as  is  sometimes  the  case)  JE 
and  P  cross  each  other  repeatedly  in  the  course  of  a  few 
verses,  the  retrospect  in  Dt.  follows  uniformly  the  parts 
belonging  to  JE,  and  avoids  those  belonging  to  P.*  The  case 
is  similar  with  the  other  historical  allusions  in  Dt. 

Of  these  the  principal  are — 

i'^(and    frequently)   the  oath  to  the    patri-  Gn.  15'"  22i'''-  24^  26^ 

archs 

4-  (Ba'al  Pe'or)  Nu.  25I-2 

4'"""- 5"-'''- 18"*  (dehvery  of  Decalogue  &c.)  Ex.  ig'-^o'-'^ 

6i"(Massah)  Ex.  if 

6-''- and  elsewhere  (deliverance  from  Eg:ypt)  Ex.  13"  14'''* 

8''- 1«  (the  manna)  Ex.  16^-^ 

8"  (fiery  serpents  ;  and  rock  (iii;)  of  tlint)  Nu.  21"  and  Ex.  i7'''t 

g-"- (Tab'erah,  Massah,  Kibroth-hatta  avah)  Nu.  11^'^  Ex.  ly  Nu.  11''^ 

ii'*  (passage  of  the  Red  Sea)  Ex.  \d^ 

1 1«  (Dathan  and  Abiram)  Nu.  id^^-  ^^b-  so. sa* 

23-"- 1^"-)  (Balaam)  Nu.  222-2425 

24 '  (Miriam's  leprosy)  Nu.  12}^ 

SS^''''"*  (opposition  of 'Anialek)  Ex.17*'""' 

26*''*' (affliction      and      deliverance      from  Ex.  1 ''•  i'-' 3''' ^  &c. 

Egypt) 

29-- 1'-^)  (overthrow    of    Sodom    and    Go-  Gn.  ig-^'* 

morrha) 
Notice  also  the  use  of  the  name  Horeb  (not  Sinai),  i^.s.w  ^10. 15  ^.s  ^^8  ,gifi 

*  The  Tables  in  the  notes  (pp.  10,  19,  24,  29,  33,  42,  46,  51,  112),  and 
the  extracts  printed  on  pp.  ii3f.  117,  will,  it  is  hoped,  assist  the  reader 
to  appreciate  the  manner  in  which  the  retrospects  of  Dt.  are  dependent 
upon  JE  in  Ex.  Nu.  In  order  properly  to  reaHze  the  nature  and  extent  of 
the  coincidences,  he  should  mark  in  the  margin  of  his  copy  of  Dt.  the 
references,  and  underline  (or,  if  he  uses  the  Hebrew  text,  ©■z/^Hine)  the 
words  in  common :  he  will  then  be  able  to  see  at  a  glance  both  the 
passages  of  Ex.  Nu.  passed  over  in  Dt.,  and  the  variations  and  additions 
in  Dt.  On  a  clause  in  i^**,  which  has  been  supposed  to  be  an  exception  to 
the  statement  in  the  text,  see  the  note  ad  loc. 

t  In  Nu.  20^-"  (P)  the  term  for  "  rock  "  is  v'^d,  not  nis. 


XVI  INTRODUCTION 

28""  (29'),  as  Kx.  3^  17'  33"  (E) ;  r-'  llic  valley  of  Eslicol  as  tlio  limit  of  the 
spies'  recoiinoilring' ;  r"'  the  exemption  of  Caleb  alone  (without  Joshua, 
who  is  not  mentioned  as  one  of  the  spies)  from  the  sentence  passed  on  the 
sjjies ;  ii"*"  the  name  Terebinths  of  March  (Gn.  12").  The  numerous 
passages  referred  to  by  the  words  As  Jehovah  spake  (p.  Ixxxi),  where 
they  are  not  earlier  passages  of  Dt.  itself,  are  also  regularly  to  be  found 
in  JE,  not  in  P.  (That  18'-  cannot  refer  to  Nu.  18-"  is  shown  on  10". 
The  reference  is  occasionally  to  a  passage  not  preserved  in  our  existing 
Pent.  :  cf.  lo"-"  17'"  28"®.)     On  33*- ^  see  the  notes  ad  loc. 

Of  the  incidents  here  enumerated,  all  are  narrated  in  JH  ; 
while  in  the  case  of  some  which  are  narrated  in  P  as  well,  the 
terms  of  the  allusion  in  Dt.  are  such  as  to  show  that  the 
Writer  followed  JE,  and  not  P.  Thus,  while  the  promise  of 
1^  is  found  in  both  JE  and  P,  the  uath  is  peculiar  to  JE  ;  the 
name  Horeb  is  used  by  E,  but  not  by  P  (who  always  prefers 
Sinai)  ;  the  spies,  as  in  JE  (Nu.  13-^'),  journey  only  as  far  as 
Eshcol  (near  Hebron),  whereas  in  P  (Nu.  13'-')  they  go  as  far 
as  Rehob  (in  the  extreme  north  of  Canaan)  ;  the  exemption  of 
Caleb  alone  (i^^)  agrees  with  the  representation  of  JE  (Nu. 
14-')  against  that  of  P  (Nu.  14G.  ao.  as^^  where  Joshua  is  men- 
tioned at  the  same  time ;  the  mention  of  Dathan  and  Abiram 
(without  Korah)  is  in  agreement  with  JE's  narrative  in  Nu.  16, 
which  also  names  Dathan  and  Abiram  only  (the  passages 
which  speak  of  Korah  belonging  to  P).  There  are  only  three 
facts  mentioned  in  Dt.  for  which  no  parallel  is  to  be  fotind  in 
JE:  i2-5  the  number  (twelve)  of  the  spies  (Nu.  13-"'*^  P) ;  lo- 
the  number  of  souls  (seventy)  with  which  Jacob  came  down  into 
Egypt  (Gn.  ^6^'  Ex.  i^  P) ;  and  10^  acacia- wood  as  the  material 
of  the  Ark  (Ex.  25^*^  P).  These  coincidences,  however,  in  view 
of  the  constancy  with  which  the  historical  parts  of  Dt.  are 
dependent  upon  JE,  are  not  sufficient  to  establish  the  use  of 
P:  the  three  facts  mentioned  would  not  be  invented  by  P, 
but  would  be  elements  of  tradition,  which  though  they  happen 
to  be  recorded  (apart  from  Dt.)  only  by  P,  would  naturally  be 
known  independently  to  the  Writer  of  Dt.  And  as  regards 
Dt.  10'',  in  particular,  a  comparison  of  Dt.  lo^^^  with  Ex. 
24I.2.  1  makes  it  highly  probable  that  the  latter  passage,  at 
the  time  when  Dt.  was  composed,  still  contained  a  notice  of 
the  ark  of  acacia-wood  (see  p.  ii7f.).* 

*  lo''''-  the  names  are  (substantially)  the  same  as  those  in  P's  itinerary, 


REr.ATION    OF    DT.    TO    NARRATIVKS    OV    JK    AND    V       XVll 

The  author's  method  in  treating  the  histor}-  of  }\i  is 
aiuilog-ous  to  that  followed  by  him  in  dealing-  -with  the  laws. 
Mis  references  to  it  have  mostly  a  didactic  aim  :  hence  they  are 
accompanied  usually  by  parenetic  comments,  desig-ned  to  bring 
home  to  the  Israelite  reader  the  theocratic  sig-nificance  of 
the  history,  and  to  arouse  in  him  emotions  of  becoming-  g-rati- 
tude  towards  the  divine  Leader  and  Benefactor  of  his  nation. 
Of  the  two  retrospects,  the  first  illustrates  Jehovah's  goodness 
in  bringing  Israel  safely  from  Egypt  to  the  borders  of  the 
Promised  Land  ;  the  second  exemplifies  His  forbearance  and 
mercy  in  restoring  it  to  favour  after  the  sin  of  the  Golden 
Calf.  Accordingly,  while  numerous  passages,  longer  or 
shorter,  as  the  case  may  be,  are  incorporated  vcrbatiiii,  as  a 
rule  the  substance  of  the  earlier  narrative  is  reproduced  freely, 
with  amplificatory  additions  calculated  (in  most  cases)  to 
suggest  to  the  reader  the  lessons  which  the  author  desired  it 
to  teach.*  Of  this  kind  are  the  comments,  summaries,  or 
short  speeches  (such  as  jC-s.  is.  20.  21. 27. 29-3.3. 43a.  45  27. 24-2.0.  :joi..  .u. 
33.  30-37  ^Sa.  4-7)^  which  havc  the  effect  in  different  ways  of  calling 
attention  to  Jehovah's  purposes,  or  dealings,  with  Israel,  and 
to  the  manner  in  which  Israel  responded  to  them.  But  in 
other  cases  the  additions  are  of  a  more  substantial  character, 
and  mention  incidents  of  some  interest  or  importance,  not 
noticed  in  the  narrative  of  JE.  Thus  (including  two  or  three 
from  other  parts  of  Dt.)  we  find  of  the  latter  kind — 

j9-i3  {j\Joses  suggests  the  appointment  of  assistant  judges) ;  I's-iT 
(Moses'  counsel  to  the  judges) ;  i-^  (the  proposal  to  send  out  spies 
emanates  from  the  people) ;  r'''  (Moses  punished  for  the  people's  fault ;  so 
32s  ^21^ .  2'--7. 9. 18-19  (Israel  forbidden  to  make  war  with  Edom,  Moab,  and 

Nu.  33'^'^* ;  but  they  are  mentioned  in  a  different  order,  and  the  form  of 
the  itinerary  differs  from  that  of  P  (see  the  notes) :  hence  the  notice  (from 
whatever  source  it  may  have  been  taken)  will  certainly  not  have  been 
derived  from  P.  In  ii-*-^  host  (^"n),  horses  and  chariots,  and  pursued  after 
them,  are  points  of  contact  with  P's  narrative  of  the  passage  of  the  Red 
Sea  in  Ex.  14  (see  v.'^-s-i""- 1**'^- -^''•^sa) ;  comp.  16^  trepidation  (Ex.  12"),  26® 
hard  bondage  (see  note),  26^  stretched  out  arm  (Ex.  6"  :  cf.  on  4^),  to  he  to 
thee  for  a  God  (26'^  29'- ('•*))  and  to  he  to  fehovah  for  a  people  (27'  ;  see  on 
2617.  i8j^  j^nd  thg  words  from  c.  4,  cited  on  p.  Ixxi :  but  it  may  be  questioned 
whether  these  expressions  are  not  too  isolated,  and  too  little  distinctive, 
to  establish  dependence  upon  P  (cf.  also  L.O.T.  pp.  138,  143). 

*  Notice  and,  now,  4^  (after  the  retr(jspcct,  c.  1-3),  10^-  (after  g'-io'*). 
B 


XVlll  INTRODUCTION 

the  'Ammonites);  2"'-'"^-^  -j"-". '="*  (archa^olog-'ical  notices);  2^  (mes- 
sonjfcrs  to  Silion  sent  out  from  the  wilderness  of  Kedemoth) ;  2-*  (how  the 
Edomites  and  Moabites  had  furnished  the  Israelites  with  food) ;  2"*^'' 
(slauj^hter  of  Sihon's  sons) ;  3^''"''  (description  of  the  rej^ion  of  Arjfob,  taken 
from 'Ojj) ;  3'-'-- (Moses  encouragement  of  Joshua) ;  3*"^  (Moses' entreaty 
to  be  permitted  to  enter  Canaan) ;  9-"  (Moses'  intercession  for  Aaron,  after 
his  sin  in  making'  the  Golden  Calf) ;  g-'  (the  dust  of  the  Golden  Calf  cast 
into  the  stream  that  descended  from  the  mount) ;  10'"'  (death  of  Aaron  at 
Moscrah) ;  lo*"-  (separation  of  the  tribe  of  Levi  for  priestly  functions) ;  lo'-' 
18-  (statement  that  Jehovah  is  the  "  inheritance  "  of  the  tribe  of  Levi) ;  17"* 
28'*  (promise  that  Israel  should  no  more  return  to  Egypt) ;  25^*  (the  fact 
that  'Amalek,  when  it  met  Israel  at  Rephidim,  Ex.  17""'",  cut  off  helpless 
stragglers  in  the  rear).* 

The  graphic  minor  touches  in  1-'  "murmured  in  your  tents,"  i''*  "girded 
on  every  one  his  weapons,"  i"**  "and  pursued  you  as  bees  do,"  1'"  "wept 
before  Jehovah,"  &c. ,  are  presumably  merely  elements  in  the  author's 
picturesque  presentation  of  the  history. 

The  number  of  cases  is  also  remarkable,  in  which  a  phrase, 
orii^inally  used  in  the  description  of  one  incident,  is  applied 
in  Dt.  to  the  description  of  another  ;  in  the  Tables  (pp.  10, 
24,  &c.)  these  are  indicated  by  the  passage  quoted  being- 
enclosed  in  a  parenthesis.     The  cases  are — 

Dt.  i^*  ("turn  you  and  take  your  journey,"  borrowed  from  Nu.  14-'', 
though  the  occasion  is  quite  a  different  one) ;  1"''  ("  I  cannot  bear  jou 
alone,"  borrowed,  not  from  Ex.  18,  the  occasion  which  is  being  described, 
but  from  Nu.  11'^  "/cannot  bear  all  this  people  alone"  :  cf.  v.'"-'  with  Nu. 
,,171.).  ,aoa  (fro,n  g^.  13-1  14");  i^^  (from  Ex.  13-'  Nu.  14"'');  i^***  (from 
Nu.  10*^'');  I-*"'' (Nu.  20^);  Dt.  2^''  (from  Nu.  21'*);  2'-"''-'-^''  (phrases  in  the 
message  to  Sihoti,  borrowed  from  Nu.  20'^*  ^'-"^  the  message  to  Edoni) ; 
232.  u:ii)  (description  of  Israel's  encounter  with  Sihon,  borrowed  from  Nu. 
2,33.  as  fi^jj  description  of  the  encounter  with  'Og  :  in  this  case,  while  Nu. 
mentions  only  the  slaughter  of  "^O^f's  sons,  Dt.  mentions  only  the  slaughter 
of  those  oi  Si/ton) ;  9'"^  (Moses'  fasting  on  the  occasion  of  his  Jirst  ascent 
of  the  mountain,  from  Ex.  34^*^  his  fasting  on  the  occasion  of  his  third 
ascent;  the  fasting  on  the  first  occasion  is  not  mentioned  in  Ex.); 
g2a.  27a2!)b  (from  Ex.  32i"'-i^;  though  the  occasion  actually  referred  to  is 
Ex.  34'-') ;  9^  (from  Ex.  32'^  Nu.  14"') ;  10^'  (cf.  Ex.  Z^). — In  some  instances, 
the  passages  do  not  agree  throughout  verbatim  ;  but  the  resemblance  is 
always  sufficiently  close  to  leave  no  doubt  that  the  passage  quoted  is  the 
source  of  the  terms  us.ed  in  Dt. 

The  bearing-  of  the  facts  just  noted  on  the  authorship  of 
the  book  will  be  considered  subsequently;   see  p.  xlviii. 

The  general  result  of  the  preceding  examination  of  the 
relation  of  Dt.  to  the  preceding  books  of  the  Pentateuch,  has 
*  Cf.  Dillm.  p.  610;  Westphal,  pp.  Sgf.,  119. 


RELATION    OF    DT.    TO    NARRATIVK    OF    JF  XIX 

been  to  establish  this  fact :  in  neither  its  historical  nor  its 
leg'islativc  sections  can  Dt.  be  shown  to  be  dependent  upon  the 
source  which  has  been  termed  P;  in  both,  it  is  demonstrably 
dependent  upon  JE.  The  historical  matter  beinj^  of  secondary 
importance  in  Dt.,  and  c.  5-1 1  being-  a  parenetic  introduction, 
the  leg-islative  kernel  of  the  book  (c.  12-26.  28)  may  be 
described  broadly  as  a  revised  and  enlarged  edition  of  the 
'■*■  Book  of  the  Covenant."  Why  such  a  revision  and  enlarge- 
ment of  the  Book  of  the  Covenant  was  undertaken,  and  why 
the  laws  of  Israel  were  thus  embedded  by  the  author  in  a 
homiletic  comment,  is  a  question  which  can  only  be  fully 
answered  in  §  4,  when  the  date  and  origin  of  the  book  have 
been  approximately  determined. 

§  3.   Scope  and  Cluiraefer  of  Deiiterononiy  ;  its  dominant  Ideas. 

The  Deuteronomic  discourses  may  be  said  to  comprise 
three  elements,  an  historical,  a  legislative,  and  a  parenetic. 
Of  these  the  parenetic  element  is  both  the  most  characteristic 
and  the  most  important ;  it  is  directed  to  the  inculcation  of 
certain  fundamental  religious  and  moral  principles  upon  which 
the  Writer  lays  great  stress :  the  historical  element  is  all  but 
entirely  subservient  to  it  (the  references  to  the  history,  as 
said  before,  having  nearly  always  a  didactic  aim) :  the  legis- 
lative element,  though  naturally,  as  the  condition  of  national 
well-being,  possessing  an  independent  value  of  its  own,  is  here 
viewed  primaril}'  by  the  Writer  as  a  vehicle  for  exemplifying 
the  principles  which  it  is  the  main  object  of  his  book  to  enforce. 
The  author  wrote,  it  is  evident,  under  a  keen  sense  of  the 
perils  of  idolatry  ;  and  to  guard  Israel  against' this  by  insisting 
earnestly  on  the  debt  of  gratitude  and  obedience  which  it  owes 
to  its  Sovereign  Lord,  is  the  fundamental  teaching  of  the 
book.  Accordingly,  the  truths  on  which  he  loves  to  dwell  are 
the  sole  Godhead  of  Jehovah,  His  spirituality  (c.  4),  His 
choice  of  Israel,  and  the  love  and  faithfulness  w  hich  He  has 
shown  towards  it,  by  redeeming  it  from  its  servitude  in  Egypt, 
by  leading  it  safely  through  the  desert,  and  by  p^anting  it  in 
a  land  abundantly  blessed  by  nature's  bounty ;    from  which 


XX  INTRODUCTION 

are  deduced  tlie  great  practical  duties  of  loyal  and  loving- 
devotion  to  Him,  an  absolute  and  uncompromising  repudia- 
tion of  all  false  gods,  a  cheerful  and  ready  obedience  to  His 
will,  a  warm-hearted  and  generous  attitude  towards  man,  in 
all  the  various  relations  of  life  in  which  the  Israelite  is  likely 
to  be  brought  into  contact  with  his  neighbour.     Jehovah  ;ilone 

*  is  God;  there  is  none  beside  Him  (4'''^-^'')  ;  He  is  the  Almighty 
ruler  of  heaven  and  earth,  "the  God  of  gods  and  Lord  of 
lords"  (lo^'*-^"),  who  rewards  both  the  righteous  and  the  evil- 
doer as  he  deserves,  and  who  governs  all  men  with  absolute 
impartiality  and  justice  (7^0  lo^"'').     The  central  and  principal 

I  discourse  (c.  5-26.   28)  opens  with  the  Decalogue ;    and  the 

\  First  Commandment,  "Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before 
me,"  may  be  said  to  be  the  text,  which  in  the  rest  of  c.  5-11 
is  eloquently  and  movingly  expanded.'  Jehovah  is,  moreover,  a 
spiritual  Being,  dissimilar  in  kind  to  any  and  every  material 
form  :  hence  no  sensible  representation  can  be  framed  of  Him  ; 

'^  still  less  should  Israel  worship  any  other  material  object, 
whether  some  representation  of  the  human  or  animal  form,  or 
even  the  host  of  heaven  (4^2. 15-24^,  And  Jehovah  has  chosen 
Israel.  He  has  given  to  other  nations  the  sun,  moon,  and 
stars  to  adore  (4^'',  cf.  29^5  (-'')) ;  He  has  reserved  Israel  for 
Himself;  He  has  chosen  it  out  of  all  peoples  of  the  earth  to 
be  His  own  peculiar  possession  (4^'^  7*^  10^^  14-  26^^),  the  unique 
recipient  of  His  self-revealing-  grace.  And  He  has  done  this, 
not  on  account  of  Israel's  merits,  for  neither  its  numbers  nor 
its  righteousness  would  constitute  any  claim  upon  Him  for 
His  regard  (7'' 9'*"^) ;  but  from  His  love  for  Israel  (7^  23'5(')), 
and  from  the  faithfulness  with  which,  in  spite  of  all  its  back- 
slidings.  He  would  nevertheless  be  true  to  the  promise  sworn 
to  its  forefathers  (78;  cf.  i^  431.37.^12  gis  al.),  and  forbear  from 
destroying  it  (9^-10^^).  In  fulfilment  of  that  promise,  Jehovah 
has  wonderfully  delivered  Israel  from  its  bondage  in  Egypt 
(432.38  Qii-^i  y\^t  8-'«"-  ii2-c^  and  frequently).  He  has  led  it  safely 
through  the  great  and  terrible  wilderness  (i^^  2^  8^^),  He  has 
assigned  it  a  home  in  a  bounteous  and  fertile  land,  which  it  is 
now  on  the  point  of  crossing  Jordan  to  take  possession  of 
(6iof.  8T-10.  i2f.  ai^y     Jehovah  has,  in  fact,  dealt  with  Israel  in 


\ 


SC@ri':  AND  CHARACTER  OF  DEUTKROXOMV    Xxi 

the  manner  of  a  loving-  father  (8--  "'■  i'') :  if  He  has  withheld 
aught  from  it,  or  subjected  it  to  privations,  it  has  been  with  a 
view  to  its  ultimate  welfare,  "As  a  man  disciplines  his  son,  so 
doth  Jehovah  thy  God  discipline  thee"  (8'').  In  return  for  all 
these  benefits,  it  is  the  Israelite's  duty  to  fear  and  love  Jehovah, 
—t(D/ear  Him  (41052(5(20)  62.13.24  S'^  iqI^-^o  135(4)  j^23  jjw  ^^^' 

the  king-),  28''^  31^^-^^),  as  the  great  and  mighty  God  (10^"), 
whose  awe-inspiring  manifestations  strike  terror  into  all  be- 
holders (432-36  io2i  ii2-7  268)  ;  and  to  love  Him  (6^  10^2  ni.  is.  22  ^' 
jo4(:i)  j^n  oqG.  16.  2oj^  Qn  account  of  the  affection  and  constancy 
with  which  He  has  condescended  to  deal  with  Israel,  and  the 
pri\  ileges,  undeserved  on  its  part,  which  He  has  vouchsafed 
to  confer  upon  it.  The  love  of  God,  an  all-absorbing-  sense 
of  personal  devotion  to  Him,  is  propounded  in  Dt.  as  the 
primary  spring  of  human  action  (6'')  ;  it  is  the  duty  which  is 
the  direct  corollary  of  the  character  of  God,  and  of  Israel's 
relation  to  Him;  the  Israelite  is  to  lo\e  Him  with  undivided 
affection,*  to   "cleave"  to  Him   (lo^o   1122   135(4)  ^qSoj^  to  re-  ) 

nounce  everything-  that  is  in  any  degree  inconsistent  with 
loyalty  to  Him.  This  brings  with  it,  on  the  one  hand,  an 
earnest  and  emphatic  repudiation  of  all  false  gods,  and  of 
every  rite  or  practice  connected  with  idolatry ;  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  a  cheerful  and  willing  acquiescence  in  the  positive 
commandments  which  He  has  laid  down.  Again  and  again  is 
the  Israelite  warned,  upon  peril  of  the  consequences,  not  to 
follow  after  "other  gods"  (6i^-i5  74  819-20  uic-ir.  28  3017-1S .  ^f. 

2g24-27(25.-J.S)    3  jlOf.  20f.  ^iSf.  25-28^^   nOt    tO    be    tCmptcd,   CVCU    bv    thc 

most  specious  representations,  to  the  practice  of  idolatry 
(13212(1-11)^.  death  is  the  penalty — and  it  is  to  be  enforced, 
without  hesitation  or  compunction,  against  even  a  nearest 
relative  or  a  trusted  friend  (i3T-i2(r.-ii)^ — for  ,^„y  Q„g  ^^,}^q  either 
practises  idolatry  himself,  or  seeks  to  induce  others  to  do  so 
(130(5).  11(10)  j^5^  cf.  i820);  even  though  it  be  a  whole  city  that 
has  sinned  by  serving  strange  gods,  it  is  not  to  be  spared 
(1313-19(12  i8)j^     'pj-je  heathen  populations  of  Canaan  are  to  be 

*  "With  a/l  tlie  heart  and  n/l  the  soul"  (with  love  6^'  13^0  30",  st'n'e 
jq12  jji.-!^  ieep  and  do  comiuaiidiiicnts  26"',  listen  to  His  voice  30'-',  turji  lo 
Him  30'*,  search  after  in  true  penitence  4'^). 


XXll  INTRODUCTION 

laid  under  the   "ban"  (sec  on  7'-),  and  exterminated  (72-4.  ic 
20IO-I8J :   no  truce  is  to  be  made  with  them  ;   no  intermarria£:fe, 
or  other  intercourse  with  them,  is  to  be  permitted  {7-^-) ;   their 
places  of  worship  and  reli^-ious  symbols  are  to  be  ruthlessly 
destroyed  (7^  12-^-);  even  the  metal  which  formed  part  of  their 
idols  is  not  to  be  put  to  any  use  by  Israel  [y'^''^-).      Nor  is  any 
attempt  to  be  made  to  resuscitate  the  abolished  relig-ious  rites 
J^j229-3i^^  or  to  introduce  features   from  them  into  the  worship 
of   Jehovah    (i6-^'").      Canaanitish    forms    of    divination    and 
magic  are  not  to  be  tolerated  (iS''"^-) :   an  authorized  order  of 
prophets  is  to  supply  in   Israel,  so  far  as  Jehovah  permits  it, 
the  information  and  counsel  for  which  other  nations  resorted 
to  augurs  and  soothsayers  (18'''"^'^).      Local  shrines  and  altars, 
even  though  ostensibly  dedicated  to  the  worship  of  the  true 
J  God,  were  liable  to  contamination,  on  the  part  of  the  unspiritual 
Israelites,  by  the  admixture  of  heathen  rites  :   accordingly,  the 
thfee  great  annual  feasts  are  to  be  observed,  and  all  sacrifices 
and  other  religious  dues  are  to  be  rendered,  it  is  repeatedly 
and    strongly   insisted,    at    a    single   central  sanctuary,    "the 
place    which   Jehovah    shall   choose  to  set   His   name  there" 
^'(i-25. 11.  iJ.18.21.  2.-^  and   elsewhere).      The  Writer   is,  however, 
conscious  of  the  danger"  lest,   in  the   enjoyment   of  the  good 
things    of   Canaan,    Israel    should   t>e   tempted   to   forget   the 
Giver,  and  yield  on  this  ground,  through  thoughtlessness  and 
neglect,    to   the   seductions  of  idolatry :    to    guard    therefore 
against  this  danger.  He  earnestly  and  emphatically  forewarns 
them  of  the  suicidal  consequences  of  disobedience,   assuring 
them  that  it  will  only  end  in  national  ruin   and  disgrace  (G'"!-'' 
811-20  ijifif-  3i29).     Obedience  to  Jehovali's  commands,  on  the 
other  hand,    if  it   come  from   the  heart  and  be  sincere,    will 
be    the    sure    avenue    to    national    prosperity ;    it    will    bring 
with   it  Jehovah's   blessing,    and   be   the   unfailing  guarantee 
of    "life,"    and    "length    of    days,"    in    the    long- continued 
possession   of  the    land   of   Canaan.*      The    consequences  of 
obedience  and  disobedience  respectively,  besides  being  often 
referred    to    elsewhere,    are    developed,    with    great    rhetori- 
cal power,  in  the  fine  peroration  which   forms  a  worthy  ter- 
*  See  the  passages  quoted  on  i).  xxxiii. 


SCOPE    AND    CHARACTER    OF    DEUTERONOMY     Will 

mination  of  the  Deutcronomic  Code  (c.  28;   comp.  also  n'-f-ss 
30'-^--^'). 

The  practical  form  which  devotion  to  Jehovah  is  to  take 
is  not,  however,  to  be  confined  to  religious  duties,  strictly  so 
called.  It  is  to  embrace  also  the  Israelite's  social  and  domestic 
life;  and  it  is  to  determine  his  attitude  towards  the  moral  and 
civil  ordinances  prescribed  for  his  observance.  The  individual 
laws  contained  in  c.  12-26  are  designed  for  the  moral  and 
social  welfare  of  the  nation  ;  and  it  is  the  Israelite's  duty  to 
obey  them  accordingly.  Love  of  God  involves  the  love  of 
one's  neighbour,  and  the  avoidance  of  any  act  which  may  be 
detrimental  to  a  neighbour's  welfare.  The  Israelite  must 
therefore  accommodate  himself  to  the  constitution  under  which 
he  lives  ;  and,  where  occasion  arises,  observe  cheerfully  the 
various  civil  ordinances  which,  in  Israel,  as  in  every  well- 
ordered  community,  are  necessary  for  protection  against  evil- 
doers, and  for  regulating  intercourse  between  members  of  the 
same  society.  The  moral  pvu'ification  of  the  community, 
effected  by  the  punishment  of  wrong-doers,  and  its  deterrent 
effect  upon  others,  are  both  vividly  realized  by  the  Writer : 
two  of  his  standing  phrases  in  this  part  of  his  book  are  "So 
shalt  thou  exterminatb  the  evil  from  thy  midst  (or  from  Israel)" 
(130(0)  iy7. 12  igi9  2i2i  2221-22.24  24V);  and  "And  all  Israel  {or 
the  people,  or  those  that  remain)  shall  hear  and  fear"  (1312(11) 
jyi3  ig20  2i2i).  Dutics  involving  directly  the  application  of  a 
moral  principle  are  especially  insisted  on,  particularly  justice, 
integrity,  equity,  philanthropy,  and  generosity ;  and  the  laws 
embodying  such  principles  are  manifestly  of  paramount  import- 
ance in  the  Writer's  eyes.  Judges  are  to  be  appointed  in  every 
city,  who  are  to  administer  justice  with  the  strictest  imparti- 
ality (161^-20 ;  cf.  ii''f-  27!^- 25).  Fathers  are  not  to  be  con- 
demned judicially  for  the  crimes  of  their  children,  nor  children 
for  the  crimes  of  their  fathers  (24I'').  Just  weights  and 
measures  are  to  be  used  in  all  commercial  transactions  ^2C^'-'--^^). 
Grave  moral  offences  are  visited  severely:  the  malicious  witness 
is  to  be  punished  according  to  the  lex  ialionis  (i9"''2i) ;  and 
death  is  the  penalty,  not  only  for  murder  (igi'-i"),  but  also  for 
incorrigible  behaviour  in  a   son,   unchastity,   adultery,  man- 


XXIV  INTRODUCTION 

stealing'  (21^*^-'  22'-"'""  24").  But  ]iU7nanily  is  the  author's 
ruling'  motive,  wherever  considerations  of  religion  or  morality 
do  not  force  him  to  repress  it.  Accordingly  great  emphasis 
is  laid  upon  the  exercise  of  philanthropy,  promptitude,  and 
liberality  towards  those  in  difficulty  or  want,  as  the  indigent 
in  need  of  a  loan  (15'""  23-'^"^-(^'"^-)),  a  slave  at  the  time  of  his 
manumission  (i5^-'"'''),  a  neighbour  who  has  lost  any  of  his 
property  (22^"^),  a  poor  man  obliged  to  borrow  on  pledge 
(24''-  '■-''■),  a  fugitive  slave  (24"),  a  hired  servant  (24^^'"-),  and  in 
the  law  for  the  disposition  of  the  triennial  tithe  (14-*'"):  the 
landless  Levite(i2i-^i"'-i42'-2»i6ii-i^26»i-i2f),and  the  "stranger 
— i.e.  the  unprotected  foreigner  settled  in  Israel — the  father- 
less and  the  widow,"  are  repeatedly  commended  to  the  Israelite's 
charity  or  regard  (i4-'9  i6ii- 1^  24'- •  i^- 20. 21  2612^-  27^^  the 
stranger  alone  10^''  2611),  especially  at  the  time  of  the  great 
annual  pilgrimages  (12^2.18  1^27  1511.  u  26"),  when  he  and  his 
household  partook  together  before  God  of  the  bounty  of  the 
soil,  and  might  the  more  readily  respond  to  an  appeal  for 
benevolence.  Gratitude,  and  a  sense  of  sympathy,  evoked  by 
the  recollection  of  Israel's  own  past,  are  frequently  appealed 
to  as  the  motives  by  which  the  Israelite  should  in  such  cases 
be  actuated  (10^''  "For  ye  were  strangers  in  the  land  of 
Egypt,"  cf.  23^(");  \-^^  16^2  24I8. 22  <<  a,-,cJ  ti-,ou  shalt  remember 
that  thou  wast  a  bondman  in  the  land  of  Egypt").  A  spirit 
of  forbearance,  equity,  and  regard  for  the  feelings  or  welfare 
of  others  underlies  the  regulations  of  s'-*^  (the  slave  to  enjoy 
the  rest  of  the  sabbath),  20-^-''  and  24^  (cases  in  which  exemp- 
tion from  military  service  is  to  be  g'ranted),  2oi^^'"-  (offer  of 
peace  to  be  formally  made  before  attacking  a  hostile  city), 
2o^f""-  (fruit-trees  in  hostile  territory  not  to  be  cut  down),  2i^<'-'^ 
(regard  for  feelings  of  a  woman  taken  captive  in  war),  2\^'-'-'^' 
(firstborn  not  to  be  disinherited  in  favour  of  son  of  favourite 
wife),  22''  (battlement  on  roof),  232'^''(2ir)  (regard  for  neigh-* 
hour's  crops),  24^''-2-  (gleanings  to  be  left  for  the  poor),  25'' 
(moderation  in  infliction  of  corporal  punishment) :  humanity 
towards  animals  prompts  those  in  22'^'^-  25'*.  Several  of  these 
provisions  are  prompted  in  particular  by  the  endeavour  to 
ameliorate  the  condition  of  dependents,  and  to  mitigate  the 


SCOPE    AND    CIIARACTKR    OF    DEUTERONOMY       XXV 

cruelties  of  war.  Not  indeed  that  similar  cojisiderations  are 
absent  from  the  older  legislation  (see  c.o-.  Ex.  2220-23 (21-24). 26f.(27f.) 
2-j<5.  9. 11.  i2j^  and  (as  the  Table,  p.  ivff. ,  will  have  shown)  some 
of  the  enactments  that  have  been  cited  are  even  borrowed 
from  it :  but  they  are  developed  in  Dt.  with  an  emphasis  and 
distinctness  which  give  a  character  to  the  entire  work.  The 
author  speaks  out  of  a  warm  heart  himself;  and  he  strives  to 
kindle  a  warm  response  in  the  heart  of  every  one  whom  he 
addresses.  Nowhere  else  in  the  OT.  do  we  breathe  such  an 
atmosphere  of  generous  devotion  to  God,  and  of  large-hearted 
benevolence  towards  man;  nowhere  else  are  duties  and  motives 
set  forth  with  greater  depth  and  tenderness  of  feeling,  or  with 
more  winning  and  persuasive  eloquence ;  and  nowhere  else  is 
it  shown  with  the  same  fulness  of  detail  how  high  and  noble 
principles  may  be  applied  so  as  to  elevate  and  refine  the  entire 
life  of  the  community. 

If  after  this  review^  of  the  general  scope  of  Dt.,  we  ask 
which  are  its  fundamental  ideas,  we  shall  find  them  to  be  the 
following  : — * 

1.  Jehovah  is  the  only  God,  a  pure  and  spiritual  Being, 
who  has  loved  Israel,  and  is  worthy  to  receive  Israel's  un- 
divided love  in  return.  It  follows  as  an  immediate  corollary 
from  this,  that  all  false  gods,  and  even  all  material  representa- 
tions of  Jehovah,  are  to  be  unconditionally  discarded. 

2.  Israel  is  to  be  a  holy  nation:  its  members  are  to  recol- 
lect, in  every  action  and  moment  {6^'^-)  of  their  lives,  that  they 
are  the  servants  of  a  holy  and  loving  God  ;  and  love  is  to  be 
the  determining  principle  of  their  conduct,  whether  towards 
God  or  man. 

3.  There  is  to  be  only  one  legitimate  place  of  public 
worship :  the  local  shrines,  which  were  seats  of  either  un- 
spiritual,  or  of  actually  heathen  worship,  are  to  be  not  merely 
reformed,  but  abolished. 

4.  The  tribe  of  Levi  is  confirmed  in  its  possession  of 
priestly  rights ;  and  it  aloi»e  is  to  supply  ministers  for  the 
sanctuary. 

Deuteronomy,  it  is  evident,  is  far  more  than  a  mere  code 
*  Comp.  Duhm,  Theologie  der  Propheten  (1875),  p.  197  ff. 


WVl  INTRODUCTION 

of  laws.  It  is  the  expression  of  a  profound  ethical  and  re- 
lig-ious  spirit,  which  determines  its  character  in  every  part, 
and  in\ests  the  laws  contained  in  it  with  the  sij^nificance  that 
they  possess  in  the  Writer's  eyes.  They  are  means  which 
may  help  Israel  to  realize  its  ideal.  The  author  would  fain 
see  his  people  exhibit  to  the  world  the  spectacle  of  a  nation 
wisely  obeying-  a  just  and  beneficently  designed  constitution 
(4'"'"^)  :  this,  he  is  assured,  will  bring  w  itii  it  national  prosperity 
and  greatness.  But  it  is  not  enough  for  him  that  the  law  is 
obeyed :  it  must  be  obeyed  also  from  the  right  motives. 
Hence  the  stress  which  he  lays  upon  the  theocratic  premises  of 
Israel's  national  character,  the  earnestness  with  which,  in  c. 
5-1 1,  he  develops  and  applies  every  motive  which  may  touch 
Israel's  heart  or  win  its  allegiance,  and  the  frequency  with 
which,  while  expounding  the  laws  which  Israel  is  to  observe 
(c.  12-26.  28),  he  dwells  upon  the  moral  purposes  which  they 
subserve,  or  the  temper  in  which  they  should  be  obeyed.  To 
fear  God  is  the  Israelite's  primary  duty  (6^^  iqI^-  20  28^^) ;  and 
to  generate,  and  keep  alive,  in  Israel's  heart  the  true  religious 
spirit  is  the  aim,  not  less  of  the  statutes  embodied  in  Dt.  (4'" 
52.24.  Qf^  14"'),  and  of  many  particular  usages  prescribed  in 
it  (e.g-.  6'^f-  III'""-  3112*^^  than  of  the  exhortations  with  which 
the  author  accompanies  them.  In  so  far,  however,  as  Dt.  is 
a  law-book,  it  may  be  described  as  a  manual,  addressed  to  the 
people,  and  intended  for  popular  use,  which,  without  as  a  rule 
entering  into  technical  details,  would  instruct  the  Israelite  in 
the  ordinary  duties  of  life.  It  does  not  embrace  a  complete 
corpus  of  either  the  civil  or  the  ceremonial  statutes  that  were 
in  force  when  it  was  written:  it  excerpts  such  as  were,  in  the 
author's  judgment,  most  generally  necessary  for  the  Israelite 
to  know,  and  best  adapted  to  exemplify  the  moral  and  spiritual 
principles  which  it  was  his  main  anxiety  to  see  practically 
recognized  by  Israel.  Dt.  thus  combines  the  spirit  of  the 
prophet  and  the  spirit  of  the  legislator:  it '  is  a  proplictical 
Icnv-book,  a  law-book  in  which  civil  and  ceremonial  statutes 
become  the  expression  of  a  great  spiritual  and  moral  ideal, 

*  Notice  also  the  importance  attaclied  to  the  education  of  children,  4' 


SCOPE    AND    CHARACTER    OF    DEUTERONOMY       XXVll 

which  is  designed  to  comprehend  and  govern  the  entire  life  of 
the  comnuinity. 

The  true  significance  of  Dt.  cannot,  however,  be  properly 
understood,  until  it  is  viewed  in  the  lig'ht  of  the  age  which 
called  it  forth  :  in  the  following-  remarks  therefore  it  will  be 
necessary  in  some  respects  to  anticipate  the  conclusions  of 
J^  4,  and  to  assume  that  Dt.  was  composed  in  the  7th  cent.  B.C., 
during'  the  reig^n  of  either  Manasseh  or  Josiah.  If  this  may 
be  here  assumed,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  author  builds  upon 
the  foundation  of  the  prophets,  and  that  his  primary  aim  is  to 
create  an  eftectual  moral  stimulus  for  realizing-  the  ideals 
which  they  had  propounded.  The  prophets  had  held  up 
before  their  people  hig-h  conceptions  of  life  and  duty;  they 
Iiad  taug-ht  that  Jehovah's  favour  was  conditioned  by  the 
fulfilment  of  His  moral  demands  ;  they  had  declared,  one  after 
another,*  that  the  claims  of  civil  and  social  justice  were 
paramount  in  His  eyes:  Isaiah  had  reaffirmed,  with  fresh 
emphasis,  the  old  truth  (Ex.  ig")  that  it  was  Israel's  vocation 
to  be  a  "holy  nation";  Hosea  had  traced  back  both  the 
moral  and  material  deterioration  of  the  Northern  King-dom  to 
its  abandonment  of  Jehovah,  and  had  forewarned  it  of  the 
bitter  consequences  which  devotion  to  idolatry  would  bring-  in 
its  train.  These  are  the  truths  which,  broug-ht  home  to  the 
author,  with  fresh  vividness,  by  the  recent  experiences  of 
Manasseh's  reig-n,  become  the  informing  principles  of  his 
teaching-;  he  absorbs  them  into  his  own  spiritual  nature ;  he 
shows  how  they  may  be  systematically  applied  so  as  not  merely 
to  correct  palpable  abuses,  but  also  to  deepen  the  spiritual  life 
of  individuals,  and  to  penetrate  and  transform  the  whole 
national  org-anization  of  Israel ;  while  at  the  same  time  he  so 
stimulates  the  individual  conscience  by  new  and  powerful 
motives,  as  to  provide  an  cfTectual  moral  and  spiritual  agency, 
capable — if  any  agency  were  capable — of  moulding  the  nation 
into  conformity  with  the  prophetic  ideal. 

In  a  special  degree  the  author  of  Dt.  is  the  spiritual  heir 
of  Hosea.  Not  only  docs  he  join  with  him  in  the  emphatic 
repudiation  of  nature-worship,  and  in  acknowledging  Jehovah 

*  E.g:  2  S.  i2i-''  I  K.  2ii""-  Am.  4'-"  s^-«-  IIos.  4'-"  Is.  i^"-  Mic.  3'-^. 


XXVlll  INTRODUCTION 

as  the  true  Giver  of  nature's  bounty,*  he  agrees  with  liim  also 
in  the  prominence  which  he  assii,'-ns  to  tiie  emotional  side  of 
relig-ion.  Witii  Hosea,  love,  affection,  sympathy  are  the 
immediate,  and  most  natural,  fruits  of  the  reliiii-ious  temper. 
Jehovah  first  "  lo\ed  "  Israel  ;  and  the  true  Israelite  is  he  who 
is  infused  with  the  same  spirit,  and  who  lo\es,  with  the  same 
spontaneity,  and  the  same  uni^rudi^intf  alTection,  both  Jehovah 
and  his  fellow-Israelites.  "This  truth  is  equally  set  forth  in 
Deuteronomy,  and  in  the  Deuteronomist's  g"reat  spiritual  pre- 
decessor, Hosea.  The  primal  love  of  Jehovah  to  Israel  fills 
the  forejjfround  of  each  writer's  discourse,  and  all  human 
relationships  within  the  Israelitish  community  are  rooted  in 
this."t  The  passages  have  been  already  quoted  in  which 
Deuteronomy  emphasizes  Jehovah's  love  of  Israel,  and  in- 
culcates a  responsive  love  of  Jehovah  upon  Israel's  part  as  the 
first  of  human  duties.  And  in  his  conduct  towards  his  neigh- 
bour, the  Israelite  is  to  be  actuated  not  only  by  what  strict 
justice  or  equity  demands  ;  he  is  repeatedly  exhorted  to  exercise 
towards  hini  oHices  of  affection  and  kindness.  Love  is  to  be 
the  presiding  genius  of  his  life.  And  thus  Dt.  teaches  the 
great  truth  that  religion  is  concerned  not  merely  with  the 
intellect  and  the  will,  but  that  it  involves  equally  the  exercise 
and  right  direction  of  the  affections.  Of  course,  however, 
this  love,  both  in  Jehovah  and  in  Israel,  is  a  moral  love;  it 
must  be  limited,  where  the  necessity  arises,  by  the  demands 
of  righteousness  :  hence  idolatry  and  immorality  cannot  be 
tolerated  or  condoned  by  it :  the  author  is  conscious  of  no 
inconsistency  in  propounding  the  most  rigorous  repressive 
measures  against  the  former;  and  he  finds  no  occasion  for 
mitigating  the  severity  which  ancient  usage  prescribed  for 
dealing  with  the  latter  (p.  xxiii,  boltoni). 

The  monotheistic  creed  of  Dt.  is  another  development  of  the 
teaching  of  the  prophets.  The  original  "  monolatry  "  of  Israel 
became  indeed,  in  the  hands  of  the  older  prophets  (cf.  p.  90  f.), 
almost,  if  not  quite,  monotheism  :   nevertheless,  this  truth  is 

•  Hos.  210 («)«■•  13^-";  Dt.  8'"'-  \\^""-  26"'. 

t  Cheyne,  Jeremiah,  his  Life  and  Times,  p.  66.     Soo  IIos.  3'  9'''  ii'*' 
14*  W  ;  4^  6'*-*  I2''(''  (/(caW  demanded  by  God  :  see  p.  102). 


SCOPE  AND  CHARACTKR  OF  DEUTERONOMY  XXIX 

taught  more  formally  and  explicitly  in  Dt.  (4'^''-  "-^  6'*  7^  10^'')  * 
than  by  earlier  writers;  and  its  vivid  realization  by  the  author 
finds  expression  in  the  insistence  with  which  he  urges  Jehovah's 
claim  to  be  the  exclusive  object  of  the  Israelite's  reverence. 
The  limitation  of  the  public  worship  of  Jehovah  to  Jerusalem, 
which  Dt.  inculcates  so  strongly  (c.  12,  &c. ),  may  seem  indeed 
to  us  to  be  a  retrograde  step,  and  inconsistent  with  the  author's 
lofty  conception  of  the  Divine  nature  (lo^^) :  but  partly  it  was 
a  result  of  the  national  feeling-  of  Israel,  to  which  the  prophets, 
even  in  their  most  exalted  moments,!  were  hardly  ever  wholly 
superior,  and  which  looked  up  to  the  national  Temple  on  Zion 
as  specially  honoured  by  Jehovah's  presence ;  partly  it  arose 
out  of  the  circumstances  of  the  age,  which  made  the  local 
sanctuaries  centres  of  impure  or  unspiritual  rites.  Under  the 
conditions  of  the  time,  the  single  sanctuary  was  a  corollary  of 
the  monotheistic  idea.  Worship  at  different  places  would 
tend  (as  in  the  case  of  Ba'al,  and  many  other  ancient  deities) 
to  generate  different  conceptions  of  the  god  worshipped,  and 
might  even  lead  to  the  S3'ncretistic  confusion  of  Jehovah  with 
other  deities.  The  concentration  of  worship  in  a  single  spot 
was  thus  a  necessary  providential  stage  in  the  purification  of 
the  popular  idea  of  God.  In  the  end,  it  is  true,  this  exclusive- 
ness,  maintained  with  blind  one-sidedness  and  exaggeration, 
brought  with  it  its  own  nemesis.  The  unspiritual  Israelites, 
in  spite  of  the  warnings  of  the  prophets  (comp.  Jer.  y^'i^  Is. 
66^"^),  viewed  the  material  sanctuary  on  Zion  as  the  palladium 
of  their  security,  operating  irrespectively  of  their  own  moral 
worthiness ;  and  in  a  later  age  attachment  to  the  Temple,  as 
such,  was  one  of  the  causes  which  incapacitated  the  Jews  from 
appropriating-  the  more  spiritual  teaching  of  Christ.  J  But 
long  before  then,  the  victory  over  polytheism  had  been  won ; 
and  even  the  destruction  of  the  Temple  brought  with  it  no 
danger  of  a  lapse  into  the  idolatries  of  the  past. 

The  ethical  qualities  of  Jehovah  are  frequently  dwelt  upon 
in  Dt.     He  is  emphatically  a  righteous  God ;  a  hater  of  sin 

*  Note  also  4^"   (where    the  heathen   rclij^ions   are    attributed   to   the 
supreme  providence  of  Israel's  God) ;  and  (in  the  Song:)  S^"- 

t  E.g.  Is.  2--^  25"  Jer.  3'7  Is.  56^  66-"- 23.  J  Comp.  Acts  6'^^'^ 


XXX  INTI^ODUCTION 

and  wroni,'";  ig'noble  practices  arc  an  "abomination"  to 
Him;  *  yet  He  is  ready  to  forg^ive  the  penitent,  and  shows  mercy 
and  compassion  towards  those  who  deserve  it :  He  has  watched 
over,  and  cherished  Israel,  with  the  tenderness  and  affection 
of  a  father  ;  if  He  has  also  disciplined  it,  it  has  been  for  its 
ultimate  g"ood.  Especially  does  the  author  emphasize  Jehovah's 
fidelity  to  His  promises;  the  oath* sworn  to  the  patriarchs  He 
will  never  break ;  even  towards  a  heathen  nation  He  does  not 
rescind  what  He  has  once  decreed  (2''), 

Jehovah's  relation  to  Israel  orig"inated  in  His  own  free 
c/io/'cc;  Israel  becomes  in  consequence  His  special  possession 
(p.  xx)  and  inheritance,  and  the  constant  object  of  His 
reijard.  More  particularly.  His  relation  to  it  is  represented 
under  the  figure  of  a  covenant — one  of  the  characteristic  ideas 
both  of  Dt.  and  of  the  Deuteronomic  school  (p.  68) — involving- 
mutual  duties  and  obligations,  binding  Jehovah  to  faithfulness, 
and  Israel  to  obedience.  The  nature  of  the  duties  devolving- 
hence  upon  Israel,  and  the  motives  (especially  gratitude  and 
love)  which  should  prompt  Israel  to  respond  accordingly,  have 
been  indicated  above  (pp.  xxi,  xxiv). 

With  priestly  institutions  the  author  has  greater  sympathy 
than  the  prophets  g-enerally.  He  evinces  a  warm  regard  for 
the  priestly  tribe;  he  guards  its  privileges  (18''^''),  demands 
obedience  for  its  decisions  (24^^;  cf.  17^'^"^-),  and  earnestly 
commends  its  members  to  the  Israelite's  benevolence  (i2^s- ^^ 
1^27.29  &c.).  The  ceremonial  observances  current  at  the  time 
he  has  no  desire  to  see  abolished  ;  the  custom  of  sacrifice, 
though  he  does  not  emphasize  it  in  the  manner  of  the  Priests' 
Code,  he  takes  for  g-ranted,  and  upon  occasion  regulates.  A 
right  heart,  instinct  with  true  affections  towards  God  and 
man,  is  indeed  the  only  religion  which  has  value  in  his  eyes  : 
but  he  is  aware  that  external  forms,  if  properly  observed, 
may  exercise  and  keep  alive  a  religious  spirit  (14-^),  may  g-uard 
Israel's  "holiness"  from  profanation,  and  preserve  it  from 
contamination  with  heathen  influences  (cf.  6^  11^^  14^'"';  also 
22''- 12  2315(H)).     The  offerings  on  which  he  lays  the  greatest 

*  Idolatrous  rites  (^-•■'•-'''  12"'  i3^^(^^)  x^^  20^®  27^'^);  matfic  and  divination 
(18'-)  ;  immoral  customs  [2:1'  23'" l***'  24'')  ;  commercial  injustice  (25"'). 


SCOPE    AND    CIIARACTKR    OF    DEUTERONOMY      WXl 

stress  are  those  expressive  of  gratitude  to  God  as  the  Giver  of 
the  g-ood  thing's  of  Canaan  (i4----''  is'''-''  i6^o.i;i.n  26^0j  •  ^nd 
the  rehgious  feasts,  especially  those  held  in  connexion  with 
the  great  annual  pilgrimages,  he  desires  to  be  occasions  of 
g-ladness  before  Jehovah,  and  of  the  display  of  generous 
hospitality  towards  the  destitute  (12"- 1--  is  i^sof.  1511.  u  26I1). 

In  its  attitude  towards  other  nations,  Dt.  shows  consider- 
able exclusiveness  and  "  particularism."  Jehovah  owns  indeed 
the  entire  world  ;  but  His  favourable  regard  is  limited  to  the 
people  of  His  choice.  The  prophetic  truth  that  Jehovah  has 
also  a  care  for  other  nations,  and  w  ill  one  day  receive  them 
into  His  fold,  does  not  find  expression  in  Dt.  (once,  perhaps, 
indirectly,  in  the  Song-,  32^^).  The  reason  is  not  far  to  seek: 
Dt.  is  a  law-book,  designed  to  provide  Israel  with  instruction 
in  the  duties  of  life ;  and  the  circumstances  of  the  ag^e  natur- 
ally led  the  author  to  discourage,  rather  than  to  promote,  a 
friendly  attitude  towards  the  heathen.  The  Ger,  who  has 
placed  himself  under  the  protection  of  Israel  (p.  126),  is  indeed 
treated  naturally  with  consideration:  but  the  "  foreigner,"  as 
such,  stands  upon  a  different  level,  and  is  excluded  from 
pecuniary  advantages  permitted  to  the  Israelite  (15'^  2321(20)), 
Religious  motives  *  sufficiently  explain  the  strongly  hostile 
attitude  adopted  towards  the  Canaanites ;  but  only  an  anti- 
quarian reason  is  assigned  for  the  antipathy  displayed  towards 
the  'Ammonites  and  Moabites  (23'*-''' (3")),  and  for  the  injunction 
to  exterminate  'Amalek  (251^-1'*).  A  more  friendly  attitude, 
based  upon  the  recollections  of  the  past,  is  inculcated  towards 
the  Edomite  and  the  Egyptian  (23^'- (''■)).  it  is  probable  that 
all  these  regulations,  as  Ex.  1714-16  shows  to  be  the  case  with 
that  relating  to  'Amalek,  rest  upon  an  ancient  traditional 
basis,!  and  that  the  author's  part  in  them  is  limited  to  the 
form  in  which  they  are  cast,  and  the  motives  with  which  he 
has  enforced  them. 

The  encroachments  of  heathenism  formed  the  pressing 
danger  of  the  age ;  and  these  the  author  strove  to  resist  by 
every   means    in    his    power.      Not    only    does    he    repeatedly 

*  See  f-  2o'«  (cf.  in  D^  Jos.  23'-'-). 

t  Comp.  Delitzsch,  ZKWL.  ibSo,  p.  561  ;  Dillm.  p.  605. 


k 


XXXll  INTRODUCTION 

declare,  in  solemn  terms,  that  if  allowcfl  to  prevail,  they  will 
ultimately  involve  Israel  in  national  ruin  ;  but  a  lartfe  number 
of  provisions — much  larg"er  than  in  the  Book  of  the  Covenant 
— are  aimed  directly  ag'ainst  them  ;  and  the  need  of  enforcini^ 
these  overrides  even  those  considerations  of  forbearance  and 
humanity,  which  usually  rule  supreme  in  the  author's  mind.* 
Foremost  amoiii^  these  provisions  stand  the  injunctions  for 
the  extirpation  of  the  Canaanites.  These  are  included  in  Dt., 
partly,  no  doubt,  because  they  formed  an  element  in  the  older, 
legislation  (Ex.  23-"-^'^),  and  were  ascribed  traditionally  to 
Moses,  but  chiefly  because  by  the  drastic  completeness  with 
which  they  sought  to  secure  Israel  against  pernicious  religious 
influences,  they  were  a  significant  protest  against  the  fashions 
of  the  age,  and  afforded  the  author  a  means  of  expressing 
indirectly  his  profound  abhorrence  of  practices  which  he  knew 
to  be  subversive  of  holiness  (cf.  i2''').  In  estimating  these 
injunctions,  it  must,  of  course,  be  remembered  that  in  the  age 
when  Dt,  was  written,  the  time  when  they  could  be  enforced  had 
long  passed  away  ;  they  had  consequently  only  an  ideal  value  ; 
they  bear  witness  by  their  severity  to  the  intensity  of  the  author's 
convictions  on  the  subject,  and  to  the  reality  of  the  dangers 
which  he  felt  threatened  Israel's  religion  from  this  quarter.! 
It  is  probable  also  that  many  more  prohibitive  ordinances  of 
Dt.  than  appears  on  the  surface,  are  directed  against  the 
encroachments  of  heathenism,  or  the  assimilation  of  undesir- 
able foreign  customs.  "The  essential  object  of  the  short  law 
of  the  kingdom  (17^ '•-'*)  is  to  guard  against  admixture  with 
foreigners,  and  participation  in  foreign  policy."  %  And  other 
precepts  are  directed  either  against  popular  heathen  super- 
stitions, or  against  the  immoralities  of  Phoenician  nature- 
worship,  which,  as  the  Books  of  Kings  and  the  prophets  show, 
had  deeply  tainted  the  worship  of  Jehovah.  § 

The  truth   that   virtue   is   rewarded   with   temporal    bless- 
ings, and  vice  punished  with  temporal  misfortunes, — a  truth 

*  See  especially  c.  13. 

t  Cf.  Cheyne,  Jeremiah,  p.  67  ;  Montcfiore,  Hibbcrt  Lectures,  p.  185. 

:  oTjc:'  p.  365. 

§  Comp.  the  notes  on  \2"-'^  14'- -"(p.  164),  '-^^  i6'-'---  17^- ^  iS''""  21"  2-^^^'. 


SCOPE    AND    CHARACTER    OF    DEUTERONOMY      XXXlll 

tenaciously  held  by  the  ancient  Hebrews,  and  (as  the  book  of 
Job  shows)  even  treated  by  them  as  a  universal  law  of  God's 
providence, — is  an  important  paedagog-ic  principle,  and,  as 
such,  is  frequently  emphasized  by  the  author.  The  doctrine 
that  "righteousness  exalteth  a  nation,"  while  wickedness  is 
the  sure  prelude  to  national  disaster,  has  been  said  truly  to 
form  the  essence  of  his  "philosophy  of  history,"  as  it  is  also 
one  of  the  motives  to  obedience  on  which  he  most  frequently 
insists:  "that  thou  mayest  live,"  "that  it  may  be  well  for 
thee,"  "that  thou  mayest  prolong-  thy  days,"  "that  Jehovah 
may  bless  thee,"  or  similar  phrases,  are  the  recurring  formulai, 
which  show  how  assured  he  was  of  the  general  validity  of  the 
truth  which  they  express.*  The  same  conviction  finds  hyper- 
bolical expression  in  the  promise  that,  in  the  event  of 
obedience,  Israel  will  be  "set  high"  above  all  nations  (26^^ 
2S1),  and  enjoy  material  superiority  over  them  (15''^  28^-^'-^^). 
The  other  aspect  of  the  same  doctrine  is  taught  less  frequently, 
but  not  less  forcibly.!  Retribution,  it  is  said  emphatically 
(7^*^))  overtakes  the  evil-doer  in  person ;  it  is  not  reserved  (as 
was  sometimes  thought  J)  for  his  descendants. 

The  religious  value  of  Deuteronomy  is  very  great.  True, 
"it  is  a  book  of  national  religion,"  with  the  limitations 
incident  to  age  and  place  stamped  upon  it;  "  but  it  is  withal 
a  book  of  personal  religion,  and  so  of  universal  religion." 
The  power  which  gave  Israel  its  cohesion  and  strength  was  Its 
religion  ;  if  it  was  untrue  to  this,  as  its  prophets  unanimously 
saw,  it  must  fall  in  pieces.  Religion  becomes  thus  the  real 
ground  of  all  moral  and  social  order;  and  the  aim  of  Dt.  is  to 
establish  for  religion  a  deeper  basis  than  that  of  public  ritual, 

*  The  promise  is  annexed  both  to  the  general  observance  of  the  Deut. 

law,  4*»  52a  (20J.  30  (33)  62.3.18.24  iol3  j  ,9  y^\^.Vii.  ^^M  ((,f;    ^^I^q  ^12-10    „  13-15.  20-25.  27 

26i8r.  28'"^*  29^  e**  so"),  and  to  particular  commands,  viz.  5^®  (honour  to 
parents),  i2'-''-^  (prohibition  to  eat  blood),  14-"'^  (application  of  triennial 
tithe  to  relief  of  the  poor),  i^'o-is  (liberality  in  lending-  to  needy,  and  in 
treatment  of  slave),  iS-"  (impartiality  in  judgment),  17-'*  (king's  obedience 
to  Deut.  law),  19^^  (justice  on  murderer),  22'  (humane  treatment  of  bird), 
23-1 W  (not  demanding  interest  of  Israelite),  24^*^  (leaving  forgotten  sheaf 
for  the  "stranger,  the  fatherless,  and  the  widow"),  25^*  (commercial 
honesty).     Comp.  Am.  ^*  Is.  i"'-  s'"'-  58"-"  &c. 

+  426  3oi''- ;  6'^'-  SI*"-  1 1^"- 28  28i5ff-  2917  li«)ff-  3i2».  +  Job  2 \^\ 

C 


XXXIV  INTRODUCTION 

or  leg'al  rules.  Tlie  author  addresses  himself,  more  directly 
and  etfectively  than  any  previous  teacher  of  Israel  had  done,  to 
the  individual  soul ;  he  labours,  by  appealing-  to  the  most 
powerful  and  generous  emotions,  to  quicken  and  intensify 
the  religious  life  of  the  individual.  "  Hosea  had  already 
perceived  that  in  our  religious  life,  it  is  not  so  much  we  vvho 
find  God,  as  God  who  finds  us.  Deuteronomy  accepted  this 
truth,  and  sought  to  show  what  forms  the  religious  life  thus 
quickened  would  assume  among  Yahveh's  people.  It  dis- 
cerned that  that  life  must  be  a  life  of  loyal  obedience  and  of 
holy  affection ;  and  inasmuch  as  these  are  not  outward  acts 
but  inward  states,  it  took  the  first  steps  towards  transferring 
the  stress  of  religion  from  national  observance  to  individual 
consciousness,  and  proposed  as  its  ultimate  ideal  a  community 
which  should  collectively  realize  a  relationship  of  reverence 
and  love  to  its  heavenly  Lord.  These  great  sentiments 
could  only  be  comprehended  and  expressed  by  the  community, 
when  they  had  first  been  deeply  felt  by  each  single  soul ;  and 
in  enunciating  its  principles  for  the  government  of  the 
traditional  Israel,  Deuteronomy  was  therefore,  in  fact,  enunci- 
ating them  for  the  whole  human  race  in  every  age.  It  was 
reserved  for  the  greatest  of  Israel's  sons  to  discern  this  com- 
pletely, and  to  proclaim  its  highest  word  as  the  first  law,  no 
longer  for  Judah  but  for  the  world  (Mark  i2-s-30j  Dt.  6^-^). 
And  so  the  teaching  of  Deuteronomy  leads  direct  to  the 
supreme  thought  of  Christ."* 

/  §4.  Avthorship,  Date,  mid  Structure. 

The  relation  of  Dt.  to  the  preceding  books  of  the  Pent.,  as 
indicated  in  §  2,  gives  rise  to  two  questions,  the  consideration 
of  which  will  conveniently  open  this  part  of  our  subject.  It 
will  be  proper,  in  order  to  make  our  ground  secure,  to  start 
with  the  assumption  that  the  traditional  view  of  the  authorship 
of  the  first  four  books  of  the  Pent,  is  correct.     The  questions, 

*  J.  E.  Carpenter,  "The  Book  of  Deuteronomy,"  in  the  Modem 
Revk'iv,  April  1883,  p.  281.— In  parts  of  the  preceding^  passes  I  am 
indebted  to  Holzingcr,  Einleitung  in  den  Hexateuch  (1893),  p.  313  ff. 


AUTIIORSlIir    OF    DEUTERONOMY  XXXV 

then,  which  suggest  themsches  are:  (i)  Do  the  variations 
between  the  narratives  of  Dt.  and  Gn.-Nu.  ever  assume  the 
character  of  discrepancies  which  cannot  be  reconciled  ?  (2)  Is 
the  relation*  between  them  such  as  to  be  incompatible  with  the 
traditional  view  that  the  author  of  both  is  Moses?  That  the 
author  of  Dt.,  supposing-  him  to  be  identical  with  the  author 
of  Ex.-Nu.,  should  mention,  either  in  the  retrospects  (c.  1-3  ; 
9"- 10")  or  allusively  elsewhere,  incidents  not  recorded  by  him 
in  his  previous  narrative,  would,  of  course,  not  in  itself  excite 
surprise  ;  accordingly  additions  such  as  those  in  i^^^-  ^'^^-  -^^-  29-31 
3-1'"-  -^--s  cause  no  difficulty,  they  relate  to  details  of  a  personal 
character,  a  notice  of  which  would  be  coi.formable  to  the  plan 
of  the  retrospect,  but  which  might  well  have  been  passed  over 
in  the  history.  There  are,  however,  some  other  variations, 
which  deserve  closer  consideration. 

1.  In  i"'-^''  the  plan  of  appointing'  judges  to  assist  Moses  is  represented 
as  originating  with  Moses  himself,  complaining  to  the  people  of  the  diffi- 
culty that  he  found  in  dealing  personally  with  the  number  of  cases  that 
arose  ;  the  people  assent  to  the  proposal,  and  Moses  selects  the  judges 
accordingly.  In  Ex.  iS'-*"-''  the  plan  is  referred  entirely  to  the  advice  of 
Jethro  ;  no  allusion  is  made  to  the  difficulty  felt  by  Moses  ;  and  Moses 
takes  action  without  at  all  consulting  the  people.  It  might  be  replied  that 
the  two  accounts  are  mutually  supplementary  :  what  is  narrated  in  Dt.  i'*"^^ 
would  fall  very  naturally  between  Ex.  18-^  and  Ex.  18-^  :  the  narrative  and 
the  retrospect  are  written  from  different  points  of  view ;  and  some  notice 
of  the  motives  by  which  Moses  was  inwardly  influenced,  and  of  the  manner 
in  which  the  people  responded  to  them,  though  unnecessary  in  the  narra- 
tive, would  be  in  harmony  with  the  general  plan  of  the  retrospect. 

2.  I"--'.  Here  the  mission  of  the  spies  is  represented  as  due  entirely  to 
a  suggestion  made  b}'  the  people  :  in  Nu.  iT,^'''  it  is  referred  to  a  command 
received  directly  by  Moses  from  Jehovah.  No  doubt  the  two  representa- 
tions are  capable,  in  the  abstract,  of  being  harmonized  :  Moses,  it  might 
be  supposed,  approving  personally  of  the  proposal  (Dt.  i'-*'),  desired  to 
know  if  it  had  Jehovah's  sanction  ;  and  the  command  in  Nu.  i^^'^  is  really 
the  answer  to  his  inquiry.  But  in  this  case,  if  not  in  the  former  as  well, 
it  remains  remarkable,  if  the  two  accounts  were  written  by  one  and  the 
same  person,  that  they  should  be  so  worded  as  to  suggest  to  the  reader 
hi'o  different  ideas  of  ivhat  had  taken  place  ;  and  (especially)  that  Moses, 
while  mentioning  (Dt.  i--')that  the  proposal  had  his  own  approval,  should 
not  mention  that  it  had  Jehovah's  also. 

3.  i87-38^  In  is;^^  20^-  (cf.  27^3'-  Dt.  32'*"-)  Moses  is  prohibited  to  enter 
Canaan  on  account  of  his  presumption  in  striking  the  rock  at  Kadesh,  in 
the  39lh  j'ear  of  the  Exodus  :  here  the  ground  of  the  prohibition  is  Jehovah's 
anger  with  him  on  account  of  the  people  (so  3-"  4-'),  upon  an  occasion  which 


XXXVl  INTRODUCTION 

(see  the  note  ad  loc.)  is  plainly  fixed  by  the  context  for  the  2nd  year  of  the 
Exodus,  37  years  previously.  The  supposition  that  Moses,  speaking  in  the 
40th  year,  sliould  have  passed,  in  v.*'',  from  the  2nd  to  the  39th  year, 
rcturning^  in  v.""  to  the  2nd  year,  is  highly  improbable. 

4.  1^*  2^'^''.  As  shown  in  the  notes  on  pp.  31-33,  it  seems  impossible 
to  harmonize  the  representation  contained  in  these  passages  with  that  of 
Numbers  ;  according  to  Nu.  14,  &c.,  the  38  years  in  the  wilderness  were 
spent  at  Kadesh  :  according  to  Dt.  they  weie  spent  a-n'ay  from  Kadesh 
(2^''),  in  wandering  about  Edom  (2^), 

5.  9".  According  to  Ex.  32-34  Moses  was  three  times  in  the  mount 
(32'^' ;  32'^  ;  34'*) ;  but  it  is  only  on  the  third  occasion  that  he  is  recorded 
to  have  fasted  (34-*) :  Dt.,  in  the  very  words  of  Ex.,  describes  him  as  doing 
so  on  the  Jirst  occasion.  Obviously,  Dt.  may  relate  what  is  passed  by  in 
silence  in  Ex.;  but  the  variation  is  remarkable. 

6.  9-^"''^.  This,  it  is  plain,  must  refer  either  to  Ex.  -^2'"'*  (Moses'  second 
visit  to  the  mountain),  or  (more  probably)  to  Ex.  34'-'*  -**  (his  third  visit  to 
it).  It  is  singular,  now,  that  the  terms  of  Moses'  otvn  intercession,  as  here 
reproduced,  are  borrowed,  not  from  either  of  these  passages,  but  from 
32''"^^,  at  the  close  oi  his  Jirst  forty  days  upon  the  mountain. 

7.  io^~*.  This  passage  (see  p.  117  f.)  agrees — to  a  large  extent  verbally 
— with  Ex.  34^'^""'"',  with  the  difference  that  in  Dt.  Moses  is  directed  to 
make,  and  actually  does  make,  an  ark  of  acacia-wood  before  ascending 
the  mount  the  third  time,  to  receive  the  Ten  Commandments.  That 
Moses  should  describe  as  made  by  himself  what  was  in  fact  made  by 
Bezal'el,  acting  on  his  behalf,  is,  no  doubt,  natural  enough ;  but  in  the 
narrative  of  Ex.  (as  it  now  stands)  the  command  is  both  given  to  Bezal'el, 
and  executed  bj'  him,  after  Moses'  return  from  the  mountain  (36-''  37'). 
The  discrepancy  in  two  narratives,  so  circunistafitial  as  each  of  these  is,  is 
difiicult  to  explain,  if  both  are  the  work  of  one  and  the  same  writer, 
describing  incidents  in  which  he  was  personally  concerned. 

8.  TO*'"'.  Cf.  Nu.  33'^"^^  (in  P's  itinerary  of  the  journeyings  in  the  wilder- 
ness), relating,  however,  to  a  period  long  subsequent  to  the  episode  of  the 
Golden  Calf.  In  Nu.,  moreover,  the  stations  Beeroth  and  Bene-ja'akan 
are  mentioned  in  the  inverse  order  ;  and  (v.-"^)  the  death  of  Aaron  is  stated 
to  have  taken  place,  not  at  Moserah,  but  at  Mount  Hor,  four  stations 
b(;yond  Jotbathah.  As  shown  in  the  notes  on  p.  ii9f.,  there  is  a  possible 
formal  reconciliation,  though  not  one  that  can  be  called  probable.  All 
things  considered,  it  seems,  however,  likely  (p.  120)  that  10""^  is  not  part 
of  the  original  text  of  Dt. ;  if  this  be  the  case,  Dt.  will  be  relieved  of  the 
contradiction  with  Nu.  33^^"''',  though  the  contradiction  will  still  attach  to 
the  source  from  which  the  notice  is  derived,  and  bear  witness  to  the  exist- 
ence of  divergent  traditions  in  our  present  Pentateuch. 

9.  10*"".  If  lo*^"'  be  an  integral  part  of  Dt.,  as  at  that  time  can  in  that 
case  refer  only  to  tlie  period  indicated  in  those  verses,  10^"'  will  assign  the 
consecration  of  the  tribe  of  Levi  to  a  much  later  date  than  is  done  in  Ex. 
28-29  Lev.  8  Nu.  3'^"^''.  If,  however,  lo*"'-^  be  not  original  in  Dt.,  at  that 
time  will  refer  to  the  period  of  the  sojourn  at  Horeb,  lo^'^ ;  in  this  case, 
there  ceases  to  be  a  contradiction  with  Ex.,  but  the  reference  seems  to  be 
(see  p.  121)  to  some  incident  not  mentioned  in  the  existing  text  of  Ex. 


AUTHORSHIP  op^  dkutkronomy  xxxvii 

Of  these  discrepancies,  i  and  2,  thoiigh  they  cannot 
be  said  to  be  favourable  to  IMoses'  authorship,  are  never- 
theless not  absolutely  incompatible  with  it ;  5  and  6 
awaken  graver  doubts — it  is  surprising-  that  the  retrospects 
should  afford  so  many  cases  (see  p.  xviii),  from  the  inter- 
cession of  Moses  to  the  slaughter  of  the  sons  of  Sihon  (or 
'Og),  in  which  the  reconciliation  can  only  be  effected  by  a 
duplication  of  the  event  recorded  in  the  earlier  narrative  ;  3,  4, 
and  7  cannot  be  fairly  explained  upon  the  hypothesis  of  Mosaic 
authorship. 

We  may  pass  now  to  the  consideration  of  the  laws  in  Dt., 
in  their  relation  to  those  of  Ex.-Nu.  Let  us  first  compare 
the  laws  in  Ex.  21-23  (JE).  Here  we  observe  in  certain  cases 
modifications  which  cannot  be  reasonably  accounted  for, 
except  upon  the  supposition  that  the  laws  of  Dt.  originated 
in  a  later  stage  of  society  than  the  laws  of  Ex.  Even  the 
greater  detail  and  development  (p.  viiif.)  points  in  this  direc- 
tion, though  not,  of  course,  so  decisively  as  the  cases  of 
modification. 

1.  In  Ex.  21-""  a  Hebrew  bondman  is  to  serve  for  six  years,  and  to 
receive  his  freedom  in  the  seventh  year  (v.^) ;  a  bondwoman  who  comes  into 
servitude  with  her  husband  is  to  receive  her  freedom  at  the  same  time  (v.^). 
But  a  daughter  sold  by  her  father  as  a  bondwoman  is  on  a  different  foot- 
ing- ;  she  is  not  to  go  free  as  the  bondmen  do  (v.'').  In  Dt.  15'-  the  law  of 
Ex.,  by  the  addition  of  "or  an  Hebrewess,"  is  pointedly  extended  so  as 
to  include  bondwomen  ;  and  in  v.^'  it  is  expressly  prescribed  that  the 
bondwoman  (without  anj'  limitation)  is  to  be  subject  to  the  same  law  of 
manumission  as  bondmen.  Both  laws  are  designed  for  the  land  of  Canaan, 
as  appears  from  the  reference  to  the  door  and  doorpost.  If  both  laws, 
liowever,  were  given  in  the  wilderness  for  a  time  of  future  settlement  in 
Canaan,  the  variation  just  noted  appears  arbitrary.  It  is,  however,  at 
once  explicable  upon  the  supposition  that  the  law  of  Dt.  springs  from  a 
more  advanced  stage  of  society  than  the  law  of  Ex.,  and  regulates  usage 
for  an  age  in  which  the  father's  power  over  his  daughter  was  less  absolute 
than  it  had  been  in  more  primitive  times,  and  when  it  was  no  longer  the 
custom  (see  Ex.  21*"'*)  for  a  Hebrew  girl  to  be  bought  to  be  the  wife  of  her 
master  or  his  son.     Contrast  also  Dt.  15''  with  Ex.  21'^  (p.  184). 

2.  In  Ex.  21^'*  the  asylum  for  manslaughter  (as  the  connexion  with  v.'-* 
appears  to  show)  is  Jehovah's  aliar{cL  1  K.  i^'  2-'*) ;  in  Dt.  (c.  19)  definite 
cities  are  set  apart  for  the  purpose. 

3.  In  Ex.  22'^'' ("''•)  the  law  of  seduction  stands  at  the  close  of  a  list  of 
cases  of  pecuniary  compensations  for  injury  to  proixrty  :  the  offence  is 
consequently  treated  as  one  of  pecuniary  loss  to  the  lather,  who  must  be 


XXXVllI  INTRODUCTION 

compciisalod  by  the  seducer  purchasing'  the  damsel  as  wife  for  the  full 
price  (w«/r«r)  of  a  virgin.  In  Dt.  the  corresponding'  law  (22^'-)  appears 
not  among  laws  of  property,  but  among  laws  of  moral  purity  ;  and  though 
it  is  still  provided  that  the  offender  shall  marry  the  damsel  and  make  com- 
pensation to  the  father,  a  fixed  fine  takes  the  place  of  the  variable  mfi/iar.* 
4.  In  Ex.  23""-  the  provisions  of  the  sabbatical  year  have  a  purely 
agricultural  reference  ;  in  Dt.  15'"®  the  institution  is  applied  so  as  to  form 
a  check  on  the  power  of  the  creditor.  Had  both  laws  been  framed  by 
Moses,  it  is  difficult  not  to  think  that  in  formulating  Dt.  is'""  he  would  iiave 
made  some  allusion  to  the  law  of  Ex.  23""-,  and  mentioned  that,  hi  addi- 
tion to  the  provisions  there  laid  down,  the  sabbatical  year  was  to  receive 
also  this  new  application. 

Modifications  such  as  these  cannot  reasonably  be  attributed 
to  the  altered  circumstances  or  prospects  of  the  nation  at  the 
close  of  the  40  years'  wanderings:  the  provisions  of  Ex.,  as 
is  plain  both  from  the  tenor  of  23'-""-,  and  from  the  various 
laws  implying"  the  existence  of  houses,  and  the  possession  of 
separate  holdings  of  land,  are  equally  designed  for  the  use  of 
the  people  when  settled  in  Canaan.  Those  of  Dt.  differ  just 
in  being  adapted  to  meet  the  needs  of  a  more  developed  slate 
of  society,  for  which  the  provisions  of  Ex.  were  no  longer 
adequate. 

If,  however,  it  is  thus  difficult  to  attribute  the  laws  of  Dt. 
and  JE  (Ex.  21-23)  to  the  same  legislator,  it  is  altogether 
impossible  to  do  this  in  the  case  of  the  laws  of  P  ;  for  not  only 
are  the  variations  which  the  regulations  of  Dt.  present  much 
graver,  but,  as  shown  above  (p.  xiiif.),  it  cannot  be  supposed 
that  P  was  one  of  the  sources  employed  by  the  author  of  Dt.  : 
laws  and  institutions  of  fundamental  importance  in  P  are 
treated  in  Dt.  as  if  they  were  either  non-existent,  or  matters 
of  no  concern  to  the  Writer  ;  they  are  sometimes  contradicted, 
sometimes  ignored.  Instances  of  their  being  ignored  were 
cited  above,  p.  xiii ;  the  following  are  instances  of  contra- 
diction : — 

I.  In  Lev.  Nu.  a  sharp  distinction  is  drawn — and  enforced  under 
stringent  penalties  (Nu.  i6i«-3''-'»o^ — between  the  priests  and  the  common 
Levites  :  in  Dt.  it  is  implied  (18'')  that  all  members  of  the  tribe  of  Levi  are 
qualified   to  exercise   priestly  functions  ;  and   regulations   are   laid   down 

*  Comp.  \V.  R.  Smith,  Addit.  Ansiucr  to  t/ie  Libel  {Edin.  1S78),  p.  56 f. ; 
OTJC-  p.  368  f. 


AUTHORSIIir    OF    DEUTERONOMY  XXXIX 

(iS*"*)  to  meet  the  case  of  any  member  coming  from  tlic  country  to  the 
central  sanctuary,  and  claiming'  to  officiate  there  as  priest. 

2.  In  P  particular  provision  is  made  for  the  maintenance  of  both  priests 
and  Levites,  and  in  Nu.  35^-8  (cf.  Jos,  21)  48  cities  are  appointed  for  their 
residence.  In  Dt.,  under  both  heads,  the  regulations  are  very  different, 
and  allow  considerably  less  ample  provision  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
tribe.  Thus  Dt.  18*  (the  shoulder,  the  cheeks,  and  the  maw  to  be  the 
priest's  perquisite  in  a  peace-offering)  is  in  direct  contradiction  with  Lev. 
7'"-"*'  (the  breast  and  the  right  thigh  to  be  the  priest's  due  in  a  peace- 
offering). 

3.  Dt.  iS"  is  inconsistent  with  the  institution  of  Levitical  cities  (Nu. 
35^"**) ;  it  implies  that  the  Levite  has  no  settled  residence,  but  is  a 
"sojourner"  in  one  of  the  cities  ("gates,"  see  p.  Ixxix)  of  Israel.  As 
remarked  on  p.  218,  the  provision  of  Dt.  18"  is  not  incompatible  with  such 
an  institution,  supposing  it  to  have  been  imperfectly  put  in  force  ;  but  its 
terms  are  quite  general,  they  are  not  limited  to  any  such  future  con- 
tingency as  this,  and  (what  is  especially  noticeable)  they  harmonize  with 
other  passages  of  Dt.  in  which  the  country  Levite  is  represented  as  desti- 
tute of  adequate  maintenance,  and  is  placed  in  the  same  category  with 
the  "stranger,  the  fatherless,  and  the  widow"  (i2^--i8. is  i^^'-".-9  i6ii- n 
26"-  >2'-). 

4.  In  Dt.  12^-  ^'''-  15^9^-  the  firstlings  of  oxen  and  sheep  are  to  be 
eaten  hy  the  oiimer  himself  at  a  sacred  feast  to  be  held  at  the  central 
sanctuary  :  in  Nu.  iS'**  they  are  assigned  absolutely  and  expressly  to  the 
priest. 

5.  In  Nu.  18-'"^  the  tithe  is  assigned  entirely  to  the  Levites,  who  in 
their  turn  (v.^"^)  pa)'  a  tenth  to  the  priests  :  in  Dt,  it  is,  in  two  years  out 
of  three,  to  be  consumed  by  the  offerer  and  his  household  at  a  sacred  feast 
(14-^),  and  in  the  third  year  to  be  applied  to  the  relief  of  the  poor  (i4'-^''), 
— in  both  cases  the  members  of  the  priestly  tribe  sharing  only  together 
with  other  destitute  persons  in  the  offerer's  bounty. 

6.  While  Lev.  25"^"'*^  enjoins  the  release  of  the  Hebrew  slave  in  the  year 
of  jubile,  in  Dt.  i^'^-is  ^j^g  legislator,  -without  bringing  his  new  law  into 
relation  with  the  different  one  of  Lev.,  prescribes  the  release  of  the  Hebrew 
slave  in  the  seventh  year  of  his  service, 

7.  In  Lev,  I7^5  the  flesh  of  an  animal  dying  of  \is^\{  {nebclali)  is  not  to 
be  eaten  either  by  the  Israelite  or  by  the  "stranger":  in  Dt,  14-'  it  is 
prohibited  for  the  Israelite,  but  permitted  to  the  "stranger." 

8.  In  Ex.  12^""  the  paschal  sacrifice  is  limited  to  a  lamb  :  in  Dt.  16-  it 
may  be  either  a  sheep  or  an  ox  (see  also  the  note  on  16'').* 

These  differences  between  the  laws  of  Dt.  and  those  of  P 
are  greater  than  could  arise,  were  the  legislator  the  same  in 

*  For  attempts  that  have  been  made  to  harmonize  these  discrepancies, 
see  the  notes  on  the  passages  quoted.  The  explanations  offered  by 
Principal  Douglas  —  whose  name  I  mention  with  all  respect  —  in  Lex 
Mosaica  (pp.  80-96)  must  be  regretfully  pronounced  to  be  not  less  strained 
and  unsuccessful  than  those  of  his  predecessors. 


xl  INTRODUCTION 

both :  they  can  only  be  explained  by  the  supposition  that  the 
two  systems  of  law  reflect  the  usage  of  two  distinct  periods 
of  the  national  life.  Of  course  there  is  no  difficulty  in 
supposing  that  Moses  may  have  foreseen  the  neglect  of  his  own 
institutions  and  provided  for  it  accordingly:  but  not  one  of 
the  regulations  that  have  been  referred  to  betrays  any  indi- 
cation whatever  that  this  was  the  intention  of  the  legislator 
in  framing  it;  in  every  case  the  terms  of  the  provision  are 
as  unqualified  and  absolute  as  are  those  of  P.  It  is  also 
undoubtedly  true  that  the  aim  of  Dt.  is  very  different  from 
that  of  P :  the  one  is  intended  (chiefly)  for  the  guidance  of 
the  priests,  the  other  is  addressed  to  the  people ;  the  one 
represents  the  priestly  point  of  view,  the  other  that  of  the 
prophets  ;  the  one  lays  down  a  complete  code  of  ritual  observ- 
ances, which  certainly  does  not  fall  within  the  scope  of  the 
other.  Still,  if  P  were  written  by  Moses, — or  even  compiled 
by  another  hand  under  his  direction, — it  is  inconceivable  that 
in  recapitulating  at  the  close  of  his  life  the  laws  w-hich  he 
desired  the  Israelites  to  observe,  he  should  have  thus  held 
himself  aloof  from  a  body  of  law,  in  the  compilation  of  which 
he  had  {ex  hyp,)  been  so  intimately  concerned,  ignoring 
institutions  which  he  had  represented  as  of  central  signifi- 
cance in  his  system,*  and  contradicting  regulations  which 
he  had  declared  to  be  invested  with  the  highest  sanctions. t 
Not  only  does  Dt.  not  contain  (in  any  sense  of  the 
word)  a  7'csu)ne  or  "recapitulation"  of  the  laws  of  P,  but 
the  author  does  not  even  do  what,  supposing  him  to  have 
been  interested  in  a  great  ceremonial  system,  would  have 
been  consonant  with  the  general  plan  of  his  work,  and  at 
the  same  time  of  the  utmost  value  to  future  generations  of 
Israelites  :  he  does  not,  even  in  general  terms,  refer  to  the 
system  which  {ex  hyp.)  he  had  prescribed,  for  the  purpose 
of  summarizing  its  leading  principles,  or  of  defining  the 
place  which  ceremonial  institutions  should  hold  in  a  spiritual 

*  See  p.  xiii.  The  Day  of  Atonement,  it  is  enjoined  in  P  (Lev.  23-'^'-),  is 
to  be  observed  by  all  under  penalty  of  death. 

t  The  rights  and  revenues  of  the  tribe  of  Levi  do  fall  within  the  scope 
of  Dt.  (see  iS'"**),  not  less  than  within  that  of  P,  and  yet  the  provisions  are 
altogether  different. 


AUTIlORSIIir    OF    DEUfERONOMY  xll 

religion.*  On  the  contrary,  his  attitude  towards  it  sliows  that 
its  most  characteristic  ideas  are  alien  to  his  mind,  and  have  no 
place  in  his  scheme  of  religion. 

The  study  of  the  legal  sections  of  Dt.  leads  thus  to  the 
same  conclusion  which  resulted  from  the  study  of  the  his- 
torical sections  :  each,  when  compared  with  the  corresponding- 
sections  of  Ex.-Nu.,  presents  inconsistencies  incompatible  with 
the  supposition  of  both  being  the  work  of  the  same  author. 
This  conclusion  follows,  even  if  (as  has  up  to  this  point  been 
assumed)  Moses  be  the  author  of  the  preceding  books  of  the 
Pentateuch.  It  is  confirmed  by  the  independent  evidence  of 
style.  The  literary  styles  of  Dt.  and  P,  while  each  has  a  strongly 
individual  character,  are  cast  in  two  entirely  different  moulds ; 
if  Moses  was  the  author  of  the  one,  he  cannot  have  so  far 
disowned  his  own  individuality  as  to  be  also  the  author  of  the 
other.  Nor  can  the  Mosaic  authorship  of  Dt.  be  maintained 
in  face  of  a  comparison  with  JE.  That  a  composite  narrative 
of  the  Exodus  should  have  arisen  in  the  lifetime  of  Moses, 
and  that  Moses  himself  should  have  drawn  upon  it  in  Dt., 
cannot  be  considered  probable.  But  waiving  this  point,  and 
treating  JE  as  the  work  of  a  single  hand,  the  style,  though 
not  so  different  from  the  style  of  Dt.  as  P's  style  is,  neverthe- 
less differs  from  it  more  than  would  be  consonant  with  the 
tenacious  literary  habits  of  Hebrew  authors,  were  the  writer 
in  both  cases  the  same :  the  discourses  of  Dt,  are  pervaded 
throughout  by  a  uniform  colouring  and  tone,  which  are  absent 
from  JE  (comp.  p.  Ixxvii),  and  are  an  indication  that  we  have 
before  us  the  work  of  another  hand.f 

In  point  of  fact,  however, — though  the  proof  cannot  be 
stated  here,  and  must  be  sought  in  the  Commentaries  on  the 
books  in  question, — the  Mosaic  authorship  of  the  first  four 
books  of  the  Pent,  cannot  be  sustained.  JE  and  P  were 
composed  at  two  widely  different  periods  of  Israelitish  history, 

*  He  does  this,  to  some  extent,  for  the  laws  of  JE  (i6^'"'),  but  not  for 
those  of  P. — Comp.,  also,  Westphal,  pp.  172  ff.,  231  ff.,  241  ff. 

t  Similarly  Dean  (now  Bishop)  Perowne  {Conlemp.  Rev.  Jan.  1888,  p. 
144) :  "  The  book  is  in  style  quite  unlike  the  other  books  of  the  Hexateuch  : 
it  stands  absolutely  alone.  If  it  is  the  work  of  Moses,  the  other  books 
cannot  claim  his  authorship."     On  P's  style,  of.  L.O.T.  pp.  122-128. 


xlii  INTRODUCTION 

and  both,  there  are  the  strongest  reasons  for  supposing,  long 
subsequent  to  Moses.  Of  course,  for  those  who  admit  this, 
the  post-Mosaic  authorship  of  Dt.  follows  at  once ;  for,  as 
was  shown  above  (pp.  viiif.,  xvf.),  it  is  dependent  upon,  and 
consequently  later  than,  JE. 

This  conclusion,  to  which  difTerent  lines  of  argument 
independently  converge,  is  supported  by  other  indications. 
There  are  passages,  for  instance,  in  Dt.,  showing  that  the 
author  lived  at  a  distance  from  the  period  which  he  describes. 
Thus,  if  i^  ("eleventh  month")  be  compared  with  Nu.  33^'^ 
("  fifth  month  "),  which  fixes  the  date  of  Nu.  2o2--28j  it  appears 
that  the  whole  of  the  events  reviewed  in  z--^,-^  had  taken 
place  during  the  six  months  preceding  the  time  when,  if  Moses 
be  the  author,  the  discourse  must  have  been  delivered.  In 
such  a  situation,  however,  the  repeated  at  that  time  (2"' 
3*-  8. 12.  IS.  21.  23^^  as  also  vnto  this  day  in  3''*,  though  suitable 
when  a  longer  interval  had  elapsed,  appears  inappropriate. 
C.  5^  and  ii^"  point  in  the  same  direction.  The  writer, 
though  aware  as  a  fact  (S^-  4)  of  the  40  years'  wanderings, 
does  not  appear  fully  to  realize  the  length  of  the  interval,  and 
identifies  those  whom  he  addresses  with  the  generation  that 
came  out  of  Egypt  in  a  manner  which  betrays  that  he  is  not 
speaking  as  a  contemporary.  In  2^-^  ("as  Israel  did  unto  the 
land  of  his  possession,  which  Jehovah  gave  him")  there  is  an 
evident  anachronism :  however,  some  writers  have  treated  the 
antiquarian  notices  2^0-12.  20-23  (though  otherwise  in  the  style  of 
Dt.  and  similar  to  3^- 1^-  '^^^  i  i^o)  as  glosses.  The  expression, 
"when  ye  came  forth  out  of  Egypt,"  not  merely  in  24^  25^", 
but  also  in  23'^(^),  of  an  incident  quite  at  the  end  of  the  40 
years'  wanderings  (cf.  4'^''-  ^^■'''),  could  not  have  been  used 
naturally  by  Moses,  speaking  less  than  six  months  afterwards, 
but  testifies  to  the  writer  of  a  later  age,  in  which  the  40  years 
had  dwindled  to  a  point. 

That  Dt.  is  of  later  origin  than  the  age  of  Moses  may  be 
inferred,  further,  from  two  other  considerations,  (i)  The  use 
of  the  phrase  "beyond  Jordan  "  (ni").'ii  "'^i'?)  for  the  country  East 
of  Jordan,  in  Dt.  i^-  ^  38  4I1. 40. 47. 49  ^j^^  elsewhere  in  the  Pent.  : 
comp.  Nu.  22^  34^'),  exactly  as  in  Jos.  2^'^  7"  9'*^  &c.  Jud.  5^'^ 


DATE    OF    DEUTERONOMY  xliii 

lo^,  shows  that  the  autlior  was  a  resident  hi  U'es/cr/i  Palestine. 
It  is  indeed  sometimes  alleged  that  the  expression  had  a  fixed 
g'eog'raphical  sense  (like  Gallia  Tratisalpiiia,  &.C.),  and  was 
used  as  a  standing'  designation  of  the  trans-Jordanic  territory, 
irrespectively  of  the  actual  position  of  the  speaker  or  writer ; 
but  Dt.  320.25  jjso  and  Jos.  5I  9^  12"  (where  it  is  used  of 
Western  Palestine),  show  that  this  assumption  is  incorrect. 
If,  now,  its  meaning  was  not  thus  fixed,  its  employment  by  a 
writer,  whether  in  E.  or  W.  Palestine,  of  the  side  on  ivlucli  he 
himself  slood,  is  difficult  to  understand,  unless  the  habit  had 
arisen  of  viewing  the  regions  on  the  two  sides  of  Jordan  as 
contrasted  with  each  ottiet  ;  *  and  this  of  itself  implies  residence 
in  Palestine.  It  is,  of  course,  conceivable  that  this  was  a  habit 
of  the  Canaanites  ;  but  it  can  hardly  be  considered  likely  that 
the  visage  suggested  by  it  passed  from  them  to  the  Israelites, 
before  the  latter  had  set  foot  in  the  land,  and  experienced  the 
conditions  adapted  to  naturalize  it  among  them.  The  use  of 
the  expression  in  Dt.  (as  in  the  Pent,  generally)  exactly  as  in 
Jos.  2^0  &c.  creates  a  very  strong  presumption  that  the  passages 
in  question  were  all  written  under  similar  local  conditions.! 

(2)  The  law  respecting  the  place  of  sacrifice,  as  formulated 
in  Dt.,  must  have  arisen  at  a  much  later  age  than  that  of 
Moses.  As  shown  in  the  notes  on  c.  12  (pp.  136--138),  while 
Dt.  insists  with  great  emphasis  that  all  sacrifices  are  to  be 
offered  only  at  a  single  sanctuary,  the  spot  chosen  by  Jehovah 
"  out  of  all  the  tribes  to  set  His  name  there,"  the  law  of  Ex. 
20-^  permits  altars  to  be  built,  and  sacrifice  to  be  offered  upon 
them,  in  any  part  of  the  land  without  distinction  ;   and  with 

*  Hence  its  use  in  Jos.  5'  9^  12'',  written  (presumably)  in  W.  Palestine. 

t  So  Dean  (now  Bishop)  Perownc,  Coniemp.  Rev.  Jan.  188S,  p.  143  f. 
In  Dt.  3-"'  "^  the  (assumed)  position  of  the  speaker  is  naturally  maintained. 
In  V.*,  on  the  contrary,  in  a  plirase  of  common  occurrence  (4'*^  Jos.  2^"  9^"), 
as  in  Jos.  i^^*^*,  the  point  of  view  of  the  w^/V^/- unconsciously  betrays  itself. 
Nu.  32!"  nmiD  jn'.T  nnvD  .  .  .  nx'jrti  \-yyh  nnyo,  where  the  expression  is  used 
of  botli  sides  of  Jordan,  though  it  has  been  referred  to,  has  no  bearing-  on 
the  present  question  :  the  usage  here  falls  into  the  category  of  passages 
in  which,  in  accordance  with  Heb.  idiom,  the  same  expression  repeated 
acquires  a  contrasted  meaning  in  virtue  of  the  juxtaposition  (cf.  i  S.  14'* 
20-1.  jj  23-").  From  the  use  of  the  term  in  Nu.  32''-'  nothing  can  conse- 
quently be  inferred  as  to  its  force,  when  used  absolutely,  as  in  Dt    i^-'  S:c. 


xllV  INTRODUCTION 

the  principle  thus  laid  down  the  practice  of  the  age  from 
Joshua  to  Solomon  (and  even  later)  conforms:  during  this 
period  mention  is  frequently  made  of  altars  being  built,  or 
sacrifice  offered,  at  places  other  than  that  at  which  the 
Ark  was  stationed,  without  any  indication  (and  this  is  the 
important  point),  on  the  part  of  either  the  actors  or  the 
narrator,  that  an  irregularity  is  being  committed  (see  esp. 
I  S.  gi^-i'i  lo^-S;  1  K.  iS-iO).  It  is,  of  course,  true  that  the  non- 
observance  of  a  law  does  not  of  necessity  imply  its  non- 
existence ;  nevertheless,  when  men  who  might  fairly  be 
presumed  to  know  of  it,  if  it  existed,  not  only  make  no  attempt 
to  put  it  in  force,  but  disregard  it  without  explanation  or 
excuse,  such  an  inference  cannot  be  deemed  an  extravagant 
one.* 

The  composition  of  Dt.  must  thus  be  placed  at  a  period  long 
subsequent  to  the  age  of  Moses.  Is  it  possible  to  determine 
its  date  more  precisely  ?  The  tenninus  ad  qucm  is  not  difficult 
to  fix;  it  must  have  been  written  previously  to  the  i8th  year 
of  King  Josiah  (b.c.  621),  the  year  in  which  Hilkiah  made  his 
memorable  discovery  of  the  "  book  of  the  law  "  in  the  Temple 

*  A.  van  Hoonacker  {Le  lieu  du  culte  dans  la  L('gtslation  ritiielle  des 
Jfc'breiix,  1894)  interprets  Ex.  20'^  of  private  altars,  and  seeks  to  show 
that  the  laws  of  Ex.  21-23  recognise  only  one  leg^itimate  public  sanctuary, 
so  that  the  law  of  Dt.  12  is  not  the  innovation  that  it  is  commonly  sup- 
posed to  be.  It  is  true,  no  doubt,  that  critics  have  sometimes  unduh' 
minimized  the  importance  of  the  sanctuary  at  which  the  Ark  was  stationed 
— whether  at  Shiloh  or  elsewhere,  or  afterwards  at  Jerusalem — before  the 
Deuteronomic  les^islation  :  de  facto,  the  sanctuary  which,  in  a  special 
sense,  was  Jehovah's  dwelling-place  must  always  have  had  the  pre- 
eminence (cf.  Ex.  23'") ;  and  the  Temple  of  Solomon,  by  its  splendour,  and 
the  associations  of  veneration  and  regard  with  ■which  time  naturally  in- 
vested it,  must  have  tended  more  and  more  to  throw  into  the  shade  the 
minor  local  sanctuaries  ;  still,  in  face  of  the  evidence  of  the  historical 
books,  it  is  difficult  to  think  that  sacrifice  at  other  spots  was  regarded  as 
actually  illegitimate.  The  truth  seems  rather,  to  be  that  centralizing 
tendencies  had  manifested  themselves  long  before  the  age  of  either 
Manasseh  or  Josiah  ;  in  Dt.  they  are  brought  to  a  head,  the  preference, 
or  pre-eminence,  which  the  Temple  had  long  enjojeti  de  facto  is  confirmed 
to  it  de  jure,  and  that  in  such  a  manner  as  to  secure  for  it  at  the  same 
time  exclusive  rights,  as  against  all  other  sanctuaries.  The  law  of  Dt. 
remains  an  innovation  ;  but  it  is  an  innovation  for  which  the  soil  had  long 
been  preparing. 


DATE    OF    DEUTERONOMY  xlv 

(2  K.  22^").  For  the  narrative  of  2  K.  22-23  makes  it  plain 
that  the  book  so  found  must  have  embraced  Deuteronomy ;  * 
for  although  the  bare  description  of  its  contents,  and  of  the 
eflect  produced  by  it  upon  those  who  heard  it  (22^1- 1^- 1^)  might 
suit  Lev.  26  equally  w^ith  Dt.  28,  yet  the  allusions  to  the 
covenant  contained  in  it  (232-  3.  21^^  which  refer  evidently  to  Dt. 
(2S'''^  (29^) :  cf.  298-  20.  24(9.  21.  25))^  and  the  fact  that  in  the  reforma- 
tion based  upon  it,  Josiah  carries  out,  step  by  step,  the  funda- 
mental principles  of  Dt.,t  leave  no  doubt  upon  the  matter. 

How    much    earlier    than  B.C.    621    Dt.    may   be,    is   more 
difficult    to   determine.     The   following    considerations,    how- 

*  Or,  at  least,  c.  5-26.  28  (p.  Ixv).  It  cannot  be  shown  to  have  included 
more  than  Dt.  (see  Schrader,  Einl.  §  206  5,  c;  DiUm.  p.  613  ;  OTJC.'"\>.  258  ; 
Westphal,  p.  289  ft".  »  &C')  ;  but  that  is  immaterial  to  the  present  aryument. 

t  Viz.  the  abolition  of  all  heathen  rites  and  superstitions,  and  the 
centralization  of  Jehovah's  worship  at  Jerusalem  :  comp.  2  K.  23'*'  ^^"  '^ 
(worship  of  the  host  of  heaven  put  down)  with  Dt.  17^;  23'"^^  (priests  and 
sanctuaries  of  various  "other  g-ods")  with  Dt.  6^^  11"^  \'^'^  &c. ;  23^- 1-^- 1^- 
15.19  ^tjjg  high-places,  with  their  altars,  "pillars,"  and  Asht^rim)  with  Dt. 
I2-^' ;  23^  (the  Asherah  in  the  Temple)  with  Dt.  16'-'  ;  23''  (the  Kedeshim)  with 
Dt.  23^^  f '') ;  23"''  (provision  made  for  the  support  of  the  disestablished 
priests  out  of  the  Temple  dues)  with  Dt.  18^*  ;  23^"  (JMolech-worship)  with 
Dt.  18^"";  23-1-^  (the  passover  m  Jerusaletn)  with  Dt.  ]6-''-;  23-'' (consulters 
of  g'hosts  and  familiar  spirits)  with  Dt.  iS^^ ;  v.-°  (Josiah's  piety)  with  Dt. 
6''.  If  the  reader  will  peruse  consecutively  (cf.  Cheyne,  Jeremiah,  his 
Life  and  Times,  p.  50 f.)  Dt.  e-"-"- "-i^  is^-?  16-1-22  jgs-is  28,  he  will  have  an 
idea  of  the  passages  which  may  have  principally  impressed  Josiah.  The 
covenant  which  the  king-  and  nation  solemnly  enter  into,  to  observe  the 
newly  discovered  code,  is  also  described  in  terms  which  point  unmistak- 
abl}'  to  Dt.  (2  K.  23^  "  to  keep  his  commandments,  and  his  testimonies, 
and  his  statutes,  with  all  the  heart  and  with  all  the  soul"  :  see  p.  Ixxxi  f., 
Nos.  37,  51).  The  title  book  of  the  law  (2  K.  2^-^^)  recalls  Dt.  28^1  29-"(-i) 
30'"  31'-^  Jos.  i^  8""^  (all  of  the  Deut.  code).  Whether  any  weight  is  to  be 
attached  to  the  reminiscence  in  22^^  of  Dt.  28'''  is  less  certain  ;  for  though 
in  sjibstance  Huldah's  prophecy  is  no  doubt  authentic,  it  is  pretty  clear 
that  it  owes  its  form  to  the  Deuteronomic  compiler  of  Kings,  so  that  the 
reminiscence  may  be  due  to  him  rather  than  to  Huldah  herself.  The 
expression  "confirm  the  words,"  &c.  (2  K.  22''- -'■'),  recalls  Dt.  27'-<' ;  but  it 
is  doubtful  whether  this  verse  is  part  of  the  original  Dt.  (p.  300).  The 
law  of  Dt.  i8''"8  was  not,  however,  fully  carried  out :  the  disestablished 
priests  of  the  high-places,  though  they  were  received  by  their  "brethren" 
at  Jerusalem,  and  allowed  a  share  in  the  Temple  dues,  were  not  permitted 
to  minister  at  the  altar  (2  K.  23''), — whether  Josiah  was  not  able  to  enforce 
this  provision  on  account  of  the  opposition  of  Hilkiah  and  the  other 
Zadokite  priests,  or  whether  they  were  felt  to  be  disqualified  for  such 
sacred  duties  by  the  part  they  had  taken  in  idolatrous  rites. 


xlvi  INTRODUCTION 

ever,  tend  to  fix  its  date  .more  closely,  and  to  show  that  it 
belon^rs,  most  probably,  either  to  the  reig"n  of  Manasseh,  or  to 
the  early  years  of  the  reig"n  of  Josiah. 

1.  The  dilTerences  between  the  laws  of  Dt.  and  those  of 
Ex.  21-23  tend  to  show  that  the  two  Codes  are  separated  from 
each  other  by  a  considerable  interval  of  time,  in  the  course  of 
which  the  social  and  political  organization  of  the  community 
had  materially  developed,  and  the  Code  of  Ex.  had  ceased  to 
be  adequate  to  the  nation's  needs.* 

2.  The  law  of  the  kinijdom  (i7^'''20)  is  coloured  by  reminis- 
cences of  the  monarchy  of  Solomon.  The  argument  does  not 
deny  that  Moses  may  have  made  provision  for  the  establish- 
ment of  a  monarchy  in  Israel,  but  affirms  that  the  form  in 
which  the  provision  is  here  cast  bears  the  stamp  of  a  later  age. 

3.  The  terms  of  Dt.  17S-13  ^^f.  19'''),  in  which  the  con- 
stitution of  the  supreme  tribunal  is  not  prescribed,  but  repre- 
sented as  already  knoivn  (cf.  p.  207),  appear  to  presuppose  the 
existence  of  the  judicature,  instituted  (according-  to  2  Ch. 
19^-11)  by  Jehoshaphat. 

4.  The  forms  of  idolatry  alluded  to,  especially  the  worship 
of  the  "  Host  of  heaven  "  (4^^  '^T')i  point  to  a  date  not  earlier 
than  the  2nd  half  of  the  Sth  cent.  B.C.  It  is  true,  the  worship 
of  the  sun  and  moon  is  ancient,  as  is  attested  even  by  the 
names  of  places  in  Canaan  :  but  in  the  notices  (which  are 
frequent)  of  idolatrous  practices  in  the  historical  books  from 
Judges  to  Kings,  no  mention  of  the  "  Host  of  heaven"  occurs 
until  the  reign  of  Aliaz ;  and  in  the  7th  cent,  it  is  alluded  to 
frequently.!  The  temptation  to  worship  "other  gods"  is  the 
pressing  danger  of  the  age,  both  in  Dt.  and  in  Jeremiah. 

5.  The  influence  of  Dt.  upon  subsequent  writers  is  clear 

*  Cf.  Chuyne,  Jeremiah,  p.  71  :  "The  Israel  of  Dt.  is  separated  from 
the  Israel  of  the  Exodus  by  a  complete  social  revolution.  The  nomad 
tribes  have  grown  into  a  settled  and  wealthy  community  (notice  the  phrase 
'the  elders  of  the  city,'  19'-  &c.),  whose  organisation  needs  no  longer  to 
be  constituted,  but  only  to  be  reformed."  Why  the  new  features  in  the 
legislation  of  Dt.  cannot  be  accounted  for  by  the  altered  circumstances  of 
the  nation  at  the  close  of  the  40  years'  wanderings,  is  shown  on  p.  xxxviii. 

t2  K.  23'2  (Ahaz);  2  K.  2i«-\  cf.  23-'-5-"-i2  (Manasseh);  2  K.  17^6 
(Deut.)  the  reference  is  vague  :  Zeph.  r"*  Jer.  8-  19^^ ;  7'^  44''  ;  Ez.  8"'  refer 
to  a  later  period.     It  was  introduced,  in  all  probability,  from  Babylonia. 


DATE    OF    DEUTERONOMY  xlvil 

and  indisputable.  It  is  i-emarkable,  now,  that  tlie  early 
prophets,  Amos,  Hosea,  and  the  undisputed  portions  of  Isaiah, 
show  no  certain  traces  of  this  influence ;  Jeremiah  exhibits 
marks  of  it  on  nearly  every  pag'e  ;  Ezekiel  and  Deutero-Isaiah  ' 
are  also  evidently  influenced  by  it.  If  Dt.  were  composed 
between  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah,  these  facts  would  be  exactly 
accounted  for. 

6.  The  language  and  style  of  Dt.,  clear  and  flowing,  free 
from  archaisms  (see  §  5),  but  purer  than  that  of  Jeremiah, 
would  suit  the  same  period.  Dillm.  (p.  611)  remarks  justly 
tliat  the  style  of  Dt.,  especially  in  its  rhetorical  fulness  and 
breadth  of  diction,  implies  a  long  development  of  the  art  of 
public  oratory,  and  is  not  of  a  character  to  belong  to  the  first 
age  of  Hebrew  literature. 

7.  The  prophetic  teaching  of  Dt.,  the  dominant  theological 
ideas,  the  points  of  view  under  which  the  laws  are  presented, 
the  principles  by  which  conduct  is  estimated,  presuppose  a 
relatively  advanced  stage  of  theological  reflexion,  as  they  also 
approximate  to  what  is  found  in  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel. 

8.  In  Dt.  16"  we  read,  "Thou  shalt  not  set  thee  up  a 
maz^.ehah  (obelisk),  which  Jehovah  thy  God  hateth."  Would 
Isaiah,  it  is  asked,  if  he  had  known  of  such  a  law,  have 
adopted  the  ina^sebah  (19^^)  as  a  symbol  of  the  future  con- 
version of  Egypt  to  the  true  faith  ?  *     Or,  if  he  had  known  of 

*  Cf.  OTJCr  p.  355  ;  Ryle,  Canon  of  the  OT.  p.  56  :  and  comp.  below, 
p.  204.  The  supposition  that  obeUsks  connected  with  heathen  places  of 
worship  are  meant  in  Dt.  16'-'-  is  not  favoured  by  the  context  (v.^i"^) ;  the 
use  of  these  has,  moreover,  been  proscribed  before,  'f  12^  (repeated  from 
Ex.  23'-^  34^^).  The  older  legislation  enjoins  the  destruction  of  heathen 
altars  and  obelisks  ;  but  contains  no  prohibition  corresponding-  to  Dt.  iG'-^^: 
in  Ex.  24^  obelisks  are  erected  beside  an  altar  by  Moses.  The  argument 
is  sometimes  met  by  the  answer  that  the  obelisk  spoken  of  by  Isaiah  was 
a  commemorative  one,  intended  merely  to  indicate  to  the  traveller  entering 
Egypt,  that  it  was  a  country  sacred  to  Jehovah.  But  it  could  not  have 
served  this  purpose,  without  possessing  some  religious  associations  ;  and 
these,  according  to  Dt.  16'--,  were  of  a  character  which  Jehovah  "hated." 
At  the  same  time,  the  argument  does  not  possess  the  cogency  of  those  of 
a  broader  and  more  general  character :  for  a  single,  isolated  law,  in  the 
face  of  opposing  custom,  might  drop  out  of  notice  ;  and  the  prophet's 
figure  would  in  that  case  have  been  merely  suggested  to  him  by  prevalent 
popular  usage. 


xlviii  INTRODUCTION 

Dt.  14^  would  he  have  said  (22^-)  \.\\n.t  Jehovah  "called  "to 
a  practice  which  is  there  prohibited  ? 

9.  The  law  of  Dt.  18-'^"  presupposes  an  age  in  which  the 
true  prophets  found  themselves  in  conflict  with  numerous  and 
influential  false  prophets,  and  it  became  necessary  to  supply 
Israel  with  the  means  of  dislin£,'-uishing'  them,  i.e.  the  period 
from  the  8th  cent,  onwards  (DiUm.  pp.  331,  612). 

10.  In  general,  as  Oettli  (p.  16)  remarks,  both  the  religious 
and  the  national  experiences  presupposed  by  Dt.  are  much 
wider  than  those  of  the  Mosaic  age  can  have  been. 

So  soon  as  Dt.  is  recognized  as  a  work  of  the  7th  cent.  i?.c., 
the  phenomena  which  were  so  perplexing,  upon  the  hypothesis 
of  its  Mosaic  authorship,  are  at  once  readily  explicable.  F^or 
history,  it  was  dependent  (in  the  main)  upon  JE  :  that  was  the 
popular  narrative  of  the  origiiies  of  Israel :  the  narrative  of  P 
(if  indeed  it  already  existed)  had  not  yet  been  combined  with 
JE,  and  was  little  known.  The  author,  however,  not  being 
the  author  of  J E  as  well,  follows  it  freely,  sometimes  perhaps 
interweaving  reminiscences  from  memory;  hence  he  now  and 
then  inadvertently  places  a  clause  in  a  new  setting  (p.  xviii), 
or  is  guilty  of  a  slight  inconsistency.  The  incidents  mentioned 
by  him  without  the  authority  of  JE  (p.  xviif.)  may  have  been 
derived  by  him  in  some  cases  from  an  independent  source, 
oral  or  written :  for  others,  notably  those  narrated  in  the 
earlier  books  at  points  of  juncture  between  the  narratives  of 
JE  and  P,  his  source  was  far  more  probably  JE  itself,  in  parts 
which  the  last  compiler  of  the  Hexateuch  sacrificed  when  he 
combined  JE  with  P,  but  which,  at  the  time  when  Dt.  was 
written,  were  still  read  by  the  author  in  their  integrity.  In  the 
legal  parts  of  his  work,  the  modifications  and  additions  which 
the  legislation  of  Dt.  presents,  when  compared  with  that  of 
JE,  are  simply  a  consequence  of  the  more  varied  needs  of  the 
society  for  which  it  was  designed.  The  sparseness  of  refer- 
ences to  priestly  institutions,  and  the  discrepancies  with  P 
(p.  xxxix),  are  explained  at  once,  when  it  is  remembered  that 
many  of  these  institutions  had  not  yet  reached  the  form  in 
which  they  are  systematized  in  the  Priests'  Code,  and  that  the 
author,  while  free  from  any  desire  to  depreciate  ceremonial 


DATE    OF   DEUTERONOMY  xHx 

observances  (p.  xxx),  was  nevertheless  a  man  whose  Interests 
w  ere  chiefly  centred  in  the  prophetical  aspects  of  religion. 

The  question  whether  Dt.  is  to  be  assigned  to  the  reig^n  of 
Manasseh  or  Josiah  is  a  more  difficult  one.  Let  us  consider 
the  historical  conditions  of  the  7th  cent.  B.C.,  and  the  motives, 
or  influences,  under  which  Dt.  may  have  been  composed. 

Throughout  his  long-  prophetic  career,  Isaiah  had  pro- 
claimed the  advent,  so  soon  as  Syrian  or  Assyrian  troubles 
were  over,  and  Judah  was  able  again  to  breathe  freely,  of  an 
ideal  state  of  purity  and  blessedness;  Judah  was  then  to 
realize  its  ideal  character  of  a  "holy  nation";  her  citizens, 
from  the  king  downwards,  were  to  exhibit  ideal  excellences ; 
a  great  moral  and  spiritual  regeneration  was  to  be  effected, 
and  the  national  character  was  to  be  radically  transformed.* 
Publicly  and  privately,  this  was  the  teaching"  which  Isaiah 
reiterated :  and  upon  all  spiritually  minded  Israelites,  we  may 
be  sure,  his  powerful  personality,  and  noble  Ideas,  made  a 
profound  impression.  At  the  time,  one  of  the  chief  obstacles 
to  purity  of  religion  appears  to  have  been  the  local  shrines, 
or  "  high-places  "  (p.  139) :  here  the  worship  of  Jehovah  could 
be  desplrltuallzed,  and  even  contaminated  with  heathen  rites, 
more  readily  than  was  possible — except  under  a  distinctly 
idolatrous  king- — at  the  Temple  of  Jerusalem.  Isaiah,  how- 
ever, though  he  speaks  of  Images  with  reprobation  and  dis- 
paragement,! does  not  (In  his  extant  prophecies)  wage  war 
against  the  local  sanctuaries  as  such,|  and  hardly  even  alludes 
to  the  worship  of  **  other  gods."  §  It  Is  the  moral  shortcomings 
of  his  contemporaries  which  stir  him  most  deeply,  and  fill  a 
more  prominent  place  In  his  writings  than  the  denunciation  of 
heathen  rites.  As  yet,  notwithstanding  the  patronage  of 
Ahaz  (2  K.  16^,  cf.  23^2)^  distinctively  heathen  influences  were 
not  apparently  so  aggressive  in  Judah  as  they  were  destined 
to  become  shortly  afterwards.  Hezeklah,  however,  appears 
to  have  seen  that  any  serious  rellg-Ious  reform  must  begin  at 

*  Is.  i26'-  42-6  2g^«--*  3020-22  31?  321-8- 15-17  335-6.  See  the  writer's  Isaia/i, 
/lis  Life  and  Tunes,  pp.  22,  26,  58,  62,  iiof. 

t  28- 18.  ^0  178  3o2J  3i7.  +  Cf.  however,  1^. 

§  Cf.  17I'"'.     This  term,  so  common  in  Dt.,  Jer.,  and  other  Deutero- 
nomic  writers  (p.  Ixxviii),  is  not  found  in  Isaiah. 
D 


1  INTRODUCTION 

the  local  sanctuaries ;  and  hence  (though  the  description  may 
attribute  to  him  more  than  he  actually  accomplished*)  he 
removed,  it  is  said,  the  high-places,  and  commanded  all  men 
to  worship  before  the  altar  in  Jerusalem  (2  K.  i8»-""  2i3). 
This,  we  may  conclude,  was  the  practical  form  in  which  Isaiah's 
teaching  took  shape  in  Hezekiah's  mind,  and  in  which  he 
sought  to  give  effect  to  Isaiah's  ideals. 

But  whatever  Hezekiah  effected  by  this  measure,  was  very 
soon  undone.  Under  his  successor,  Manasseh,  who  occupied 
the  throne  for  nearly  50  years,  a  violent  and  determined 
reaction  in  favour  of  heathenism  set  in.  Not  only  were  the 
high-places  re-established ;  but  distinctively  heathen  cults 
were  so  patronized  by  the  king  that  they  threatened  to  super- 
sede altogether  the  service  of  Jehovah.  The  worship  of  Ba'al, 
of  the  Ash^rah,  and  of  the  "host  of  heaven,"  was  carried  on 
in  the  courts  of  the  Temple  itself;  the  odious  rites  of  Molech 
(p.  222  f.)  were  revived;  various  other  superstitious  or 
immoral  practices  also  became  fashionable.!  Nor  would 
Manasseh  brook  opposition  :  the  loyal  servants  of  Jehovah, 
who  resisted  his  innovations,  were  relentlessly  persecuted  and 
slain ;  the  "innocent  blood,"  which  he  shed  in  Jerusalem,  is  a 
standing  charge  against  his  memory.  J  The  prophecy  Mic. 
6i_^6  is  an  interesting  and  instructive  monument  of  this  reign  : 
for,  on  the  one  hand,  it  presents  a  vivid  picture  of  the  moral 
corruption  of  the  age  (6^0-^2  ^1-6^^  and  of  the  infatuated  eager- 
ness with  which  the  people  pressed  forward  to  propitiate  the 
deity  even  with  the  sacrifice  of  their  dearest  (6") ;  and,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  supplies  evidence  that  the  voice  of  the  prophets 
was  not  silenced,  but  that  they  could  still  proclaim,  in  accents 
of  calm  resignation  and  trust,  that  what  Jehovah  demanded 
of  His  worshippers  was  not  material  offerings,  however  costly, 
but  "to  do  justly,  and  to  love  mercy,  and  to  walk  humbly 
with  thy  God"  (68). 

With  the  accession  of  Josiah  (b.c.  639)j  there  came  no 
doubt  a  change.  The  readiness  with  which  Josiah  yielded 
himself  to  the  principles  of  Deuteronomy,  and  the  terms  in 

*  Cf.  OTJCr  pp.  355,  357  ;  Montefiore,  Hibb.  Led.  p.  164. 
t  2  K.  21-'' ;  cf.  23^-'-  ^'-1-.  J  2  K.  2i'8  24* ;  cf.  Jer.  2«>. 


DATE   OF   DEUTERONOMY  H 

which  Jeremiah  alludes  to  him  (Jer.  22^''^'-^'^),  combhie  to  show 
that  his  character  was  that  of  a  reHgiously-minded,  amiable 
prince,  who  would  be  the  last  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of 
Manasseh,  or  willingly  be  disloyal  to  Israel's  creed.  The 
prophetical  party,  and  their  adherents,  could  now  therefore 
lift  up  their  heads  in  peace ;  and  active  persecution  ceased. 
But  a  child  of  eight  could  not  be  expected  to  inaugurate  at 
once  a  new  policy :  nor,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  for  some  18  years 
was  any  material  alteration  effected ;  the  syncretistic  and 
idolatrous  worship  continued ;  even  the  Temple  was  not 
purged  of  its  heathen  disfigurements.  These  and  other 
reforms  were  only  carried  out  in  consequence  of  the  effect 
wrought  upon  Josiah  by  Deuteronomy,  after  its  discovery  in 
the  Temple,  in  his  i8th  year  (2  K.  22-23). 

Our  information  respecting  the  46  years  of  Manasseh's 
reign,  and  the  first  17  of  Josiah's,  is  fragmentary:  it  is  only 
by  conjecture  that  we  can  either  picture  to  ourselves  the  con- 
dition to  which  the  prophetical  party  was  reduced  by  the 
persecuting"  measures  of  Manasseh,  or  imagine  the  steps 
which  they  may  have  taken  for  the  purpose  of  arresting,  if 
possible,  the  downward  movement  of  the  nation.  But  the 
7th  century,  it  is  evident,  marked  a  crisis  in  the  religious 
history  of  Judah :  the  longer  Manasseh's  reign  continued,  the 
more  critical  must  the  times  have  seemed  to  the  true  wor- 
shippers of  Jehovah:  nor,  even  after  Josiah's  accession,  could 
the  crisis  have  been  considered  to  be  past,  so  long  as  the 
heathen  practices  sanctioned  by  his  grandfather  maintained 
their  hold  upon  the  nation.  Deuteronomy  represents  the  first 
serious  attempt  made  to  counteract  the  tendencies  of  the  age. 
It  may  have  been  in  the  dark  days  of  Manasseh,  when  the 
spiritual  energy  of  prophecy,  no  longer  able,  as  of  yore,  to 
make  its  voice  heard  openly  among  the  people,  nevertheless 
refused  to  be  suppressed,  and,  hopeful  of  better  times,  pro- 
vided in  anticipation  a  spiritual  rallying-point,  round  which 
the  disorganized  forces  of  the  national  religion  might  under 
happier  auspices  one  day  range  themselves  again.  Or  it  may 
have  been  later,  when  the  character  of  the  young  King  Josiah 
afforded  promise  of  speedier  success,  that  the  needful  stimulus 


) 


Hi  INTRODUCTION 

was  found,  and  that  the  prophets,  encourag-ed  by  the  brighter 
prospect,  resolved  upon  putting  forward  the  spiritual  require- 
ments of  the  age,  in  a  shape  which,  if  circumstances  favoured, 
might  serve  more  immediately  as  a  basis  of  reform. 

Such,  at  any  rate,  whichever  the  age  to  which  it  belongs, 
was  the  aim  which  the  prophetic  author  of  Dt.  set  himself. 
The  means  which  he  adopted  for  giving  it  practical  effect  were 
well  chosen.  His  object_3vas.  to  quicken  the  national  con- 
science, and  at  the  same  time  to  bring  it  into  touch  with  the 
prjnciples  which  regulated  the  national  life.  Accordfngly  he 
comes  forward  neither  solely  as  a  prophet,  nor  solely  as  a 
legalist.  The  prophet,  as  such,  though  he  asserted  with 
noble  eloquence  the  claims  of  a  spiritual  religion  and  a  pure 
morality,  was  apt  to  be  too  abstract  and  ideal  in  his  teaching 
to  influence  the  masses  of  his  countrymen ;  and  the  mere 
promulgation  of  a  collection  of  laws  would  obviously  be 
valueless  as  a  stimulus  to  moral  action.  The  author  adopted 
accordingly  a  method  for  which,  on  a  smaller  scale,  there  was 
already  a  precedent  in  the  "Book  of  the  Covenant";  he 
selected  such  laws  as  he  deemed  most  important  for  his 
people  to  observe,  he  presented  them  in  a  popular  dress,  and 
he  so  combined  them  with  homiletic  introductions  and  com- 
ments as  to  make  them  the  vehicle  of  a  powerful  appeal  in  the 
interests  of  spiritual  religion.  If  the  religious  life  of  the 
nation  was  to  be  successfully  reformed,  there  was  need,  he 
saw,  of  a  reaffirmation  in  emphatic  terms  of  the  old  national 
creed,  and  of  the  practical  consequences  which  followed 
logically  from  it ;  the  principles  whijih  Moses  had  long  ago 
proclaimed,  as  the  foundation  of  national  well-being,  must  be 
reasserted ;  the  exclusive  claims  of  Jehovah  upon  the  Israel- 
ite's loyalty,  and  the  repudiation  of  every  practice  and  observ- 
ance inconsistent  with  them,  must  be  again  insisted  on;  an 
eff'ort  must  be  made  to  reinfuse  the  national  life,  in  the  more 
complex  form  which  it  had  now  assumed,  with  the  spirit  of 
Moses;  the  old  laws  must  (where  necessary)  be  so  adjusted  to 
the  needs  of  the  times,  as  to  constitute  an  efficient  safeguard 
against  the  dangers  which  threatened  the  religion  of  Israel. 
This  was  the  aim  of  Deuteronomy,  viewed  in  the  light  of  the 


DATE    OF    DEUTERONOMY  Hii 

age  which  gfave  it  birth.  It  was  a  great  manifesto  against 
the  dominant  tendencies  of  the  time.  It  was  an  endeavour  to 
reaHze  in  practice  the  ideals  of  the  prophets,  especially  of 
Hosea  and  Isaiah,  to  transform  the  Judah  demoralized  by 
Manasseh  into  the  "holy  nation  "  pictured  in  Isaiah's  vision, 
and  to  awaken  in  it  that  devotion  to  God,  and  love  for  man, 
which  Hosea  had  declared  to  be  the  first  of  human  duties 
(p.  xxviif.).  The  author  exhausts  all  his  eloquence  in  setting* 
forth,  as  impressively  as  possible,  the  truths  which  he  desires 
Israel  to  lay  to  heart :  in  noble  and  melodious  periods  he 
dilates  upon  the  goodness  of  Jehovah,  and  the  claims  which 
He  has  in  consequence  upon  Israel's  allegiance ;  warm-hearted 
and  generous  himself,  he  strives,  in  works  aglow  with  fervour 
and  affection,  to  evoke  corresponding-  emotions  in  Israel's 
breast ;  while  now  and  again,  adopting  a  graver  mood,  he 
points  ominously  to  the  dark  background  of  warning,  such  as 
the  fate  of  the  Northern  kingdom  brought  only  too  conspicuously 
before  him.  "Thus  were  the  old  laws  presented  in  a  popular 
form,  as  the  'people's  book,'  combining  creed  and  law,  ex- 
hortation and  denunciation.  It  was  a  prophet's  formulation 
of  'the  law  of  Moses,'  adapted  to  the  requirements  of  that 
later  time.  'The  law,' in  the  guise  of  prophecy,  this  might 
become  a  spiritual  rallying-point  for  Judah  and  Jerusalem  ;  it 
might  be  the  means  of  upholding  spiritual  life  even  in  the 
overthrow  of  national  hopes."  * 

If  Dt.  were  written  under  Manasseh,!  it  is  easy  to  under- 
stand how,  after  having  been  deposited  for  safety  in  the 
Temple,  or  taken  there  by  some  priest,  it  might,  in  the  neglect 
and  disorder  into  which  during  that  reign  the  arrangements 
of  the  Temple  were  suffered  to  fall,  have  been  mislaid  and  lost ; 
and  the  surprise  occasioned  by  its  discovery,  during  some 
repairs,  by  the  high  priest  Hilkiah,  is  thus  readily  accounted  for. 
By  others,  on  the  contrary,  the  calm  and  hopeful  spirit  which 
the  author  displays,  and  the  absence  even  of  any  covert  allusion 

*  Ryle,  Canon  of  the  OT.  p.  60. 

t  So  Ewald,  Hist.  i.  127,  iv,  221  ;  Bleek,  Introd.  §  126;  W.  R.  Smith, 
Add.  Ansiuer,  p.  78;  Kittel,  Gcsch.  der  Hcbr.  i.  57-59;  Ryle,  Canon,  pp. 
54  f.,  56,  60;  Wildeboer,  Letterkunde  des  Ouden  Verbonds  (1893),  p.  220. 


liv  INTRODUCTION 

to  the  special  troubles  of  Manasseh's  time,  are  considered  to 
be  objections  to  that  date  :  the  book,  it  is  arg^ued,  is  better 
understood  as  the  direct  outcome  of  the  reforming-  tendencies 
which  the  early  years  of  Josiah  must  have  called  forth,  and  as 
designed  from  the  first  with  the  view  of  promoting-  the  ends 
which  its  author  labours  to  attain.*  Those  who  assign  Dt. 
to  this  date  sometimes  suppose,  moreover,  that  the  party  of 
reform  not  only  designed  Dt.  with  this  practical  aim  in  view, 
but  also  devised  the  means  by  which  it  should  be  broug-ht 
under  the  notice  of  the  king,  whose  friendly  co-operation  was 
essential  to  the  success  of  their  plans.  Hilkiah  undertook  the 
responsibility  of  doing  this.  He  seems,  it  is  said  by  those 
who  adopt  this  view,  to  have  so  acted  as  to  give  the  appear- 
ance of  accident  to  a  long  preconcerted  design.  Shaphan, 
the  "scribe,"  or  chancellor,  having-  been  sent  to  the  Temple 
with  a  message  from  Josiah,  relating  to  some  repairs  that 
were  being  executed  there,  Hilkiah  declared  that  he  had 
"found"  it  in  the  Temple;  he  handed  it  to  Shaphan,  who  in 
his  turn  laid  it  before  the  king.  The  sequel  is  well  known. 
The  king,  when  he  heard  it  read,  was  amazed  to  find  how 
its  fundamental  principles  had  been  disregarded  ;  he  hastened 
to  secure  the  co-operation  of  the  people  of  the  land,  and  at 
once  took  active  steps  to  give  them  practical  effect  (2  K. 
22-23). 

The  grounds  for  referring  the  composition  of  Dt.  to  the 
reign  of  Josiah  in  preference  to  that  of  Manasseh  are  not 
decisive :  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  an  exhortation  placed 
in  Moses'  mouth  could  not  be  expected  to  contain  allusions  to 
the  special  circumstances  either  of  IManasseh's  or  of  Josiah 's 
reign  ;  and  the  narrative  of  the  discovery  certainly  supports 
the  view  that  the  book  which  was  found  was  one  which  had 

*  So  Reiiss,  La  Bible,  Traduction  itouvelle,  &c.  (1S79)  i.  156 ft.;  Gesch. 
der  Ileil.  Schr.  AT.s,  §§  286-2S8 ;  Kuenen,  I/t'.v.  p.  214;  Dillm.  (less  con- 
fidently) p.  613  f.;  Cheync,  Jerctniah,  p.  75  ft".;  Founders  of  OT.  Crit. 
p.  2670".;  Stade,  Gesch.  i.  650ft".;  Coinill,  Einl.  §  9.  3  ;  Holzing-er,  Einl. 
p.  327  f.;  Montefiore,  Hibb.  Led.  p.  177  ff.  ;  &c.  Delitzsch  (ZKWL.  1880, 
p.  509)  treats  Dt.  as  anterior  to  Isaiah:  Westphal  (p,  269ft'.)  ^"^  Oettii 
(p.  19  f.)  both  ars^ue  that  it  must  have  given  the  impulse  to  Hezekiah's 
reform  (2  K.  iS^---).     Konig-,  Einl.  p.  217,  places  it  "shortly  after  722." 


k 


DATE    OF    DEUTERONOMY      '  Iv 

been  lost  for  some  time,  not  one  which  had  just  been  written. 
Nor,  even  if  Dt.  were  composed  under  Joslah,  is  there  sufficient 
reason  for  supposing"  that  Hilkiah  acted  as  the  agent  of  the 
reformers  in  the  manner  suggested.  The  book,  even  though 
intended  to  promote  a  reform,  might  well  have  been  written 
while  Josiah  was  yet  a  child,  and  placed  at  once  in  the  Temple 
— perhaps  by  the  side  of  other  legal  documents — in  hopes  that 
the  time  might  come  when  some  practical  use  could  be  made 
of  it:  Hilkiah  need  have  known  nothing  about  it;  his  dis- 
covery of  it  would  then  have  been  (as  it  purports  to  be)  purely 
accidental.* 

To  this  conclusion,  that  Dt.  was  written  in  the  age  of 
either  Manasseh  or  Josiah,  it  is  objected  that  the  book  plainly 
produced  its  effect  on  account  of  the  authority  which  it  was 
believed  to  possess,  in  other  words,  on  account  of  its  claiming, 
and  being-  supposed,  to  be  the  work  of  Moses  :  if  Josiah  had 
not  believed  the  ancient  law-book  of  Israel  to  have  been  dis- 
covered, would  he  have  attached  any  weight  to  its  words  ? 
An  attempt  is  indeed  made,  it  is  said,  to  parry  this  objection  by 
the  allegation  that  the  authority  which  lay  behind  Dt.  was  the 
power  of  the  prophetic  teaching,  and  that  the  effect  which  it 
produced  was  due  to  its  throwing-  into  a  more  practical  form 
the  ends  aimed  at  by  Hezekiah  and  Isaiah  ;  but  if  this  be  the 
case,  it  is  replied,  seeing-  that  the  prophets  themselves  were 
the  accredited  ministers  of  Jehovah,  why  was  not  the  appeal 
made  directly  to  the  Divine  teaching-  upon  their  lips  ?  Why 
should  the  mere  fact  of  this  teaching  being  presented  in  the 
form  of  a  Code  give  it  a  force  which  no  prophetic  utterances 
had  ever  possessed  ?  Its  force  must  have  been  due  principally 
to  the  name  of  Moses,  which  it  bore ;  and  if  the  prophets  were 
aware  that  it  did  not  really  possess  his  authority,  then  not  only 

*  That  Hilkiah  had  a  hand  in  the  composition  of  Dt.  is  not  probable  : 
for  Dt.  (as  has  been  often  remarked)  does  not  emphasize  the  interests  of 
the  Jerusalem  priesthood  (cf.  OTJC.^  p.  363 ;  Dillm.  p.  614),  but  tends 
(18""^)  to  place  the  country  Levites,  coming  to  officiate  at  the  central 
sanctuary,  upon  the  same  footing-  as  the  priests  already  resident  there. 
It  was  Hilkiah's  merit  that  he  perceived  at  once  the  importance  of  Dt.,  and 
co-operated  readily  with  Josiah  in  carrying  out  the  reformation  upon  the 
lines  which  it  laid  down. 


Ivi  INTRODUCTION 

are  they  guilty  of  an  act  questionable  morally,  but  the  course 
taken  by  them  is  a  confession  of  moral  impotence  and  failure : 
they  resort  to  an  external  name  to  accomplish  what  centuries 
of  their  own  teaching  had  failed  to  eflfect.* 

In  estimating  these  objections,  it  must  be  remembered, 
firstly,  that  what  is  essentially  new  in  Dt.  is  not  the  matter, 
but  the/0A7«.  Dt.,  says  Dillmann  truly,!  "  is  anything  but  an 
original  law-book."  The  laws  which  agree  with  those  of  the 
Book  of  the  Covenant  can  be  demonstrated  to  be  old :  those 
which  agree  with  H  have  (p.  xi)  the  presumption  of  being  based 
upon  some  common  older  source  ;  the  priestly  usages  alluded 
to  are  evidently  not  innovations :  the  laws  peculiar  to  Dt. 
have,  with  very  few  exceptions,  the  appearance  either  of  being 
taken  directly,  w-ith  unessential  modifications  of  form,  from 
older  law--books,J  or  else  of  being  accepted  applications  of 
long  established  principles,  §  or  the  formulation  of  ancient 
customs, II  expressed  in  Deuteronomic  phraseology.  And  such 
laws  as  are  really  new  in  Dt.,  are  but  the  logical  and  consistent 
development  of  Mosaic  principles. U  Even  the  law  for  the 
centralization  of  worship,  it  is  probable  (p.  xliv),  is  only 
relatively  an  innovation :  it  accentuated,  with  limitations 
demanded  by  the  dangers  of  the  age,  the  ancient  pre-eminence 
of  ** Jehovah's  house"  (Ex.  23^^),  focalizing,  at  the  same  time, 
tendencies  which  had  long  been  operative,  and  which  the 
prophets  themselves  had  adopted  and  approved.  All  Hebrew 
legislation,  both  civil  and  ceremonial,  however,  was  (as  a  fact) 
derived  ultimately  from  Moses,  though  a  comparison  of  the 

•  Dean  (now  Bishop)  Perowne,  Coniemp.  Rev.  Feb.  18SS,  p.  25517. 

t  Pref.  to  Ex.  Lev.  p.  viii. 

X  Especially  many  of  those  in  2i"'-25^'  (of.  p.  244). 

§  As  178-^3  ,gi6-2i  (Dillm.  p.  604). 

II  As  21I-9  2213-21  255-1"  (Dilim.):  cf.  Oettli,  p.  16;  also  Reuss,  La  Bible, 
&c.  i.  160:  "La  seule  innovation  vt^ritable,  que  nous  sachions,  c'etait  la 
defense  absolue  du  culte  hors  de  JcTusalem."  It  is  this  fact  which  explains 
the  ready  acceptance  of  Dt.  by  the  king-  and  nation :  it  was  not  sprung 
upon  the  people  as  a  code  of  laws  unheard  of  before  ;  it  was  felt,  as  soon 
as  it  was  discovered,  to  be  (in  the  main)  merely  the  reaffirmation  of  laws 
and  usages  which  had  been  long-  familiar  to  the  nation,  though  in  particular 
cases  they  might  have  fallen  into  neglect. 

IT  Oettli,  p.  17. 


DATE    OF    DEUTERONOMY  1 


Vll 


different  Codes  in  the  Pentateuch  shows  that  the  laws  cannot 
all  in  their  present  form  be  Mosaic :  the  Mosaic  nucleus  was 
expanded  and  developed  in  various  directions,  as  national  life 
became  more  complex,  and  religious  ideas  matured.  Never- 
theless, all  Hebrew  laws  are  formulated  under  Moses'  name, — 
a  fact  which  shows  that  there  was  a  contiiuioiis  Mosaic  tradition, 
embracing"  a  moral,  a  ceremonial,  and  a  civil  element:  the 
new  laws,  or  extensions  of  old  laws,  which  as  time  went  on 
were  seen  to  be  desirable,  were  accommodated  to  this  tradition, 
and  incorporated  into  it,  being  afterwards  enforced  by  the 
priestly  or  civil  authority  as  the  case  might  be.*  Those  who 
concede  the  existence  of  such  a  practice,  on  the  part  of 
Hebrew  legislators,  will  find  it  remove  difficulties  which  the 
critical  view  of  Dt.  may  otherwise  present.  If  it  was  the 
habit  thus  to  identify  the  stream  with  the  source,  and  to  con- 
nect old  laws,  extended  or  modified,  or  even  new  laws,  with 
the  name  of  the  original  lawgiver,  then  the  attribution  of  the 
laws  in  Dt.  to  Moses  ceases  to  be  a  proceeding  out  of  harmony 
with  the  ideas  and  practice  of  the  Hebrew  nation.  It  is  no 
fraudulent  invocation  of  the  legislator's  name :  it  is  simply 
another  application  of  an  established  custom. 

Nor,  in  judging  of  the  ycT/w  of  Dt.,  should  it  be  forgotten 
that  ancient  writers  permitted  themselves  much  freedom  in 
ascribing  to  historical  characters  speeches  which  they  could 
not  have  actually  delivered  in  the  shape  in  which  they  are 
now  assigned  to  them.  The  similarity,  in  many  cases,  of 
the  speeches  to  the  narrative  in  the  OT.  is  an  indication  that 

*  Comp.  Ryle,  Canon  of  the  OT,  p.  31  :  "  The  fact,  now  so  clearly  estab- 
lished, that  the  laws  of  Israel,  as  of  other  nations,  only  reached  their  final 
literary  form  by  development  through  gradual  stages,  must  show  conclus- 
ively that  Moses  was  not  the  writer  of  them  in  the  form  in  which  they  have 
come  down  to  us,  and  in  which  they  were  certainly  known  after  the  exile. 
But  just  as,  in  Dt.  3i^--'*,  Moses  himself  is  said  to  have  committed  to 
writing  the  law,  which  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  Deuteronomic  legislation, 
so  we  understand  the  legislation  which  was  initiated  by  Moses  to  have 
become  expanded  into  the  complex  system  of  laws  included  in  the  Penta- 
teuch" (cf.  also  p.  22  if.).  The  laws  of  JE,  Dt.,  H,  and  P,  are  codifica- 
tions of  the  legislative  material  thus  expanded  from  a  Mosaic  nucleus, 
which  differ  from  one  another  partly  in  the  ai^e  at  which  they  weie  made, 
partly  in  the  purposes  for  which  they  were  designed. 


Ivill  INTRODUCTION 

the  Biblical  writers  followed  the  same  practice :  the  books  of 
Joshua,  King's,  and  Chronicles,  for  instance,  afford  particu- 
larly clear  examples  of  speeches  either  entirely  composed,  or 
enlarged,  by  the  respective  compilers, — in  the  Chronicles, 
David,  Solomon,  and  various  early  prophets  even  express 
ideas  and  use  idioms  which  are  distinctively  late,  and  are 
mostly  peculiar  to  the  compiler  of  the  Chronicles  himself.*  In 
cases  where  the  narrators  are  nearly  contemporary  with  the 
events  which  they  describe  they  may  have  had  information  as 
to  what  was  actually  said,  which  they  may  merely  have  re-cast 
in  their  own  words  ;  but  very  often  this  was  certainly  not  the 
case,  and  the  speeches  simply  give  imaginative  expression  to 
thoughts  or  feelings  appropriate  to  the  character  and  occasion 
to  which  they  are  referred.  Deuteronomy,  upon  the  critical 
view  of  its  authorship,  is  merely  an  example,  upon  an 
extended  scale,  of  the  same  practice,  which  has  many  and 
admirable  precedents  in  the  literature  of  the  world.  The 
imaginative  revivification  of  the  past,  by  means  of  discourses, 
conversations,  and  even  of  actions,  attributed  dramatically  to 
characters  who  have  figured  upon  the  stage  of  history,  has 
been  abundantly  exemplified  in  literature:  the  educational 
influence,  and  moral  value,  of  such  creations  of  human  art 
have  been  universally  allowed  :  the  dialogues  of  Plato,  the 
epic  of  Dante,  the  tragedies  of  Shakespeare,  the  Pai'adise  Lost, 
and  even  the  poem  of  Job,  to  name  but  a  few  of  the  great 
imaginative  creations  of  genius,  have  never  been  condemned 
as  immoral  frauds,  because  the  characters  introduced  in  them 
did  not  always — or  ever — use  the  actual  words  attributed  to 
them.  But  the  author,  in  each  case,  having  a  message  to 
deliver,  or  a  lesson  to  teach,  placed  it  in  the  mouth  of  the 
person  to  whose  character  it  was  appropriate,  or  whose  per- 
sonality would  give  it  force,  and  so  presented  it  to  the  world. 
Mutatis  imita7idis,  the  procedure  of  the  Deuteronomist  was 
similar.  No  elaborate  literary  machinery  was  needed  by  him  :  a 
single  character  would  suffice.  He  places  Moses  on  the  stage, 
and  exhibits  him  pleading  his  case  with  the  degenerate  Israel 
of  Josiah's  day.  In  doing  this,  he  assumes  no  unjustifiable 
*  Sec,  for  illubtrations,  the  Expositor,  April,  iS()5,  p.  241  ff. 


DATE    OF    DEUTERONOMY  Hx 

liberty,  and  makes  no  unfair  use  of  Moses'  name :  he  does  not 
invest  him  with  a  fictitious  character ;  he  does  not  claim  his 
authority  for  ends  which  he  would  have  disavowed  ;  he  merely 
develops,  w^ith  great  moral  energy  and  rhetorical  power,  and 
in  a  form  adapted  to  the  age  in  which  he  lived  himself,  prin- 
ciples which  (as  will  appear  immediately)  Moses  had  beyond 
all  question  advocated,  and  arguments  which  he  would  have 
cordially  accepted  as  his  own. 

Secondly,  as  regards  the  motives  which  induced  Josiah  to 
carry  out  his  reformation  :  if  Josiah  would  not  have  instituted 
his  reforms,  unless  he  had  believed  Dt.  to  be  w^ritten  by 
Moses,  w-as  he  led  to  act  as  he  did  act,  under  false  pretences? 
Here  it  must  be  observed  that  the  point  of  capital  importance 
in  Dt.  is  the  attitude  of  the  naiio7i  to  Jehovah  :  lo}alty  to  Him 
is  the  basis  of  the  promises,  disloyalty  to  Him  brings  in  its 
train  the  terrible  consequences  in  which  Josiah,  when  he  heard 
them,  deemed  his  people  to  be  already  involved.  Now,  if  there 
is  one  thing  which  (even  upon  the  most  strictly  critical 
premises)  is  certain  about  Moses,  it  is  that  he  laid  the  greatest 
stress  upon  Jehovah's  being  Israel's  only  God,  who  tolerated 
no  other  god  beside  Him,  and  who  claimed  to  be  the  sole 
object  of  the  Israelite's  allegiance.*  But  these  are  just  the 
fundamental  principles  of  Deuteronomy.  They  are  expanded 
and  emphasized  in  it  wath  great  eloquence  and  power :  but  in 
substance  they  are  INIosaic ;  all  that  belongs  to  the  post- 
Mosaic  author,  is  the  rhetorical  form  in  which  they  are 
presented.  In  yielding  therefore  to  the  effect  which  the 
denunciations  of  Dt.  produced  upon  him,  Josiah  was  not  being 
won  to  the  cause  of  truth  by  false  pretences :  he  was  obeying 
principles  and  motives  which,  in  the  strictest  sense  of  the 
words,  were  those  of  Moses.  Josiah's  reformation  was  essen- 
tially a  religious  one  :  its  aim  was  to  purify  the  worship  of 
Jehovah  from  heathen  elements,  which,  in  principle,  Moses 
had  altogether  condemned,  though  he  had  not  (probably)  repro- 
bated in  words  the  precise  forms  which  they  assumed  in  the  age 
of  Josiah.  The  law  of  the  single  sanctuary  is  not  an  end  in 
itself,  it  is  but  a  means,  propounded  (12"")  for  the  purpose  of 
*  Cornill,  Der  Israelitische  Prophet isvnis  (1894),  p.  25 f. 


Ix  INTRODUCTION 

securing  the  same  end.  The  denunciations  in  Dt.  are  not 
attached  to  the  neglect  either  of  this  or  of  any  other  particular 
enactment :  they  are  attached  to  the  neglect  of  the  Deuteronomic 
law  generally,  and  especially  to  the  neglect  of  its  primary 
principle,  loyalty  to  Jehovah  (425-23  (^n-Vo  ^m.  iji6f.28  aS'^ff- 
3o^"'').  The  fundamental  teaching  of  Dt.,  especially  that 
which  exerted  the  greatest  influence  over  Josiah,  thus  did 
possess  Mosaic  authority ;  nor  was  the  legislator's  name 
invoked  in  support  of  principles  which  he  had  not  sanctioned, 
and  would  not  have  approved. 

Undoubtedly  prophetic  sanction  underlay  Deuteronomy. 
The  prophetic  teaching  of  the  preceding  centuries  was  the 
dominant  influence  under  which  it  was  written  :  its  own  pro- 
phetic authority  it  bears  upon  its  face ;  and,  as  if  that  might 
not  be  sufficient,  its  claims  are  approved  by  the  prophetess 
Huldah.  If,  then,  it  be  asked  why,  if  the  prophets  were  thus 
influential,  they  were  not  content  to  appeal  directly  to  the 
Divine  word  upon  their  lips,  instead  of  having  recourse  to 
Moses'  name,  the  answer  must  be  that  it  was  because  they 
were  desirous  of  effecting  a  systematic  reform  in  the  observ- 
ance and  administration  of  the  law.  The  prophets,  as  such, 
were  preachers,  not  practical  reformers  :  they  strove  by  their 
words  to  win  the  people  to  the  broad  principles  of  morality  and 
civil  justice ;  but  when  it  became  necessary  to  bring  these 
principles  into  relation  with  the  statutes  of  the  civil  and  cere- 
monial law,  and  to  show  how  they  should  supply  motives  for 
their  observance,  then  the  legal  form  was  the  natural  one  to 
be  adopted,  and  the  prophetic  teaching  was  cast  into  the  form 
of  a  legislative  discourse  of  Moses.  Already  in  the  legislation 
of  JE,  moral  and  religious  motives  are  suggested  for  the 
observance  of  the  laws,  though  not,  of  course,  so  copiously  as 
in  Dt.  But  the  considerations  advanced  above  show  that 
Moses'  name  was  not  resorted  to  in  any  improper  or  unfair 
way :  it  was  invoked  in  accordance  with  a  custom  sanctioned 
by  precedent,  and  in  defence  of  principles  which  were  no  recent 
innovation,  but  had  been  promulgated  by  Moses  himself. 

It  will  now  be  apparent  how  little  foundation  there  is  for 
the  objection,  which  is  not  unfrequently  heard,  that  if  the 


DATE    OF    DEUTERONOMY  Ixi 

critical  view  of  Dt.  be  correct,  the  book  is  a  "forgery,"  the 
author  of  which  soug'ht  to  shelter  himself  under  a  g;reat  name, 
and  to  secure  by  a  fiction  recog^nition  or  authority  for  a 
number  of  laws  "invented"  by  himself.  The  idea  that  the 
laws  are  the  author's  "inventions"  is  entirely  out  of  the 
question :  not  only  would  the  fact,  if  true,  have  been  immedi- 
ately discovered,  and  have  proved  fatal  to  their  acceptance  by 
the  nation  ;  but  (p.  Ivi)  it  is  inconsistent  with  the  evidence 
supplied  by  Dt.  itself.  Certainly,  in  particular  cases,  the 
author  may  have  taken  upon  himself  to  give  a  new  application 
to  an  old  established  principle  :  but  upon  the  whole  the  laws 
of  Dt.  are  unquestionably  derived  from  pre-existent  tcsage. 
Even  what  has  been  deemed  the  Utopian  character  of  some  of 
the  laws  cannot  be  regarded  as  sufficient  evidence  that  they 
are  the  author's  own  creation :  in  c.  20,  for  instance,  though 
the  form  is  Deuteronomic,  the  substance  is  certainly  earlier : 
the  law  of  military  service  implies  a  simpler  state  of  society 
than  the  age  of  the  later  kings  ;  the  author  of  Dt.  has  merely 
cast  into  his  own  phraseology  some  old  usages  which  had 
perhaps  been  allowed  to  fall  into  neglect,  and  which,  being  in 
harmony  with  his  philanthropic  nature,  he  desired  to  sec 
revived.  The  new  element  in  Dt.  is  thus  not  the  laws,  but 
their  parcnctic  setting.  The  author  did  not  seek,  by  the 
fraudulent  use  of  a  great  name,  either  to  gain  reputation  for 
himself,  or  to  obtain  recognition  for  enactments  of  his  own 
creation  :  his  aim  was  to  win  obedience  to  laws,  or  truths, 
which  were  already  known,  but  were  in  danger  of  being  for- 
gotten. His  own  position,  as  towards  the  Code,  is  thus 
essentially  subordinate :  he  is  not  an  originator,  but  expounds 
anew  old  principles.  Deuteronomy  may  be  described  as  the 
prophetic  reformulation,  and  adaptation  to  new  needs,  of  an 
older  legislation.  It  is  probable  that  there  was  a  tradition,  if 
not  a  written  record,  of  a  final  legislative  address  delivered  by 
Moses  in  the  Steppes  of  Moab :  the  plan  followed  by  the 
author  would  rest  upon  a  more  obvious  motive,  if  he  thus 
worked  upon  a  traditional  basis.*  But  be  that  as  it  may,  the 
bulk  of  the  laws  contained  in  Dt.  is  undoubtedly  far  more 
*  So  Delilzsch,  ZKWL.  1880,  p.  505  ;  Wcbtphal,  pp.  278-281  ;  Octlli,  p.  17. 


Ixii  INTRODUCTION 

ancient  Ih.ui  the  time  of  the  author  himself;  and  in  dealing- 
with  them  as  he  has  done,  in  combining"  them  into  a  manual 
adapted  for  popular  use,  and  bringing  them  into  close  relation 
with  moral  and  religious  principle,  he  cannot,  in  the  light  of 
the  considerations  that  have  been  adduced,  be  held  guilty  of 
dishonesty  or  literary  fraud.  There  is  nothing  in  Dt.  implying- 
an  interested  or  dishonest  motive  on  the  part  of  the  (post- 
Mosaic)  author:  and  this  being  so,  its  moral  and  si)iritual 
greatness  remains  unimpaired ;  its  inspired  authority  is  in  no 
respect  less  than  that  of  any  other  part  of  the  Old  Testament 
Scriptures  which  happens  to  be  anonymous. 

It  may  be  worth  while  here  to  notice  briefly  some  other  objections  to 
the  critical  date  of  Dt. 

1.  Dt.  contains,  it  is  said,  provisions  that  would  be  nug'atory  and  unin- 
telligible in  the  7th  cent.  B.C.;  for  instance,  the  injunction  to  give  no 
quarter  to  the  inhabitants  of  Canaan  (7^'*  20'^''®).  Of  course,  as  the 
creation  of  that  age,  such  an  injunction  would  be  absurd :  but  it  is 
repeated  from  Ex.  23''^'''"-*;  in  a  recapitulation  of  Mosaic  principles, 
addressed  ex  hypothesi  to  the  people  when  they  were  about  to  enter 
Canaan,  it  would  be  naturally  included  ;  and  so  far  from  being  nugatory 
in  the  age  of  Manasseh  or  Josiah,  it  would  (as  remarked  above,  p.  xxxii) 
have  indirectly  a  great  value  as  a  protest,  in  the  name  of  the  Founder, 
against  the  idolatrous  tendencies  of  the  age.  The  injunction  against 
'Amalek  (20^^"!")  is  also  not  original  in  Dt. :  it  is  repeated  from  Ex.  17^'', 
and  would  be  suitable  in  Moses'  mouth  at  the  time  when  the  discourses  of 
Dt.  are  represented  as  having  been  delivered.  The  law  of  the  kingdom 
^jyH-jUj  jjj  j^iso,  in  all  probability,  the  Deuteronomic  expansion  of  an  older 
nucleus  :  as  a  reaffirmation  of  the  fundamental  theocratic  principles,  which 
the  monarchy  in  Israel  should  maintain  (cf.  p.  210),  it  is  in  no  degree 
inappropriate  to  the  7th  cent.  B.C.,  and  contains  nothing  that  would  have 
sounded  "absurd  "  to  an  Israelite  reading  it  then  for  the  first  time. 

2.  Passages  in  the  early  prophets  and  historical  books  have  been 
pointed  to,  exhibiting,  it  is  alleged,  acquaintance  with  Dt.  These  resolve 
themselves  into  three  cases,  (i)  Passages  in  which  a  law  codified  in  Dt. 
is  referred  to  (2  K.  14" :  Dt.  24^''),  or  may  be  presupposed,  as  Am.  3"  4' 
oppress  (Dt.  24");  8^'' (25'^);  Hos.  4"  (23i8('^)) ;  5'"  (19");  9^  (26'^);  Nah. 
,1  (ii5j  (22-21-'));  I  S.  28' (18");  I  K.  2ii»  (19^5).  As  pointed  out  above, 
however,  Dt.  embodies  laws  of  much  greater  antiquity  than  itself:  a 
statement  harmonizing  with  a  law  of  Dt.  is  therefore  no  evidence  of  the 
existence  of  Deuteronomy  itself.*     (2)  Passages  in  which  the  expression — 

*  Censures  on  practices  forbidden  in  Ex.,  as  well  as  in  Dt. — as  Am.  2** 
Ex.  22^  <-^)  Dt.  24'-''  ;  Am.  5'^  Is.  10-  29-^  (unjust  judgment)  Ex.  23*  Dt.  16'^  ; 
Is.  i'^*  -'  10-  (fatherless  and  widow)  Ex.  22-'  (--)  Dt.  24'^ ;  Is.  i'-^  5'^  (bribery) 
Ex.  if  Dt.  i6'»;  Nah.  3*  (sorceries)  Ex.  22"("'  Dt.  i8'»— naturally  prove 


DATE    OK    DKUTICKONOMV  IxUl 

or  sometimes  only  the  thought — more  or  less  resembles  one  occuniii>;-  in 
Dt.,  as  Am.  4^  b/asfi'nsr  and  7iiilde~,v  (Dt.  28--) ;  4!"  (j8-")  ;  4"  overthrow  of 
Sodom  and  Gomorrha  (29"  ('-'');  s'  6^-  7vorm7vood  (29"  (i**));  5"  have  built 
houses,  &c.  (28^''-^);  9"  turn  the  captivity  (30^);  Hos.  5'^  oppressed, 
crushed  in  judg-inent  (28-'^) ;  7^"  returned,  sought  (4'-"'  2") ;  7'-'  ransom  (7* 
&c.) ;  81  eagle  (28^") ;  8'^  they  shall  return  to  Egypt  [2^^) ;  g'''  (28-»  31") ; 
11^  Adniah  and  Zeboi>n{2<^--<^^);  Is.  1^(32^;  it\^  ^2^- -'•' children);  1*  forsaken 
J.  (28'-"  31'"),  despised  {^i-^) ;  &c.  These  are  not  sufficient  to  establish  an 
acquaintance  with  Dt.  on  the  part  of  the  author  quoted  :  most  of  the 
expressions  are  not  peculiar  to  the  passages  cited,  but  are  found  else- 
where :  few,  if  examined,  will  be  found  to  be  so  distinctive  that  they  might 
not  readily  occur  to  different  writers  independently  ;  *  and  if  now  and  then 
the  case  should  seem  to  be  otherwise,  and  to  require  a  fundamental 
passag'e  on  which  the  others  are  based,  there  is  no  reason  (apart  from 
the  assumption  that  Dt.  is  the  earlier)  why  this  should  not  be  the  passage 
in  the  prophet,  with  which  the  author  of  Dt.  (if  he  lived  subsequently) 
would  naturall}'  be  familiar.  Given  merely  two  similar  passages,  nothing 
is  more  difficult  than  to  determine,  on  internal  grounds  only,  which  is  the 
original  and  which  is  the  imitation,  or  reminiscence,  of  the  other;  and 
there  is  nothing  in  the  parallels  quoted  from  Amos,  Hosea,  Isaiah,  &c. — 
even  where  dependence,  on  one  side  or  the  other,  may  be  reasonably 
assumed — to  make  it  more  probable  that  they  depend  upon  Dt.  than  that 
Dt.  depends  upon  them.  Jeremiah  is  the  earliest  prophet  who  can  be 
demonstrated  to  have  been  acquainted  with  Deuteronomy.  (3)  There  are 
numerous  passages  in  Jos.,  Jud.,  Kings,  in  which  the  phraseology  is 
palpably  moulded  upon  that  of  Dt.,  and  which,  therefore,  undoubtedly 
presuppose  it.f  The  literary  anal5'sis  of  the  books  in  question  shows,  how- 
ever, that  these  passages  do  not  belong  to  the  original  sources  of  which  the 
books  are  composed,  but  are  additions  made  by  the  compilers,  wlio  cannot 
be  shown  to  have  lived  before  the  age  in  which  Dt.  was  promulgated. 

3.  The  acquaintance  displayed  in  Dt.  with  Egyptian  customs  is  said 
to  be  an  indication  that  the  author  is  Moses.  But  the  references  are  far 
too  insignificant  and  slight  to  prove  this.  Even  though  it  be  true — as,  at 
least  in  some  of  the  instances,  it  probably  is  true — that  the  customs  alluded 
to  in  6^  25-'  *  26^^  27-''  (see  the  notes)  are  derived  from  Eg3pt,  there  is  no 
evidence  that  they  were  introduced  in  Moses'  time  ;  and  if  they  were,  the 
mention  of  a  custom  by  a  particular  author  is  obviously  no  proof  that  he  was 
a  contemporary  of  its  introduction.  The  allusions  to  Egyptian  peculiarities 
in  ii'"  and  7^''  28-"-''**  are  not  more  marked  than  the  one  in  Amos  8^,  and 
not  so  minute  as  those  in  Is.  19 :  intercourse  with  Egypt,  as  many  indica- 

nothing  as  to  the  existence  of  Dt.  In  some  cases,  also, — where,  vis.  (as 
Am.  3^  4I  8''  Hos.  4'^),  the  prophet's  words  could  be  reasonably  accounted 
for  by  his  own  moral  enlightenment,— it  is  far  from  clear  that  a  particular 
law  is  either  alluded  to  or  presupposed  at  all. 

*  IVorm-zi'ood,  for  instance,  occurs  also  Jer.  9^^  23"*  Lam.  315.10  pr.  5*; 
turn  the  captivity  repeatedly  (see  note  ad  loc.) ;  oppress  and  crush  (pcjl 
and  i'.in)  are  coupled  together  in  i  S.  I2''-''  Am.  4^  (cf  Jer.  22"). 

■\  L.O.T.  pp.  97  ff.,  154-158,  175,  180  f.,  190-193. 


Ixiv  INTRODUCTION 

tions  show,  did  not  cease  immediately  after  the  Exodus  (comp.  e.g.  during 
the  period  of  the  monarchy,  i  K.  3'  lo-^'-  n'*° ;  Hos.  7''  12"'  2  K.  17^;  and 
the  many  alkisions  in  Isaiah  to  friendly  relations  between  Judah  and 
Egypt,  20-'"-  3o'-^-«-7  31I-3  36«  &c.). 

Deuteronomy  did  not  complete  its  work  at  once.  Tlie 
reformation  of  Josiah,  as  Jeremiah  witnesses,  could  not  change 
the  habits  of  the  people ;  under  the  subsequent  kings,  the 
old  idolatries  again  prevailed.  But  on  all  the  spiritually- 
minded  Israelites  Deuteronomy  had  laid  its  hold :  Jeremiah, 
on  nearly  every  page,  bears  testimony  to  its  influence ;  *  the 
compilers  of  Judges  and  Kings  (who  wrote  at  about  the  same 
time)  show  that  by  the  contemporary  prophets  it  was  accepted 
as  the  religious  standard  of  the  age.  The  exile,  sealing  as  it 
did  the  prophetical  verdict  on  Israel's  history,  confirmed  still 
further  the  authority  of  Deuteronomy.  An  official,  written 
document  now  existed,  accessible  to  all,  regulating  the  life  of 
the  community,  and  determining  the  public  standard  of  belief 
and  practice.  From  the  day  when  Dt.  was  accepted  by  king 
and  people,  Israel  became — to  borrow  Mohammed's  expression 
— the  "people  of  a  book."  In  this  book  the  rights  of  the 
sanctuary  and  of  the  priesthood  were  defined ;  the  conditions 
which  members  of  the  "holy  people"  must  satisfy  were  pre- 
scribed ;  the  foundations  of  a  church  were  thus  outlined.  The 
movement  of  which  Dt.  was  the  outcome  ended,  however,  in 
consequences  which  were  not  foreseen  by  those  who  had 
initiated  it.  It  was  the  intention  of  Dt.  to  deepen  and 
spiritualize  the  religious  life :  but  the  necessity  (p.  xxix)  of 
centralizing  religious  rites  tended  to  formalize  them,  and  to 
substitute  a  fixed  routine  for  spontaneity.  Sacrifices,  pilgrim- 
ages, and  other  religious  offices,  hitherto  often  performed,  as 
occasion  required,  at  the  village  Bdmah,  were  now  all  trans- 
ferred to  the  central  sanctuary  :  the  Temple  and  its  priesthood 
rose  accordingly  in  importance.  Highly  as  Dt.  ranked  the 
prophet  ( 1 820-22) J  ti-,g  step  had  been  taken  which  in  time  would 
supersede  the  need  of  his  living  voice :  a  sacred  book,  of 
which   the   priests   soon   became   the  natural  guardians  and 

*  Comp,  ii^-*,  where  he  undertakes  a  mission  "in  the  cities  of  Judah 
and  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem,"  with  the  object  of  securinaf  obedience  to 
a  "covenant,"  which  is  evidently  that  of  Dt.  (QA\cyx\c,  Jerem.  p.  56). 


DATE    OF    DEUTERONOMY  IxV 

exponents,  was  now  llicre,  to  become  the  rule  of  Isiael's  life. 
The  promulgation  of  Dt.  thus  promoted  indirectly  that 
development  of  priestly  aims  and  principles  which  ended  in 
the  legislation  of  P,  and  was  one  of  the  steps  by  which  the 
religion  of  the  prophets  was  transformed  gradually  into 
Judaism.* 

The  question  arises,  Is  the  existing  book  of  Dt.  identical 
with  the  law-book  found  by  Hilkiah  ?  Or  has  it  undergone 
subsequent  expansion,  in  the  manner  of  many  other  ancient 
Hebrew  writings  ?  And  if  there  are  reasons  to  suppose  the 
latter  to  have  been  the  case,  is  it  possible  to  determine  how 
much  the  "original  Deuteronomy"  may  have  comprised? 

The  central  and  principal  discourse  of  Dt.  consists,  as 
explained  above  (p.  ii),  of  c.  5-26.  28  (with  perhaps  27^-10  as 
a  connecting  link),! — c.  5-1 1  being  a  parenetic  introduction, 
c.  12-26  containing  the  exposition  of  the  law,  c.  28  forming 
the  peroration  and  conclusion.  There  is  no  sufficient  reason 
for  doubting  that  the  whole  of  these  chapters  formed  part  of 
the  law-book  found  by  Hilkiah  :  all  are  written  in  the  same 
style,  and  all  breathe  the  same  spirit,  the  only  material  differ- 
ence being  that,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  the  parenetic 
phraseology  is  not  so  exclusively  predomiwdnt  in  c.  12-26.  28 
as  it  is  in  c.  5-1 1. 

It  is  true,  Wellh.  {Comp.  p.  193  f.:  so  Cornill,  Euil.  §  9. 
2  end,  6)  would  limit  the  original  Dt.  to  c.  12-26;  but  upon 
grounds  which  cannot  be  deemed  cogent.  The  frequent 
inculcation,  for  instance,  in  c.  5-1 1  of  statutes,  the  contents 
of  which  are  not  stated,  but  which  are  referred  to  as  if  they 
were  familiar  to  the  reader,  does  not  show  that  c.  12-26 
already  lay  before  the  author  in  a  written  form  ;  it  is  suffi- 
ciently accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the  author  ex  hypothesi 
has  throughout  in  mind  the  second  part  of  his  discourse, 
which  is  to  follow,  and  bring  with  it  the  requisite  explanations. 

*  On  the  historical  significance  of  Deuteronomy,  comp.  further  Wellh. 
Ilist.  pp.  32  ff.,  76  ff.,  402  fF.,  487  f.  ;  Stade,  Gesch.  i.  661-670;  Smend, 
Alttest.  Rel. -gesch.  pp.  284-292,  303;  Westphal,  pp.  157  f.,  244-246; 
Cornill,  Der  Isr.  Prophet  is  nuts,  pp.  84-91.     See  also  R)lc,  Cation,  p.  63(1'. 

t  The  rest  of  c.  27  is  admittedly  misplaced  (see  p.  294f.). 
£ 


Ixvi  INTRODUCTION 

Nor  can  it  be  said  that  c.  5-1 1  is  disproportionately  long-  as 
an  introduction  to  c.  12-26,  or  that  the  promise  of  5^  6^  is 
separated  by  an  undue  interval  from  its  redemption  in  c.  12-26  : 
as  has  been  pointed  out  before  (p,  xix),  it  is  the  grounds  and 
motives  of  obedience  which  are  of  paramount  value  in  the 
Writer's  eye ;  even  in  c.  12-26  he  constantly  reverts  to  them  ; 
and  hence  it  is  not  more  than  consistent  with  his  sense  of 
their  importance  that  he  should  develop  them  systematically 
in  a  special  introduction.  In  language  and  style  there  is 
nothing  in  c.  5-1 1  to  suggest  a  different  author  from  12-26: 
as  Kuenen  has  remarked,  the  two  groups  of  chapters  "  present 
just  that  degree  of  agreement  and  difference  which  we  should 
be  justified  in  expecting,  on  the  hypothesis  of  a  common 
origin":  naturally,  the  legislative  terminology  of  c.  12-26 
does  not  occur  in  c.  5-1 1  ;  but  in  other  respects,  while  c.  5-1 1 
shows  no  traces  of  servile  imitation,  in  tone  and  style  it 
resembles  entirely  the  parenetic  parts  of  c.  12-26,  and  nearly 
all  the  distinctive  expressions  occurring  in  the  latter  are  found 
in  it  likewise  (see  the  list,  p.  Ixxviii  ff.).*  It  is  more  difficult  to 
demojis/ra/e  that  c.  28  is  by  the  same  author  as  c.  12-26,  as 
the  argument  from  phraseology,  though  strong,  is  not  so  cogent 
as  in  the  case  of  c.  5-1 1  ;  but  the  deviations  from  the  normal 
Deuteronomic  style  may  be  safely  said  to  be  not  greater  than 
can  be  naturally  accounted  for  by  the  special  character  of  the 
contents.! 

*  The  common  origin  of  c.  5-1 1  and  c.  12-16  is  strongly  defended  by 
Kuenen,  Hex:  §  7.  5-1 1  ;  Dillm.  p.  263;  Westphal,  p.  105  ff.  One  of 
Kuenen's  notes  (n.  9),  on  account  of  the  delicate  literary  feeling-  which  it 
tlisplays,  is  worthy  of  transcription:  "Especially  noteworthy,  I  think, 
is  the  resemblance  between  iS^**"-"  and  the  hortatory  introduction.  In  v.'** 
anna  as  5-  9^ ;  Vnp.n  dv3  as  9'"  lo^  cf.  5'"  I--) ;  rpn  n^^  cf.  ^--i-^^ ;  '  this  great 
fire,'  as  5"(-'',  of.  cn.i  TinD  5-*-23(2«)  gio  jq4  .  n^^jj  ^ij,^  j.f_  ^^2(25).  ^  17  3,5,,,^  g^g 
g25(28)_  Yet  it  cannot  be  said  that  the  author  of  c.  5-1 1  is  simply  borrow- 
ing from  iS'^"^',  for  he  moves  quite  freely,  and  never  touches  upon  the 
thesis  of  the  latter  passage  about  prophecy  as  a  substitute  for  Yahwi's 
immediate  revelation.  It  is  the  safiie  aii/hor  who  describes  the  assembly 
at  Horeb  in  c.  5,  mentions  it  incidentally  in  c.  9-10,  and  makes  an  inde- 
pendent use  of  it  in  c.  18." 

t  Comp.  Kuenen,  §  7.  21  (2),  who  observes  that  he  "cannot  discover  a 
single  indication  of  diverse  authorship  in  the  chap.,"  though  he  allows  the 
contents  to  be  of  a  nature  inviting  expansion.     Dillm.  (p.  370),  on  the 


UNITY    OF    DEUTERONOMY  IxYll 

The  followint;-  are  passages  of  c.  12-26,  which  liavc  bei'ii  (Uciiu'd  by 
some  scholars,  on  various  grounds,  to  be  later  additions  (of.  Wellh.  Coiiip. 
pp.  194  f.,  353;  Cornill,  Einh  §  9.  2) :— 125-''- is-i»  i4i-a.4-i!u  (tj^^  detailed 
enumeration  not  in  the  general  stj'le  of  D) -^'^  ("for  .  .  .  God")  \e^^-'^  i6''"'* 
(in  conflict  with  v.*,  and  a  correction  of  it  introduced  on  the  basis  of  Ex. 
i_,i5-2o  j^of.  Ley_  23«  Nu.  281-^),  178-1^  (the  priests)  "-2"  (v.'s,  it  is  said,  pre- 
supposes Dt.  to  be  already  written,  and  in  the  custody  of  the  priests,  3i''-  ^'') 
jgi4-2j  20  21^  23^'''('^''''.  But  the  g;rounds  cannot  be  considered  cogent  ;  and 
the  passagfes  demurred  to  (esp.  I7''''""),  with  the  sing'le  exception  of  i4'*'-", 
which  explains  itself,  harmonize  entirelj'  in  style  and  character  with  the 
rest  of  Dt.  (cf.  Kucn.  §§7.  11;  14.  i).  See  more  fully  Holzing;er,  pp.  262-261;, 
292-295  ;  also  Piepenbring',  Revue  de  T Hist,  des  Religions,  xxix.  (1894)  p. 
I23ff.  (a  criticism  of  an  allied  theory  of  L.  Horst's). 

C.  5-26  may  thus  be  concluded,  without  hesitation,  to  be 
the  work  of  a  single  author ;  and  c.  28  may  be  included  with- 
out serious  misgivings.  The  question  becomes  more  difficult 
when  we  proceed  to  consider  c.  1-4,  and  c.  29-34. 

(i)  c.    1-4.    The  majority  of  recent  critics  attribute  these 

chaps,  to  a  difierent  hand  from  the  body  of  Dt.  (c.  5-26.  28), 

supposing"  them   to   ha\e   been   prefixed,   as   an   introduction, 

shortly  after  that  was  completed,  by  a  writer  belonging  to  the 

same  school,  for  the  purpose  of  providing  the  reader  with  an 

account  of  the  historical  antecedents  of  the  Deut.  legislation 

(c.  1-3),  and  at  the  same  time  of  inculcating  fresh  motives  for 

obedience  (4i-'*o).*     The  question  was  made,  a  few  years  ago, 

the    subject    of    a    rather    interesting    discussion.       A.    van 

Hoonacker    (Professor   at    Louvain)    in    three    articles    in   Le 

Miiscon,  vii.   (1888)  pp.  464-482,  viii.  (1889)  pp.  67-85,    141- 

149,1   subjected   the  arguments  of  Reuss   and   Kuenen   to  a 

searching  criticism,  with  the  view  of  showing  that  c.  1-4  were 

by  the  same  author  as  c.  5-26.  28 ;  and  his  articles  were  in 

g^round  of  its  literary  character  (repetitions,  and  points  of  contact  with 
Jer.),  considers  that  this  has  certainly  taken  place  ;  but  he  admits  that  it 
is  not  possible  to  distinguish  now  what  the  additions  are.  The  rhetorical 
completeness  and  force,  and  the  unity  of  treatment,  which  mark  the  chap., 
as  a  whole,  make  it  difficult  to  think  that  the  additions,  if  any,  can  extend 
beyond  two  or  three  isolated  verses  (cf.  below,  p.  303  f.). 

*  Klostermann,  Stud.  u.  Kr.  1871,  p.  253  ff.  {  =  Der  Pent.  p.  228  ff.); 
Wellh.  Comp.  pp.  191,  193,  195;  Reuss,  La  Bible  (1879),  i.  207  ;  Valeton, 
Studien,  vi.  303  f.,  vii.  225;  Kuenen,  Hex.  %  7.  12-17;  Westphal  (1892), 
ii.  66-68,  80-90  ;  Konig,  Einl.  p.  212  f. ;  Cornill,  §  9.  5  ;  Wildeboer,  §  11.  3. 

t  Published  since  separately  under  the  title,  Lorigine  des  quatre 
premiers  chapifres  du  Deut^ronovie,  Louvain,  1889. 


Ixviii  INTRODUCTIOxN 

their  turn  criticized  from  the  opposite  point  of  view  by  L. 
Horst  in  the  Revue  de  VHistoire  des  Religions,  xxiii.  (i8gi) 
p.  184  fF.  The  fairness  and  g-ood  temper  of  both  writers  are  not 
more  conspicuous  than  their  abiHty :  the  following'  is  an  out- 
line of  the  arguments  alleged. 

1.  The  two  superscriptions  i^"-''*"  *  and  4''^""',  each  stating-  with  some 
circumstantiality  the  place  and  occasion  of  the  delivery  of  the  following' 
discourse,  are  mutually  exclusive,  and  cannot  both  be  the  work  of  the 
same  author  :  would  the  author  of  ii-^-^-o  have  repeated  substantially  the 
same  particulars  in  4*^"'"'?  or  does  4^^"^^  read  like  the  words  of  one  who 
had  already  written  the  previous  title  i^'"*"^,  and  just  related  at  length 
(c.  2-3)  the  details  summarized  in  it?  Van  Hoonacker,  in  reply,  contends 
that,  if  i'-4^'^  were  the  work  of  a  later  author  than  4*'-c.  26,  he  would,  if 
he  had  felt  4^-^9  to  be  injurious  to  the  unity  of  the  entire  book,  either 
have  cancelled  it,  or  (preferably)  have  preserved  it,  as  the  orig-inal  title, 
inserting-  his  own  introduction  {1^-4^")  after  it;  and  urges  that  the  new 
heading,  4*-*"^^,  is  rendered  necessary  by  the  interruption  occasioned  by 
^^41-43  (cities  of  refug-e)  ;  its  circumstantiality  is  due  to  the  love  of  repetition 
(especially  on  the  conquest  of  the  trans-Jordanic  territor})  which  charac- 
terizes the  author  of  Dt.  Horst  replies  that  it  is  more  than  doubtful  if 
^41-43  is  j^j^  original  part  of  Dt. ;  f  and  that  if  it  were,  the  opening  words  of 
5*,  "  And  Moses  called  unto  all  Israel,  and  said  unto  them,"  would  be  a 
sufficient  introduction  to  what  follows,  after  the  interruption. — It  does  not 
seem  that  any  definite  conclusion  as  to  the  authorship  of  1^-4***  can  be 
drawn  from  the  occurrence  of  the  double  title.  As  the  two  headings  stand, 
in  spite  of  what  van  Hoonacker  urges,  they  cannot  well  be  both  the  work 
of  the  same  writer ;  but  a  heading  lends  itself  readily  to  expansion  ;  and 
if,  as  seems  to  be  the  case,  4''^  is  based  upon  3^^,  which  forms  (see  note) 
part  of  an  insertion  in  the  original  text  of  c.  1-3,  4^^"^*,  in  its  present  form, 
must  he  of  later  origin  than  c.  1-3.  There  is  nothing  unreasonable  in  the 
supposition  that,  as  formulated  by  the  original  author  (whether  preceded 
by  4^'"^^  or  not),  this  title  was  considerably  briefer  than  it  now  is,  and  not 
longer  than  was  sufficient  to  mark  the  commencement  of  the  actual 
"exposition"  of  the  law,  promised  in  i^,  as  opposed  to  the  introductory 
matter  contained  in  1^-4^". 

2.  Inconsistencies  alleged  to  exist  between  c.  1-4  and  c.  5-26: — 

(a)  In  2"""'  it  is  said  that  all  the  generation  which  rebelled  at  Kadesh 
had  perished  in  the  wilderness;  but  in  5'-'-  11^"' stress  is  laid  on  the  fact 
that  those  whom  Moses  is  addressing  are  witnesses  of  the  Exodus,  and 

*  V.^  belongs  to  P  (p.  7). 

t  See  below,  p.  78.  Van  Hoonacker  argues  that  in  c.  19  the  Writer 
confines  himself  to  the  three  cities  of  refuge  to  be  instituted  in  Canaan, 
those  appointed  on  the  E.  of  Jordan  having  been  already  noticed  bj'  him 
in  4^'"^" ;  but  it  remains  strange,  as  Horst  remarks,  that  when  contem- 
plating their  possible  future  augmentation  by  three  more  (v,^'-),  he  should 
make  no  allusion  to  those  which  he  had  mentioned  in  4'""^^. 


UNITY    OF    DKUTEKONOMY  IxiX 

belong  to  the  same  g-cneration  with  which  Jehovah  had  made  a  covcnaiil 
at  Horeb.  Kiieiicn  argues,  "The  author  of  c.  5-11  is  aware  tliat  the 
recipients  of  the  Deut.  legislation  are  not  in  fact  identical  with  the 
witnesses  of  the  theopliany  at  Horeb  (see  8-- ^■'*  11"  &c.),  but  nevertheless 
he  wishes  to  identify  them  with  them.  The  author  of  c.  1-4,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  particularly  anxious  to  distiyiguish  them.  Is  it  not  clear  that  he 
cannot  be  also  the  author  of  c.  5-1 1  ?  "  It  is  replied  :  ( i )  the  terms  of  a'^""* 
are  limited  to  the  "men  of  war,"  i.e.  to  the  adult  males;  and  a  fair  pro- 
portion of  those  under  twenty  in  the  2nd  year  of  the  Exodus,  would  be 
alive  still,  38  years  afterwards.  (2)  It  is  admittedly  the  practice  of  Dt. 
to  comprehend  the  past,  the  present,  and  the  future  generations  of  Israel 
in  an  ideal  unity,  and  so  to  treat,  for  instance,  the  Israelites  addressed  by 
Moses  as  morally  identical  with  those  who  came  out  of  Egypt,  or  rebelled 
in  the  wilderness  {e.g.  520(2;))  ^  9  g7f.  22f.  2.^'J^- :  comp.  before  your  eyes,  4**^ 
6"  g}''  29^  i'-') :  the  point  of  5^  is  to  insist  on  the  fact  that  the  covenant  con- 
cluded at  Horeb  is  not  an  ancient  covenant,  made  with  "  our  fathers,"  i.e. 
with  the  patriarchs,  but  is  one  binding  on  the  Israel  of  to-day,  the  Israel 
whose  separate  national  existence,  and  national  consciousness,  began  at 
the  Exodus;  and  in  n-  the  allusion  to  "your  children  who  have  not 
known,"  &c.,  is  merely  intended  rhetorically,  for  the  purpose  of  emphasiz- 
ing the  appeal  to  those  who  stood  nearer  to  the  events  described,  and  the 
younger  of  whom,  in  the  conception  of  the  writer,  had  actually  witnessed 
them.  The  author  of  c.  1-4  is  not  more  anxious  than  the  author  of  c.  5- 1 1 
to  distinguish  the  two  generations  :  in  2^*'^'',  speaking  historically,  he 
states  that  the  generation  which  rebelled  at  Kadesh  had  perished  ;  but 
elsewhere  he  expresses  himself  in  terms  similar  to  those  of  5''  11-:  so,  for 
instance,  not  only  in  the  appeal  of  4""^" ^-*- ^^''- •^^^•,  but  also  in  i^  ("unto 
you") '^•-''■^•-''•^'*.  One  who  assigns  (as  Kuenen  does)  c.  1-4  to  a  single 
author,  cannot  therefore  (on  this  ground)  argue  logically  that  c.  1-3  is  by 
a  different  hand  from  c.  5-1 1. 

(b)  The  ^loabites  and  Edomites,  who  are  placed  on  the  same  footing  in 
2'-'',  are  placed  on  a  different  footing-  in  23^'-  *"•  (■■^-  ^'•)  :  in  2-"  they  are  both 
praised  for  having  sold  the  Israelites  bread  and  water,  when  they  were 
journeying  past  their  territory  ;  in  23'*''  ('*'•)  the  Moabites  are  said  fiot  to 
have  met  the  Israelites  with  bread  and  water,  and  while  the  Edomites 
(v. ^*- (''■>)  are  commended  to  the  Israelites'  favourable  regard,  the  Moabites 
^y_4. 7(3.  (!)^  are  expressly  excluded  from  it. 

Van  Hoonacker  replies  that  23 'W'^  refers  only  to  the  'Aviiuo)iites  (v.''^') 
— v.^''"*  ('"''^)  referring  to  the  Moabites, — an  interpretation  which  Horst  (p. 
197)  allows  may  be  right.  He  points  out  further  that  the  occasion  of 
2^4f.  (:!t.)  cannot  have  been  the  one  alluded  to  in  2^^ :  the  unfriendly  action  of 
the  Moabites  in  hiring  Balaam  (Nu.  22-24)  must  have  been  after  the 
message  to  Sihon  (Dt.  2^:  Nu.  21^'),  and  a  Jhrtiori  after  the  friendliness 
alluded  to  in  Dt.  2'-",  which  must  have  been  at  the  time  of  Nu.  21^^"-'^.  And 
the  injunctions  in  23®'- (''•'  are  based,  not  upon  Edom's  treatment  of  Israel 
in  the  wilderness,  but  upon  its  being  Israel's  "brother," — a  relationship 
not  subsisting  in  the  case  of  Moab. 

3.  As  regards  4^"^",  it  is  urged  that  the  connexion  with  c.  f-3  is  loose  : 
4^"^-  is  in  no  way  the  sequel  of  c.  3  :  "  rien,  dans  la  partie  hislorique  [c.  1-3], 


IxX  INTRODUCTION 

qui  prepare  au  discours  [4^""'] ;  ricn,  dans  le  discouts,  qui  rappelle  la  partie 
liiNtorique.  Celui-ci  tire  bien  plCitot  scs  d«iveloppements  dcs  portions  du 
Deuteronome  qui  viennent  apr(!;s  lui."*  C.  1-3  are  historical,  and  not 
parcnetic  :  c.  4  is  parenetic  ;  and  the  motives  appealed  to,  in  so  far  as 
they  are  drawn  from  the  history  (v."'-!"^--^- -■'^•),  are  derived,  not  from  the 
retrospect  of  c.  1-3,  but  from  incidents  not  there  noticed.  The  main  theme 
of  c.  4  is  an  expansion  of  the  second  commandment  of  the  Decalogue  (with 
4'' '-'',  cf.  s*'' ;  ^^'t^h  4^''*°>  5")  =  the  author  thus  takes  a  special  point  in  c.  5, 
which  he  develops  in  the  form  of  an  introduction  to  it.  He  thus  wrote  with 
c.  5  ff.  before  him  (as  is  shown  also  by  the  expression  have  taught  in  v.''). 

C.  4,  however  (as  van  Hoonacker  points  out),  does  beg^in  just  where 
c.  3  breaks  off  (cf.  4'  with  3-'') ;  and  the  statement  that  c.  x-3  is  not 
parenetic  is  exaggerated  :  indirectly,  and  so  far  as  is  consistent  with  the 
character  of  a  retrospect,  it  is  parenetic  (p.  xvii).  If,  as  is  probable,  the 
Deut.  legislation  was  published  originally  as  a  separate  manual,  it  would 
not  be  more  than  natural  for  it  to  be  provided  with  an  historical  introduc- 
tion, recapitulating  the  events  which  brought  Israel  to  the  spot  (3'"')  at 
which  its  promulgation  by  Moses  is  located,  and  setting  before  the  people 
the  lessons  and  warnings  which  the  history  suggested  (cf.  Oettli,  p.  10). 
It  is  true  that  the  historical  incidents  noticed  in  c.  1-3  are  not  utilized  in 
4''^";  but  is  it  necessary  that  they  should  be?  The  writer,  in  view  of 
Israel's  having  been  led  safely  by  Jehovah  to  the  borders  of  the  Promised 
Land,  exhorts  the  people  to  lay  to  heart  the  practical  duties  devolving  in 
consequence  upon  them  ("And  now,"  4':  cf.  10'-);  and  imperfect  con- 
ceptions of  the  spiritual  nature  of  God  being  the  obstacle  most  likely  to 
impede  Israel  in  doing  this,  he  dwells  upon  such  incidents  of  the  history — 
notably  the  thcophany  at  Horeb— as  seemed  to  him  best  adapted  to  correct 
them.  No  doubt  this  is  an  expansion  of  5''""*;  but  it  does  not  show  that 
c.  5  ff.  lay  before  him  in  a  written  form  :  the  Decalogue  he  would  of  course 
be  acquainted  with  independently,  and  the  fact  that  it  follows  immediately 
afterwards  maj-  be  taken  as  an  indication  that  it  was  alrcad}-  in  his  mintl 
as  he  wrote. 

As  regards  have  taught  in  4'',  van  Hoonacker  adopts  the  same  view 
that  is  taken  in  the  present  commentary  (p.  64  :  so  Kon.  Einl.  p.  213  w.), 
that  the  reference  is  to  prior,  less  formal  and  systematic  announcements 
of  the  Deut.  laws,  which  (in  the  conception  of  the  writer)  Moses  had  made 
from  time  to  time  to  the  people  ;  Dt.  being  the  final  and  comprehensive 
summary  of  them.  Horst  (p.  187  f.)  indeed  objects  (cf.  Reuss,  i.  165 f.,  ii. 
289  M. ;  Kuen.  §§3.  11  ;  13.  32,  i)  that  Dt.  never  mentions  or  implies  that 
anything  beyond  the  Decalogue  had  been  previously  communicated  by 
Moses  to  the  people  :  the  aim  of  5^^*  (-'-'^'  is  to  show  that  the  laws  received 
by  Israel  through  Moses  came  with  the  same  authority  as  those  spoken 
by  God  Himself;  these  laws,  however,  are  intended  only  to  come  into 
force  in  Canaan  {i^-  '*  5-'8(:ii)  6'  12') ;  and  5-'*l'')  6'  imply  that  they  are  now, 

*  Westphal,  p.  67,  who  cites,  as  illustrations  (amongst  other  passages), 
v.'  ("Hear,  O  Israel"),  cf.  5^6^  &c.;  v.-,  alluding  to  131(12='-);  v.*  ("/ 
have  taught  you,"  &c.),  alluding  to  c.  5-26;  v.'",  cf.  6"-'"  ii'-';  v.^'',  cf.  9' 
&c.;  v.2»  ("  with  all  thy  heart,"  &c.),  cf.  6-'  10'-  &c. 


UNITY    OF    DEUTERONOMY  Ixxi 

\vhoii  the  people  are  on  the  point  of  entering'  Canaan,  placed  before  tliL-m 
for  tlie  first  time.  It  may  be  doubted  whether  this  interpretation  does  not 
unduly  strain  the  terms  of  5-*('^''  6'  :  the  alternative  view,  which  is  not  un- 
reasonable in  itself,  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  excluded  by  the  language  of 
Dt.,  while  5-»(-'^)'^  (cf.  i^*) — to  say  nothing  of  Ex.  24-'— supports  it. 

4.  While  the  general  similarity  of  style  between  c.  1-4  (esp.  c.  4)  and 
c.  5-26.  28,  is  not  denied,  there  are  expressions  in  c.  1-4  not  occurring 
elsewhere  in  Dt.,  which,  it  is  said,  confirm  the  view  that  it  is  the  work  of 
a  different  hand.  Kuen.  (§  7.  15)  instances  na'"j;  possession  2''' !•••••  i- is.  is  ^-0 
(hence  Jos.  i''.  The  word  occurs  also  Jos.  12"-^  Jud.  21'^  Jer.  32^  Ps.  61® 
2  Ch.  2o"t) ;  n-i:n.T  to  provoke  z^-^-'^^-'^^  (not  elsewhere  in  the  Hex.) ;  pnnn  io 
supplicate  3"-"  (also  i  Ki.  8-=='-'*''-^^  [Deut.]  ah);  nai'n.i  to  be  enraged  y^ ;  ma 
"jn^.T  iron-furnace  4-'* ;  n'jn:  Dy  people  of  inheritance  4-" ;  n'?  for  an"?  (the 
usual  Deut.  word :  p.  Ixxxvii)  4^^ :  there  are  also  some  points  of  contact  with 
the  phraseology  of  Ez.  and  P  (ih.  §  16.  12  a),  viz.  Vdd  4'^,  nap:i  -c^  4''^,  -iis'j 
•1JD  4''',  n'jnn  41"- 1",  b-ai  4'^  ^'71:1  4-',  jb'i:  4-^,  cvn'^x  una  4H  Amorite  in  i''-'*'- 
20.27.44  ^9  is  said  also  to  be  used  in  a  different  application  from  7^  20^''. 

The  literary  features  thus  noted  as  distinguishing  c.  1-4  from  c.  5-26, 
are,  it  must  be  owned,  relatively  slight.  The  most  remarkable  one  is 
certainly  n;'T, — the  more  so,  as  the  verb  W  is  particularly  frequent  in 
c.  5-26  (p.  Ixxviiiff.,  Nos.  4,  22,  46).*  In  the  case  of  the  rest,  it  may  be 
reasonably  said  of  some  that  there  was  no  occasion  for  their  use  in  c.  5-26, 
and  of  others  (notably  those  in  4^""'^)  that  they  occur  in  connexion  with  the 
subject-matter :  while  others  again  are  not  more  indicative  of  the  separate 
authorship  of  c.  1-4  than  those  found  only  in  c.  5-11  (as  \iv  G,  pi'3  S'',  fjin 
6''-' 9^)  are — as  Kuen.  also  allows  (above,  p.  Ixix) — of  the  separate  authorship 
of  these  chapters,  t  On  the  other  hand,  the  general  style  of  4^"*"  is  indis- 
tinguishable from  that  of  c.  5-26;  and  it  includes,  not  merel)^  the  broader 
features  of  the  Deuteronomic  style  J  (which,  it  is  true,  lend  themselves 
readily  to  adoption  by  different  writers),  but  also  minuter  features  :  notice, 
for  example  : — i^''  nu  (18--) ;  i-"  nNJt- (9-^) ;  i'"  D'ccn  nmsa  (9^) ;  i-^  i'ly  (7"^ 
20-'  31*) ;  r'' ""'  even  iinto  (^J;)  this  place  (9''  i  v' ;  cf.  with  "?«  io  26"  29") ;  i"*'' 
Tin  (17'^  iS-");  2^  ^yy  ^p  ima  (cf.  11-^);  2-"'  hdj  changed  to  ma,  the  Deut. 

*  ns'T  may,  however,  have  been  chosen  as  suggesting  (agreeably  with 
the  context)  more  distinctly  than  rhni  (which  is  rather  an  inheritance  as 
held)  the  idea  of  an  inheritance  as  succeeded  to  (Jer.  32"  :  cf.  ^nvn  the  heir). 

t  With  rhm  cy,  cf.  in'^nji  loy  g^-^.  It  is  true  (p.  Ixxxvii),  Dt.  greatly 
prefers  an"?  to  a"? :  but  3*7  is  generally  used  by  preference  in  the  ntetaph. 
sense  of  4^^  (2  S.  18'^  ;  and  in  the  phrase  D'  3'?3  Ex.  15*  Pr.  23^^  30^'',  or  3^3 
c-s'  Ez.  2^*•^-'^^•^  28--*  Ps.  46^;  O'O'  33'73  only  Jon.  2'*).  And  33'?  occurs 
Dt.  2^'''4'-^-^.  It  is  not  clear  that  the  use  oi  Ainorife  in  i^  &c.  is  incon- 
sistent with  its  use  in  the  rlietorical  enumerations  7^  20''' :  see  pp.  iif.,g7. 

:J:  In  the  list,  p.  IxxviiifT.,  see  (for  c.  1-3)  Nos.  17,  19,  25,  29,  47,  52,  53, 
55  ;  (for  c.  4)  Nos.  lb,  36,  8,  9,  10,  12,  14,  22,  23,  28,  37,  41,  42,  45,  49,  51, 
62,  68A,  69;  (for  both)  Nos.  4,  11,  13,  15,  16,  21,  38,  40,  46,  58,  60,  65. — In 
4%  5/.r  of  these  are  found  together,  forming  almost  the  entire  verse.  In 
4^"^"  the  sustained  oratorical  style  —  notice  esp.  v.''"*'  '^^-^^-  -s^-sb — is  also 
thoroughly  Deuteronomic  (comp.  p.  Ixxxvii). 


I.WIl  INTRODUCTION 

word  (p.  Ixxxii,  No.  53)  ;  2""  33^  yZH  (15')  ;  3-^  Sn:  (5-'  9'-''''  1 1")  ;  4^  T^i'  1N1  i!--«< 
(p.  Ixxxiii,  No.  59) ;  4""^  (cf.  12"^) ;  4'^  m:  (i3«-n-n  30'"  ;  and  cf.  17^) ;  4-'^''(cf. 
2837b) .  432  (cf.  138  28**^) ;  4='^  nicD  and  D'Nma  (7'"  268).  The  cowbinaiiim  of 
minuter  and  broader  features  constitutes  an  arg^ument  of  some  weij^Iit,  in 
favour  of  tlie  unity  of  authorsliip.* 

Except  for  those  who  hold  that  Dt.  is  the  work  of  Moses, 
the  question  of  the  authorship  of  1^-4^'*  is  of  subordinate 
importance.  Even  if  it  be  rightly  assigned  to  a  different  hand 
from  c.  5-26.  28,  the  conclusion  does  not  rest  upon  a  multitude 
of  convergent  indications,  such  as  give  cogency  to  all  the 
broader  and  important  results  of  the  critical  study  of  the  Old 
Testament.  Nor,  in  any  case,  can  it  have  been  written  more 
than  a  few  years  after  the  body  of  Dt.  To  the  present  writer 
there  appears  to  be  no  conclusive  reason  why  c.  1-3  should 
not  be  by  the  same  hand  as  c.  5  ff .  ;  and  the  only  reason  of 
any  weight  for  doubting  whether  4^'^^  is  by  the  same  hand  also, 
seems  to  him  to  be  one  which  after  all  may  not  be  conclusive 
either,  viz.  that  the  author  of  c.  5-26,  desiring  to  say  what 
now  forms  4^"'",  might  have  been  expected,  instead  of  inserting 
it  between  c.  1-3  and  the  body  of  his  discourse  (c.  5ff.)>  to 
have  incorporated  it,  with  his  other  similar  exhortations,  in 
the  latter. 

Dillm.,  for  the  purpose  of  ex])laining'  the  phenomena  presented  by  these 
chajitcrs,  makes  the  clever  and  original  sugfgfestion  that  i''-3-*  was  in  the 
first  instance  written  as  an  historical  introduction  to  c.  5-26.  28  by  the 
author  himself  (in  the  third  person) :  this  introduction  the  redactor  who 
incorporated  Dt.  in  the  Pent,  was  unable  to  retain  in  that  shape  (for  it 

*  H.  G.  Mitchell  {JBLit.  1888,  p.  156  ff.)  adds,  as  characteristic  of  the 
Deut.  st)le,  and  found  also  in  c.  1-4:  "i^n  perish  (csp.  witli  tlie  inf.  abs.*), 
42"*  7^9  8i9-*2o  1 1 17  (Jos.  2313-16  D-),  28-»-"  3o'»*  ;  Vn:!  great,  either  alone  or 
with  other  attributives,  for  rhetorical  effect ;  alone — 2^  4"-  "'•  «•  3-'.  )•).  sfi.  37  -lo  \;ix). 
2i  (2.0)  yi9.  23  g29  ijT  j316  25»  2Cf-"'^'--'^  34^";  i"  sucli  phrascs  as  great  and  tall  {or 
many,  &c.),  I'S-ss  2I0. 21  ^ss  gio.  l- ^-.-i  315  gi.  i.  2  jQiT-ai  11^^26^  2^'^;  CTanx  ht 
n:B'  2^  8"  •* ;  Iloreh  (p.  xv  bottom) ;  ;;iin;i  introducing-  a  solemn  declaration,  4'® 
f  85  9='-6  ;  so  cni'Ti  ii^  (Jos.  23"  D-) ;  nno  adv.  4-«  f-  --  g'-  ^"-^-  ^•^'  (from  Ex. 
328  ;  so  v.i«),  28-"  ;  N'nn  nya  at  that  time  i^- 1"- '»  2^  z*'  *"  ^''"  ^*"  ^'^  ^  4"  5*  9"" 
lo'"  8 :  nN-]  see  I  as  an  excL,  i^*  -'  2^-  ^^  4°  1 1^"  30^'  (but  also  in  D-  Jos,  6-  8^ ; 
Ex.  f  al.) ;  ''  '£3  nx  niD.T  i2C.43  ^,23  (but  cf.  Jos.  i^*  D^ ;  i  S.  I2''«  Deut.),  sq. 
Dj?9''-"3i^.  Some  other  expressions  cited  ibid.,  as  nn.x  "'7.14'',  o'v^n  (4^ 
9!";  but  see  2  K.  17'"),  are  too  little  distinctive  to  be  really  evidence  of  a. 
single  author.  And,  in  general,  expressions  used  hy  other  Deuteronomi( 
writers  have  not  the  full  cogency  of  those  confined  to  Dt.  5-26.  28  itself. 


UNITY    OF    DEUTERONOMY  Ixxiil 

would  then  have  read  too  much  hke  a  repetition  of  parts  of  Ex.  Nu.),  but 
being-  unwilling-  to  sacrifice  it  (for  it  contained  nian)^  notices  not  to  be  found 
in  the  existing-  Ex.  Nu.),  he  altered  its  form,  chang-ing-  the  third  person 
into  the  first,  or  second,  and  so  preserved  it  as  a  discourse  of  Moses. 
Tliis  hypothesis  accounts  for  both  the  resemblances  between  i''-3-3  and 
c.  5-26,  and  the  differences  :  the  resemblances  are  due  to  the  fact  that  the 
original  author  is  the  same  ;  the  differences  are  due  to  additions,  or 
changes,  introduced  bj'  the  redactor,  in  the  process  of  transforming  the 
narrative  into  a  discourse.  As  regards  4^"-*"  Dillm.  considers  tliat  this 
resembles  (in  style  and  tone)  c.  5-26  too  closely  to  be  the  work  of  a 
liillVrcnt  hand  ;  he  conjectures  therefore  that  it  is  the  work  of  D,  but  that 
it  formed  originallj'  (with  portions  of  c.  29-30  :  p.  Ixxiv)  part  of  a  closing- 
hortatorj'  discourse  (following  c.  5-26.  28  :  hence  have  taught  in  v.-''),  and 
was  transferred  here,  as  a  conclusion  to  c.  1-3,  by  the  same  redactor  who 
incorporated  Dt.  in  the  Pent. 

Westphal  (pp.  87-103)  adopts  a  similar  view  ;  but  he  thinks  (on  the 
ground  of  the  double  introduction  i^-^-^-s  and  4^4-49^  jj^-^j.  (^j,g  author  of  i"- 
3'^  in  its  original  form  was  not  the  author  of  c.  5-26,  but  a  somewhat  later 
Deuteronomic  writer,  w'ho  composed  a  separate,  independent  narrative, 
describing  briefly  the  Exodus  and  the  conquest  of  Canaan ;  the  final 
redactor  of  the  Hexateuch,  sacrificing  the  individualit}'-  of  his  sources  to 
chronological  order,  transferred  the  first  part  of  this  narrative  (changing 
at  the  same  time  the  3rd  person  into  the  first)  to  its  proper  chronological 
position,  before  c.  5-26.  28,  and  worked  up  the  second  part  into  c.  27.  31. 
34,  and  the  Book  of  Joshua  (the  Deuteronomic  sections). 

It  maj'  be  doubted  whether  such  complicated  hj^potheses  are  required 
b\-  the  facts  ;  that  of  Dillm.  is  criticized  by  van  Hoonacker  in  Le  Musdoii, 
viii.  (18S9)  p.  141  ff.  Both,  in  the  view  taken  of  4^'^",  are  connected  with 
theories  of  the  original  arrangement  of  c.  29-31,  which  will  be  considered 
directly.  The  proper  position  of  4'"^" — with  its  allusions  to  Horeb,  and  its 
treatment  of  a. /ii?ida?//eiital  prmc'iple  of  Dt.,  viz.  the  spirituality  of  God — 
seems  certainly  to  be  before  c.  5-26.  28,  rather  than  after  it. 

(2)  c.  29-34.  The  parts  of  these  chapters  which  have 
chiefly  to  be  considered  are  c.  29-30.  31I-13. 24-30  02^'^-*'' — the 
rest  being  admittedly  derived  from  other  sources.  The  follow- 
ing are  the  principal  grounds  upon  which  it  is  questioned 
whether  these  passages  formed  part  of  the  original  Deuter- 
onomy : — 

1.  Though  Deuteronomic  words  and  phrases  abound,*  the  tone  on  the 
whole  (except  in  30"'"")  is  not  quite  that  of  Dt.  itself,  and  several  expres- 
sions occur,  which  are  not  found  elsewhere  in  Dt.  (see  p.  320). 

2.  The  connexion  is  sometimes  imperfect,  not  only  between  29'^"-"  (^'"^') 
(an  individual),  and  29-'  (--'"''•  (the  entire  nation),  but  especially  between 
30^"^"  and  3o^"'^'  (see  p.  331),  making  it  next  to  impossible  that  30^"^°  can 
have  stood  originally  in  its  present  place. 

•  See  the  citations  from  these  chapters,  p.  Ixxviii  ff. 


JXXIV  INTRODUCTION 

3.  29^''- -'"'(-''•  ^'  30^"  speak  of  Dt.  as  already  "written,"  anticipating 
thereby  31".* 

4.  The  standpoint  is  in  parts  of  c.  29-30  different  from  what  it  is  in 
the  body  of  Dt.  In  the  body  of  Dt.  (c.  5-26.  28),  the  two  alternatives — 
obedience,  resulting'  in  national  prosperity,  and  disobedience,  resulting  in 
national  disaster — are  balanced  one  against  the  other  ;  one  is  not  repre- 
sented as  more  likely  to  follow  than  the  other  (of.  28'"^-  ^^^•) ;  in  29-^  (")-3o*'* 
the  latter  is  tacitly  assumed  to  have  been  realized,  and  the  fulfilment  of 
the  curse  (^20)"^^'^ (^-''^>)  is  made  the  point  of  departure  for  the  hopes  of 
penitence  and  promise  of  restoration  afterwards  (30''''').  This  is  the 
capital  difference  which  distinguishes  c.  29-30  from  c.  28.  What  en- 
couragement, then,  or  inducement  to  obedience,  it  is  asked,  would  it  be 
to  the  people,  "  to  assure  it  thus  distinctly  that  its  apostasy  was  inevitable, 
to  hold  out  to  it  beforehand  the  picture  of  its  ruin,  and  to  announce  to  it, 
before  even  it  has  deserved  the  punishmciit,  the  conditions  upon  which  it 
might  be  again  received  into  God's  favour?"  t 

5.  From  the  terms  of  32*""*",  taken  in  conjunction  with  31-S-29  ^jjj  both  of 
which,  it  is  said,  the  Song  32^""  is  ignored,  and  the  expression  "(all)  these 
words,"  at  least  in  32^-^,  must  refer  to  some  commendation  of  the  Deut. 
law),  it  is  argued  by  Dillm.  that  there  followed  originally  in  Dt.,  after  the 
account  of  Moses'  writing-  the  Deuteroiiomic  law,  and  delivering  it  to  the 
priests  (3i^''"'))  ^  final  hortatory  discourse,  addressed  to  the  people,  and 
commending  it  to  their  observance.  This  discourse  Dillm.  considers  is  to 
be  found  in  parts  of  c.  29-30,  and  c.  4  (which  has  several  points  of  contact 
with  c.  29-30  :  Westphal,  pp.  69-73) ;  the  redactor,  who  combined  Dt.  with 
JE  and  the  Song  (32 '■^•'),  having  before  him  both  this  final  discourse  and 
the  Song,  conceived  the  idea  of  treating  the  two  as  parallel ;  hence  he 
remodelled  the  discourse,  with  such  changes  and  additions  as  to  transform 
it  into  a  "  witness  "  (3r-'*'")  against  Israel  in  the  event  of  its  future  apostasy. 
Upon  Dillm. 's  view,  the  main  discourse  of  Dt.  (c.  5-26.  28)  was  followed 
originally,  first  by  -jifl-'S--^'--*'"  (the  writing  of  Dt.,  and  its  delivery  to  the 
priests),  then  by  the  directions  contained  in  27'"' and  ii-'-''^;  after  this  by 
the  final  hortatory  address,  comprising  3i-*'^  (as  an  introduction),  parts 
of  c.  4  and  c.  29,  30^'"-",+  and  32^''-^"  (as  a  conclusion) ;  and  by  the  notices 
3-'"-*  31''*,  ending  with  D's  account  of  Moses'  death,  contained  in  parts  of 
c.  34.  The  additions  introduced  by  the  redactor  into  Moses'  final  discourse 
were  especially  30''^'^,  and  parts  of  4'"'",  which  harmonize  imperfectly  with 
D's  usual  st^le  (as  expressions  in  v."'-  '"•»-,  and  v.-''*^-"').§ 

Westphal,  developing  this  theory  in  greater  detail,  reconstructs  the 
supposed  final  discourse  as  follows: — 29^"''' (--'*)  4I-2  29'fi--' (i"---»  ^3-JOa  2g—-'^ 

*  Strictly,  of  course,  "which  I  have  spoken"  should  have  been  said. 
But  the  argument  is  hardly  cogent ;  for,  if  Dt.  was,  from  the  first,  a 
•written  book,  the  Writer,  forgetful  of  his  role  (cf.  2'-  3*  [p.  xliii]),  might 
easily  have  used  the  expression.  Cf.  28'*'*^,  which  there  is  thus  no  need, 
with  Dillm.,  to  consider  altered  by  the  redactor. 

t  Westphal,  p.  71  f.  :  cf.  Wellh.  Conip.  p.  191  ;  Kuen.  §  7.  22  (4). 

X  30^"  being  the  appeal  to  heaven  and  earth,  announced  in  31^. 

§  Cf.  Dillm.  pp.  230  f.  251,  379,  386,  387,  390,  600  f. 


UMTV    OF    DEUTERONOMY  IxxV 

(■.•3--.)  ^Mb-31  3oi-i«  432-»o  30"-™  32-'''-'^  he  attributes  it,  however,  not  to  D 
himself,  but  to  a  follower,  who  he  thinks  attached  it  (with  ^jU-i:*- 24--J9  ^^^  ^^-^ 
introduction)  to  c.  5-26.  28,  for  the  purpose  of  commending;  the  Deut.  law 
to  the  observjince  of  Israel  (pp.  60  f.,  69). 

Oettli  (pp.  11-12)  thinks  that  the  orij;inal  arrans^cmciit  may  have 
been  :— c.  5-26.  28.  27^-=^-i'-i-'  3i!'-ia--'-'--9  28'"'-29-''  (29'--S)  30'-'"  292»<™')  3o"-2» 
2245-47  3, 1-8^  ^vith  31"-  >5.  2S  (the  parallel,  from  JE,  to  v.^-»),  and  3ii«-2-i  ^2^-43.4*^ 

The  transpositions  and  alterations,  postulated  by  the 
theories  of  Dillm.  and  Westphal,  are  intrinsically  improbable; 
and  it  is  impossible  to  think  that  suflicient  cause  has  been 
shown  for  having  recourse  to  them.  The  explanation  of  31''^^ 
32^'',  suggested  in  the  Commentary,  is  surely  easier:  it  is 
hardly  likely  that  a  prose  passage,  such  as  30^^,  would  be 
specially  announced  by  the  words  31-*^ ;  and  a  reference  in  31-^ 
to  the  Song  ^2^'*'^  is  after  all  more  probable.  30^1-20  has  the 
genuine  Deuteronomic  ring;  but  301-^0  (the  passage  which 
speaks  of  Israel's  penitence  after  apostasy)  connects  so 
imperfectly  with  30^^'^-,  that  no  doubt  it  is  either  (if  written  by 
D)  misplaced,  or  is  to  be  attributed  to  a  different  hand.  As 
regards  c.  29,  it  is  in  any  case  of  the  nature  of  a  supplement 
—for  the  "  Exposition  of  the  Law,"  promised  in  i'*  (cf.  5^  12^) 
is  completed  in  c.  5-26.  28;  v.-^--^(----^)  appear  to  go  with 
30^"^" ;  and  as  even  in  the  rest  of  the  chapter  the  phraseology 
is  not  altogether  the  same  as  in  the  body  of  Dt.,  it  is  not 
impossible  that  it  is  the  work  of  a  later  Deuteronomic  writer. 
This  writer,  it  may  be  conjectured,  partly  with  the  view  of 
insisting  afresh  upon  the  duty  of  observing  the  Deuteronomic 
law,  partly  for  the  purpose  of  completing  the  history  of 
Moses,  combined  into  a  whole,  with  such  additions  as 
seemed  to  him  to  be  needful,  whatever  concluding  notices  the 
author  himself  had  attached  to  c.  5-26.  28,  together  with  the 
excerpts  from  the  narrative  of  JE,  which  belonged  here.* 

The  structure  of  Dt.  may  be  exhibited  in  a  tabular  form  as 
follows : — 

*  The  line  dividing-  D  and  D^  in  c.  29-34  cannot  be  fixed  with  con- 
fidence :  Jos.  I.  23  show  how  closely  the  style  of  Dt.  may  be  imitated  ; 
and  possibly  most,  or  even  all,  of  the  Deut.  parts  of  c.  29-34  should  be 
assigned  to  D".  The  Deuteronomic  sections  of  Joshua,  it  is  observable 
(HoUenberg,  S/nd.  u.  Kril.  1874,  pp.  472-506),  display  specially  close 
affinities  with  Dt.  1-4,  and  the  Deut.  parts  of  c.  29-34.    (^f.  on  29'-  '*'^''  31  ""^ 


IxXVl  INTRODUCTION 


JE  2f 


fJE 

\\yi  -,14-17*  4>-3i|  .11  4::.  11-4:1 


1-4  71j- 


P  t" 

rJE  31''-" 

D27»-"'  c.  28(28^-29')  29^-8(2-9)  3oi'--"3i'-" 

[D'*  27"'^'- ('••"28)  9-28(10-29)  -q1-10| 

_ 

rJE  31--'  (c.  33II)  1134" 

D  z^.'^-•"  32""" 

i D2  (3 1 1«-'^-^^)  3128-30  (32i-«'- ^^§) 


3^^ 


fJE  34^'-'^ 

]M^4"'^^ 


*  On  the  grounds  for  assig^niiig-  this  to  D^,  see  p.  54  ff. 

t  42i'-3i  and  30'"'"  are  the  only  two  passages  of  Dt.  in  which  the  ultimate 
repentance  and  restoration  of  Israel  after  its  apostasy  and  exile  are  con- 
templated. They  are  assigned  here — not  without  hesitation — to  D'"*,  not  on 
account  of  the  incompatibility  of  such  a  prospect  with  the  general  point  of 
view  of  Dt., — for  the  author  writes  not  merely  as  a  legislator,  but  also  as  a 
prophet,  announcing  like  other  prophets  {^e.g.  Jer.  29^'^-i^)  Jehovah's  counsels 
for  His  people's  welfare  ;  and  the  promise  of  ultimate  restoration  would 
not  neutralize  the  motive  to  obedience  which  the  prospect  of  such  a  disaster 
as  antecedent  exile  would  bring  with  it, — but  on  account  of  their  imperfect 
connexion  with  the  context :  in  each  case,  the  paragraph  which  follow^s 
(^3j-40 .  20''"-")  introduces  the  motive  for  a  preseyit  duty  (see  4-'"-^'' ; 
^qI'*- 16b.  20^ .  jn  each  case  also  it  is  introduced  by  "  For,"  which  accordingly 
must  assign  the  ground,  not  for  Jehovah's  mercy  in  a  distant  future  (4*'  ; 
30''"^),  but  for  His  claims  upon  Israel's  obedience  in  the  present.  Unless 
therefore  it  may  be  supposed  that  the  For  oi  a^'-  introduces  the  motive,  not 
for  v.-'''^^  but  for  listening  in  general  to  the  preceding  exhortations  and 
warnings,  v.'^'^**,  and  that  30^'^^',  though  written  by  D,  has  been  misplaced, 
it  seems  that  the  promises  contained  in  these  two  passages  must  be 
insertions  in  the  original  text  of  Dt.,  parallel  in  thought  to  Jer.  29"'-'-' 
2^«-i:i  &c.,  introduced  by  a  later  Deuteronomic  hand  (cf.  Konig,  End. 
p.  213.  The  explanation  of  For  in  4''-,  attempted  in  the  Commentary, 
conceals  the  difficulty,  and  is  not  satisfactory). 

X  On  the  analysis  of  this  chapter,  see  p.  294  ff". 

§  Incorporated  from  an  independent  source.     See  pp.  33S,  347. 

II  Incorporated  into  Dt.  at  an  uncertain  stage  in  the  history  of  the  text. 

IT  On  the  grounds  for  the  analysis  of  c.  34,  see  the  notes  ad  he.  In 
V."  the  part  belonging  to  JE  is  "And  Moses  went  up  to  the  top  of 
Pisgah  "  ;  the  rest  {ioJericJio)  is  inserted  from  P. 

**  On  the  distinction  of  D  and  D-  in  c.  29-34,  see  p.  Ixxv,  note.  The 
style  of  29''8  2,1^-^  is  rather  that  of  D-  in  Jos.  than  of  Dt.  itse'f 


STRUCTURi:    OF    DEUTERONOMY  Ixxvil 

The  stages  by  which  Dt.  assumed  its  present  form  will 
thus  have  been  (approximately)  as  follows: — Chronoloj^ically, 
the  parts  first  written  were  the  Blessiuij  (c.  33),  and  the 
excerpts  from  JE  (of  course,  in  the  orig-inal  form  of  this 
document,  with  intermediate  passages,  completing-  the  narra- 
tive, which  have  now  been  superseded  by,  or  absorbed  in, 
Dt.).  The  kernel  of  Dt.  consists  undoubtedly  of  c.  5-26.  28; 
and  this,  with  short  historical  notices  at  the  beginning  (viz. 
4'^-^'^  in  a  briefer  form)  and  end,  constituted  the  law-book  of 
Josiah.  It  was  probably  preceded  by  the  parts  of  c.  1-4  noted 
in  the  Table  ;  though  most  recent  critics  are  of  opinion  that 
these  chapters  were  prefixed  to  it  afterwards.  Some  little 
time  after  the  kernel  of  Dt.  was  composed,  it  was  enlarged 
by  a  second  Deuteronomic  writer  (or  writers),  D^,  who  (i) 
supplemented  the  work  of  D  by  adding  the  passages  indicated  ; 
(j)  incorporated,  with  additions  of  his  (or  their)  own,  the 
excerpts  from  JE,  and  (taking  it  probably  from  a  separate 
source)  the  Song  ^2^'^^,  with  the  historical  notices  belonging 
to  it,  3 1 16-22  22**.  Finally,  at  a  still  later  date,  the  whole  thus 
constituted  was  brought  formally  into  relation  with  the  literary 
framework  of  the  Hexateuch  as  a  whole  by  the  addition  of  the 
extracts  from  P. 

§  5.   Lav<ruagc  and  Style. 

The  literary  style  of  Dt.  is  very  marked  and  individual. 
In  vocabulary,  indeed,  it  presents  comparatively  few  exceptional 
words  (p.  Ixxxiv) ;  but  particular  words,  and  phrases,  consist- 
ing sometimes  of  entire  clauses,  recur  with  extraordinary 
frequency,  giving  a  distinctive  colouring  to  every  part  of 
the  work.  In  its  predominant  features,  the  style  of  Dt.  is 
strongly  original,  entirely  unlike  that  of  P,  and  very  dis- 
similar to  the  normal  style  of  JE.  There  are,  however, 
certain  sections  of  JE  (in  particular,  Gn.  2(y'  Ex.  i3--i'>  1520 
ig'-*',  parts  of  202-17^  2320-33  2410--'''),  in  which  the  author 
(or  compiler)  adopts  a  parenetic  tone,  and  where  his  style 
displays  what  may  be  termed  an  approximation  to  the 
style   of  Dt.  ;   and  these  sections  appear  to  have   been   the 


Ixxvili  INTRODUCTION 

source   from   which  the   author  of  Dt.   adopted    some   of  the 
expressions  currently  used  by  him.* 

In  the  following"  list  of  the  most  noticeable  words  or 
phrases  characteristic  of  Dt.,  the  first  i6  may  have  been 
suggested  to  the  author  by  these  sections  of  JE;t  those 
which  follow  are  original  in  Dt.,  or  occur  so  rarely  in  JE,  that 
there  is  no  g-round  for  supposing  them  to  have  been  borrowed 
thence.  The  occurrences  in  the  Deuteronomic  sections  of 
Joslnia  are  also  noted  (for  the  purpose  of  illustrating  their 
affinity  with  Dt.) ;  as  well  as,  where  necessary,  those  in  other 
parts  of  the  OT.  (especially  those  written  under  the  influence 
of  Dt.). 

1.  anx  to  love:— {a)  with  God  as  obj.  ;  6'  f  lo'^  ni.  13.22  ,24(3)  ,^9 
2o<!.  16.21)  Jos.  22'  23".  So  Ex.  208  (  =  Dt.  5'").  Also  Jud.  5=*!  (Deborah); 
I  K.  3''  (Dent.),  of  Solomon  ;  Xc.  i"'  Dan.  9'  (both  from   Dt.  7");   Ps.  31--' 

97'"  145-"- 

(b)  Of  God's  love  to  His  people :  4'''  10^^  (the  patriarchs),  10'*  (the  iJ), 
^s.  la  23'' (5).  Not  so  elsewhere  in  the  Hex.  Otherwise  first  in  Hos.  (3'  9'* 
1 1'-'*  14'' (''0>  in  whose  theology  it  is  a  fundamental  and  (apparently')  original 
element  (cf.  the  note  on  7^).  Also  i  K.  10^,  once  in  Jer.  (31^),  and  in  later 
writers.  Cf.  the  syn.  pvn  in  the  same  connexion,  Dt.  7^  lo''^  (otherwise 
2 1'*) ;  and  aan  33''. 

2.  D'-inx  □'n'7N  olhergods:  ei-*  7^  8'9  ii'«--8  13s- 7. 14(2.0.1:1)  j^s  ,320  28i4.:;6.64 
2g25(2'i)  2o'7  (always,  except  18-",  with  either  serve,  or  go  after) ;  3118-20  (^q^ 
D;  see  p.  337)  with  turn  to  ('?«  n:3) ;  Jos.  23'^  So  Ex.  20''  (=Dt.  5''), 
23" ;  cf.  34'^  ("in.s'  ha).  Otherwise  first  in  E  (Jos.  24-''  "*,  and  perh.  Jud. 
10"  I  S.  S^i),  I  S.  26''''  2  K.  s^^  and  (with  ha  n:s)  Hos.  3'.  Very  frequent 
in  Jer.  and  compilers  of  Jud.  Kings  (but  not  usually  with  the  same  verbs 
as  in  Dt.  itself):  Jud.  212-17. 19  ,  k.  96.9(^3  ch,  ^i9."22)^  ,i4.iu  ,^9  ^  K.  17"- 
33.:!7.a8  22"  (  =  2  Ch.  34"-»),  Jer.  iifi76-9-i8  nW  13W  i6"-i3  ,94.13  228  258  322^ 
3.15  ^3.  5.  8.  15  2  Ch.  28-5t. 

3.  "]nNn  to  be  long,  or  to  prolong,  of  days  (the  Deut.  promise  upon 
obedience;  cf.  p.  xxxiii) : — (a)  to  be  long  ^''^  (  =  Ex.  20I-),  6-  25'®;  (b)  to 
prolong  4-«-^«  ^^i^"')  ii»  1720  22''  30"  32^^,  Elsewhere,  only  (b)  1  K.  3'* 
(Deut.)  Is.  53'"  Pr.  28'«  Ecc.l.  8'^;  and  differently  (nnx  CD'  inxn)  Jos.  24-1  = 
Jud.  2'. 

4.  Which  Jclwvah  thy  (our,  Sec.)  Cod  is  giving  thee  {us,  &c.),  attached 

*  Some  of  the  expressions  in  Ex.  20-'i'  are,  however,  so  strikingly 
Deuteronomic  as  to  suggest  another  explanation,  viz.  that  the  text  of  the 
Decalogue  was  originally  briefer  than  it  now  is,  and  that  it  has  been 
amplified  with  explanatorj'  additions  by  an  author  dependent  upon  Dt., 
and  using  the  Deuteronomic  style.     Comp.  p.  Ixxxvi,  note. 

t  On  Xos.  I,  3,  4,  5,  6,  comp.,  however,  the  last  note. 

XL.O.T.  pp.  i56f.',  167  f. 


STYLE    OF    DEUTERONOMY  Ixxix 

moslly  to  ///('  hind  (j""iNn),  soinotimcs  to  ilic  ground  {jyz-\^T\)^  //ic ga/cs,  the 
ci/irx,  &c.  :  i'-''-'-^^  2-»3»'4i--*«  ni"-»i  128  i3'3(i2)  157  ,55.  w.ai  ,^2.14  ,yii  3^15262 
27--^  28^  So  Ex.  20'-  (  =  Dt.  51");  cf.  Jos.  I--11-15.  -^vilh  the  addition  of 
as  an  in/ian'/ance  4-^  19'^'  20^®  21"'  24*  26'  ;  of  /o  /)ossi'ss  il  5-'*'(")  19'"  !•*  2.1^ ; 
of  rt5  a/i  inheritance  to  possess  it  15^  25'^. 

5.  cnnj;  n^a  //o«.t£'  of  bondage  (lit.  0/ s/a7>es) :  6'-  78  S^-*  i;,"-"  <•''•'")  Jos. 
24I"  (E).  So  Jud.  68  (prob.  E*)  Mic."  6^  Jer.  34'3.  From  Ex.  i3»-i-*  ao"-* 
(-Dt.5«)t. 

6.  Thy  {your)  gates  (of  the  cities  of  Israel):    i2'"i5.  iv.  )8. 21    j^^'n.'jy. -jh.  sy 

,-7.2-..  I6.M1.H.18  i^J-S  i8«  2317(1")  24"  26I2  28«-'''5-57  3,12,       So  Ex.   2o'"    (  =  1)1. 

5'^).     Hence  i  K.  8'^  (Deut.)  =  2  Ch.  e'-Sf.     Cf.  (perhaps)  Jer.  142. 

7a.  n^JD  DV  a  people  of  special  possession:  7''  14-  26^*'t.  Cf.  Ex.  19^ 
nVjo  'V  cn"m. 

7*.  mp  cy  a  holy  people  :  7'^  142-  21  26"  2S»t.  Varied  from  Ex.  19'"  a  holy 
natioti  (cf.  22^"). 

8.  The  covenant  (nn^),  either  with  the  patriarchs,  or  with  Israel  (ex- 
pressing- a  fundamental  theological  idea  of  Dt.  :  see  on  4'-') :  ^■''-  '-^-  ^^  52-  3 

yj.y.l-.-    818    g9.11.15    J08    1^2    28«»"(29')    29»-"-l^-2«-24(9.12.14.21.25)    ^,9.  25.  26.    ^Iso 

339  (with  Levi).     Cf.  in  JE  Ex.  19"  24''- «  z\"^-  '^-  ^  ;  also  Dt.  3116-  -'»  (p.  337). 

9.  Which  I  am  commanding  thee  this  day  :  4*" 6^  7"  ^•'^'^  iqIS  ijS  1^19(18) 

1  -.-,  igO  2f^  281-  '=*•  15  302. 8. 11.  lu  (and  without  to-day  6^  121^-  -»).  So  Ex.  34". 
With^'0«  for /Af-^  iii2-''7-28  27'-^  28";  and  without  to-day  Of-^  ii^a  12"  13I 
(I2^'-^). 

10.  K'"nin  /o  cause  (others)  /o  possess,  i.e.  /o  dispossess  (Jeliovah  the 
Canaanites  from  before  Israel):  4^*  9''- *  112:*  i8'2  Jos.  3I"  13''  23''- "-i''  Jud. 
2J1.2.)  „2y.24  ^  i^  1^24  2i2(i  2  K.  16^  178  21-  (mostly,  if  not  all,  Deut.).  So 
Ex.  34-^  Nu.  32-'i.     Hence  Ps.  44^'-'. 

11.  -"?  -acn  (c3^  f\r:an)  take  heed  to  thyself  (yourselves),  lest  &c.  :  4"-^  6'- 
gn  jji6  J2i3-i9-:i"  158;  sq.  ^^•D  "rsj  im,  4":  cf.  "ind  cmDc:!  2'*  41^  Jos.  23". 
So  Ex.  34I2,  (Also  Gn.  24^  31-^,  and  absolutely  Ex.  10-^,  but  without  any 
special  force.) 

12.  A  mighty  hand  and  a  stretched  out  arm:  4^^  5^^  71^  11-  26*;  hence 
Jer.  21'  (in  inverted  order),  32-1  (i'mx),  i  K.  S'*''^  (  =  2  Ch.  6'"-),  Ez.  20^^^-** 
Ps.  1361^.  The  combination  occurs  first  in  Dt.  Mighty  hand  alone  Dt. 
324  6-'i  78  g26  3^12  (cf.  Jos.  41-').  So  Ex.  313  61  1319  (cf.  T  pih  might  of  hand 
v.3.14.16)^  32'!;  and  (of  Edom)  Nu.  2020.  Hence  Neh.  i'"  Dan.  9I5. 
Stretched  out  ann  alone  Dt.  9-".     So  Ex.  6^  (P  or  H).     Hence  Jer.  27^  32!'^ 

2  K.  i7-«t. 

13.  y^E-: /o  57fear,  of  Jehovah's  oath  to  the  patriarchs:  jS-^s  4'''i  6i"'i8*23 

78. 12. 13    81.18    g5    iqU    „9.21    1318(17)    ig8    ^^i.\h    ^'g^X    2912(18)    302O  3,7   J^g^    j6   ^6 

2,4if.(4;:f.)_  SoinJE,  Gn.  so^*  Ex.  i3'^- >' 32'^  33I  Xu.  1 1 '2 1416.233211  Dt.  31^3 
34';  alsoDt.  3i2«-2'(p.  337). 

14.  To  hearken  to  His  {Jehovah's)  voice  (I'^ipa  I'cc) :  42"  (see  note)  8""  9^ 
,35.19  J. 5  26^-17  271*  281- -• '5. -IS- 62  302.8.10.20^  So  Ex.  i^^  (^),  195  2321-22 
Nu.  1422. 

15-  Jehovah,  thy  {our,  your)  God,  very  freq.  (esp.  with  thy),  altog-ether 
more  than  300  times  (i«- 19- 20. 21  &(,.).     So  Ex.  3I8  5'*  8«-22.23  jo25.2«  {oxir); 

*  Budde,  ZATW.  1888,  p.  232  {^Richteru.  Sam.  pp.  107 f.,  181  «.). 


IXXX  INTRODUCTION 

1528    2O"  5- 7. 10. 12  (=Dt.  56-9-"-».16)    23I9    32^-8    34M-2«  (//i_y);    8-'*    lO^-^-l^    23-^ 

(your).  Also  in  other  books,  though  far  less  frequently  than  in  Dt. :  of. 
pp.  II,  21.  In  the  formula  "I  ("3K,  not  'o:x  [p.  Ixxxvii])  am  Jehovah  your 
God,"  occasionally  also  in  P,  and  frequently  in  H  :  viz.  Ex.  6^  i6'-  Lev.  ii** 
Nu.  lo'"  15^^*^,  and  esp.  in  Lev.  17-26  (see  L.O.T.  pp.  45,  54,  143). 

16.  Jehovah,  the  God  of  thy  {our,  your,  their)  fathers  :  i"* '-'  4'  6''  12'  26' 
2f  29-'«(").     So  in  E,  Ex.  ^^^- 1«  (without y^/row/i,  v."  [thy  father],  i')  4''. 

17.  nan  ^  de  ■willing:  (sq.  inf.)  i-"  2^  10^"  23^*  25^  29^" ;  (sq.  i'?)  13'-'. 

18.  [ijics:  niN  hzi  -ivith  all  the  desire  of  his  {thy)  soul:  12'"- -'^•-i  18". 
So  witli  "?  for  3  I  S.  23-'';  and  '3  n;N3  Jer.  2-*\. 

19.  nD'K  /i!07y?  i'^  7'^  12''"  18-'.  Not  elsewhere  in  the  Hex.  ;  and  rare  in 
other  books,  T*<  being-  generally  preferred. 

20.  To  eat  before  Jehovah  :  12?-  ^^  14'-^-  ^"^  15™. 

21.  13!<nn  to  be  angered:  \^  4^1  9^-20  i  K.  ii^  2  K.  17"  (both  Deut.)t. 

22.  The  la7id  ivhither  thou  gocst  in  to  possess  it:  4^  {ye),  7'  n'"*^ 
2321(211)  28'-i-"^3  ^q\6  .  cf.  (without  a  rel.)  9^  12^.  Similarly  the  land  ivhither 
thou  passest  {ye  pass)  over  {Jordan)  to  possess  it:  ^*-'^  6^  ii*-"  30^"  31'* 
32'*" :  cf.  (without  a  rel.)  4'-'-  9^  11*^  Jos.  i"  ;  also  Dt.  3-^ 

23.  nni  to  choose  (with  God  as  subj.,  in  a  theocratic  sense):  of  Israel 
43776.7  iqIS  142.  of  the  Levitical  priests  18^  21'  [i  S.  2"^];  of  the  future 
king  17^°  ;  and  esp.  in  the  phrase  "  the  place  which  Jehovah  shall  choose  to 
place  (or  set)  His  name  there"  (i2^*"--^  14^-^  15-"  i(3-.6. 11  26'-,  or  "the  place 
wliich  Jehovah  shall  choose"  121^- ^s- 20  1425  iff-^^-'^^  178-19  i8«  31"  Jos.  9-^  ; 
tlie  latter  phrase,  also,  with  a  human  subj.,  23^^^.  Very  characteristic 
of  Dt.  :  not  applied  before  to  God's  choice  of  Israel ;  often  used  by  the 
Deut.  compiler  of  Kings,  of  Jerusalem,  i  K.  nis- 32.36  8«-«  (cf.  v.^"^),  14^1 
2  K.  21''  232';  in  Jer.  once,  33^^,  of  Israel.  Also  charact.  of  II  Isaiah 
(418-9  ^310  441- 2.  cf.  my  chosen  one,  also  of  Israel,  432"  45'*.  Of  God's 
again  favouring  Israel  by  restoring  it  to  Palestine,  Is.  14* ;  my  chosen 
ones,  of  the  true  Israelites  of  the  future,  d^-'^^-'^.  And  applied  to 
Jehovah's  ideal  servant,  the  individualized  nation,  42^  49'').  Twice  in  P 
(of  the  priests,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  common  Levites),  Nu.  i6^'7. 

24.  ('7Nn!;'"D)  l^npa  vin  rri^yi  so  thoji  shalt  exterminate  the  evil  from  thy 
7nidst  {from  Israel),  at  the  end  of  the  description  of  a  judicial  procedure  : 
13" (5)  177- 12  jgi9  2i2i  22-i-22--^  24^  This  phrase  is  peculiar  to  Dt.  ;  but 
":ind  we  will  exterminate  evil  (ni'i)  from  Israel"  occurs  Jud.  20^'.  "ij'a  to 
exterminate  occurs  also  Dt.  ig^^  2i9  26'3-"  ;  2  S.  4"  i  K.  14"^  22-'7  2  K.  232* 
2  Ch.  19*;  and  in  the  pregn.  constr.  nnx  ni;a  i  K.  14^"  16*  (tv:d)  2121. 

25.  In  order  that  Jehovah  may  bless  thee:  142**  232M20)  24^9 .  ^f^^x\\l  because, 
siftce,  &c.  1 2'7  142*  15^'  6- 1*^'-  !■•  iS^"- 15  J  for  the  emph.  laid  on  Jehovah's  blessing, 
conip.  also  i^^  27  (see  note),  7I*  15^8  288- 12  30I6 ;  cf.  26I'.     Cf.  in  JE,  Ex.  20-' 

26.  hii greatness  (of  God):  32-*  521  9-6  ii2.  So  elsewhere  only  32^  Ps. 
150-. 

27.  The  stranger,  the  fatherless,  and  the  wido7v  (njc'?Nni  cin'ni  iJn),  as 
types  of  the  needy  and  unprotected:  10^8  2^^'- ^'■^- -"• -^  27!';  and,  with  the 
Levite,  1429  i6"- "'  2612-  is.  Cf.  Ex.  222»'-  (2"-)  (in  two  different  sentences). 
Hence  Jer.  7®  22^  Ez.  22''. 

28.  3  pan  to  cleave  to,  of  devotion  to  God :  10-"  ii-  i3^(*)  30^  Jos.  22" 


STYLE    OF    DEUTEROXOMY  Ixxxi 

23^;  the  corrcspoiidinj;-  adj.  4''.  So  2  K.  iS"  (of  Ilczckirih) ;  of  devotion  to 
false  g-ods  i  K.  11-,  to  sin  2  K.  3''  (all  Dcnit.).  Not  clscwlicre  in  tliis 
application. 

29.  ni.T  131  nrxD  as  Jehovah  hath  spoken  (i.e.  promised)  :  i^^  6^"  26^" 
31'';  -^to  vie,  you,  &c.  (cd'?,  -h  :  not  c3''?n,  ''?n)  :  i-i  6*  9^;  10''  (of  Levi :  so 
'18- ;  cf.  in  D- Jos.  ^■^^■^) ;  n^'  1320  156  26I8  2f  29I-M13).  Cf.  Jos.  14"- ^^  22* 
23''-i'';  Jud.  2^5  I  K.  5-«('-)  S^o-^s  (all  Deut.).     Comp.  above,  p.  xvi. 

30.  Thy  corn,  and  thy  new  'wine,  and  thine  oil :  7^^  1 1^''  12^''  14-*  18'*. 

31.  To  ivalk  in  Jehovah's  ways :  8*  10^^  11-^  19®  26'''  28^  30^''  Jos.  22'';  so 
Jud.  2--  I  K.  2^  3"  8"'«  11^-38  (all  Deut.).     Cf.  5="M-')  Ex.  iS-"  (E). 

32.  Who  shall  be  in  those  days  :  17^  19"  26'  Jos.  2o''t. 

^2-  And  remember  that  thou  wast  a  bondman  in  the  land  of  Egypt  \ 

34.  H'  "iJ'y  Dinn  nV  thine  eye  shall  not  pity  him  {thern^:  y'"'  138(8)  19I3. 21 
25'-.     The  same  idiom  Gn.  45-°  Is.  13^** ;  and  frequently  in  Ez.  (5^^  ^^-^  al.). 

35.  jCNi  pin  (ViD.S'i  iptn)  be  (ye)  courageous  and  strong:  316' 7- 23  jQg^  jG. 7. 
9. 18  jq2.3  .  j.f^  Qj-_  ^28  in^sxi  inpin.  The  expression  may  seem  to  be  an 
ordinary  one  ;  but  it  occurs  besides  only  i  Ch.  22^^  28-°  2  Ch.  32''  (reminis- 
cences from  Dt.  :  notice  the  following  nnn  V.si  nth  'tn,  comp.  with  Dt.  i-^ 
318,  and  in  D-  Jos.  1"  8^  lo'-^). 

36.  nan  "3  n"m  atid  it  be  sin  in  thee:  i^  23-- (-^'  24'^,  cf.  21^^:  with  not, 
2^23  (22)1^     j,^  f^  J^^(J  p  jjjg  phrase  used  is  to  bear  sin.  Lev.  19^''  22^  Nu.  i8--*  •'^. 

37.  Statutes  and  jitdgme?its  {u^t2tcry\  o'pn) :  ^.i-s-s.  14  ^1  n^'^  12^  26^"  i  K. 
Cf*  2  K.  17"  ;  +  com7nandme7it(s)  528(31)  51  yii  26^^  i  K.  8'''* ;  +  testimonies  4"^ 
6-*;  cf.  commandments  and  statutes  (P  i^^- testimonies'),  27^"  Ex.  152",  in  the 
opp.  order  4*  i  K.  3"  8"^ ;  statutes  alone  4''  6'--*  16'^,  cf.  171^.  And  w'ith 
mpn,  commandments  and  statutes  lo'"^  28^^*  ^®  30^*^  i  K.  9"  11**  2  K.  17^'; 
statutes  a7id  commandments  €^  i  K.  1 1^*  .  -\-jiidgments  8^^  ii-"^  30^®  i  K.  2^ 
{+ testimonies) :  cf.  i  K.  3^612  uSS  2  K.  17^'*  23^.  The  passages  from  Kings 
are  all  Deuteronomic. 

38.  rizrn  i-nxn  the  good  land,  of  Canaan  :  i^*''  y^  4-'-"  6'^  gio  (yi  a  good 
land),  9"  11'''  Jos.  23^''  (v.^^-  ^^  a  good  ground).  So  i  Ch.  28^  (a  reminiscence). 
Cf.  Ex.  38  {]E)  a  good  and  broad  lattd ;  also  Nu.  14^  (P) ;   Dt.  i~^ 

39.  Which  thou  (ye)  knowest  (or  knewest)  not :  (a)  of  the  manna,  8^-  "• ; 
(b)  of  strange  gods,  ii-^  133-7.14(2.6.13)  2S^i  292^(2") ;  (c)  of  a  foreign  people 
28^-  ^.  (b)  also  32"  (the  Song),  Jer.  7^  19^  44^  ;  and  (c)  Jer.  g^^i^'->  :  in  Jer., 
also,  of  a  land  (in  the  threat  of  exile),  14'**  (^K  7n.,  reading  ah  for  nVi), 
15"  16^3  17*2228. 

40.  nin  era  as  at  this  day:  a^"  420- ss  524  (ntn  crns),  8^8  iqIs  292'?  (28).  See 
the  note  on  2^,  where  the  other  occurrences  of  the  phrase  are  quoted,  and 
it  is  shown  that  it  gives  expression  to  a  favourite  Deuteronomic  thought. 

41.  C'C'ri-^2  =  continually  (lit.  all  the  days) :  4''<'  526(2!!)  524  „!  ^^23  jgs  jg9 
28-'-  33  Jos.  424.  Cf.  on  4*«  ;  and  add  i  K,  51^  (i)  8^"  9^  i  i^o-  ^a  12^  14s"  2  K.  8i9 
j^s  J -.37  (nearly  all  Deut.). 

42.  -^  3a"  (ib-n)  ii-c"?  that  it  may  be  well  for  thee  :  4*''  s^^-  28  (29)  6^-  ^8  1 225-  28 
22".  Similarly  (cjh)  -jS  3iai  53'' (33)  igis .  ^^^L,)  .^i,  ^^^L,  524  jq13_  ^  character- 
istic Deuteronomic  principle  (p.  xxxiii). 

43.  3'a'n  inf.  abs.,  used  adverbially  = ///ow//_^'-/i/j' ;  921  i3i5{i-i)  ly'*  19I8 
278.     Elsewhere,  in  this  application,  only  2  K.  iii8-j-_ 

F 


Ixxxii  INTRODUCTION 

44.  {72v)  72^T\  kS  //lou  {he)  canst  not,  in  the  sense  oi mnyest  not:  7^  12^^ 
16'  17"  21'"  22'- '^•^'  24'*.     A  very  uncommon  use  :  of.  Gn.  43^-. 

45.  The  duty  oi  fearing  God  inculcated  :  6^*^''  10^  13'*^'  31^^;  esp.  in 
the  inf.  hnt*?,  often  with  that  they  may  learn  prefixed,  4!"  5'-^(2»)  (y^  8*  10^ 
14=3  I7l9  28-'8  3l". 

46.  tTT  to  possess,  esp.  in  the  inf.  nn'?,  nnE'n^  to  possess  it,  at  the  end  of 
a  sentence,  sometimes  even  plconasticaliy  :  see  above  Nos.  4,  22,  and  add 
2-''  3'*  9"  12^     Followed  by  a  personal  obj.  (peoples),  see  9'  (phil.  n.). 

47.  All  Israel:  1^  (see  note),  5'  13^-  21-^  27"  29^  ^i^- ''•"•"  32*^  34'^  Jos. 
3^  4"  232  al. 

48.  To  do  that  -ivhich  is  right  (ic-n)  in  the  eyes  of  Jehovah  :  12^  1319(18) 
21*  ;  +aiBm  and  that  7vhich  is goodd^^  12'^.  So  Ex.  15-*'  (JE)  Jer.  34^'  ;  and 
in  the  estimates  of  the  kings  (all  due  to  the  compiler),  i  K.  n^s-ss  j^s  i^s-n 

22«(  =  2  Ch.    20^2),   2  K.    lO^"  12^(2)    (  =  2    Ch.    24=),    14*   (  =  2  Ch.   25^),    158   (  = 

2  Ch.  26^),  -^{  =  2.  Ch.  272),  i62  (  =  2  Ch.  28^),  i83  (  =  2  Ch.  29^),  22^  (  =  2  Ch. 

34=^). 

49.  To  do  that  ivhich  is  evil  (Vi'i)  in  the  eyes  of  Jehovah  :  42^*  gis*  j^a 
3i29*.  So  Nu.  32^^  ;  often  in  the  Deut.  framework  of  Judges  (2"  3''*  ^'  ^  4^  6^ 
10®  13^)  and  Kings  {e.g.  1  K.  11°  1422  i^^cj .  jgp_  ^30  jgw  ^2^  ;  and  occasionally 
elsewhere  (as  i  S.  15'®  2  S.  12^  Is.  65^2  554^  Both  this  and  No.  48  gained 
currency  through  Dt.,  and  are  rare,  except  in  passages  written  under  its 
influence. 

50.  The  priests  the  Levites  {i.e.  the  Levitical  priests):  17^  18^  24®  27^ 
Jos.  3^  S-*^  ;  the  priests  the  sons  of  Levi  Dt.  21*  31".  So  Jer.  33^*  Ez.  43^* 
44^^  2  Ch.  5^  [prob.  also  in  the  ||  i  K.  8''],  23^*302^!.  P's  expression,  "sons 
of  Aaron,"  is  never  used  in  Dt.  (see  pp.  214,  219). 

51.  With  all  thy  {your)  heart  and  -ivith  all  thy  {your)  soul,  i.e.  with  the 
devotion  of  the  whole  being  (cf.  p.  xxi) :  42^  €y'  10^2  ijis  j^^cs)  261"  yy^-^-w 
Jos.  22''  23".  Only  besides  (in  the  third  person)  i  K.  2^  8^  (=2  Ch.  6^) 
2  K.  23^  {  =  2  Ch.  34^^)2^  2  Ch.  15^2;  and  (in  the  first  person,  of  God)  Jer. 
32«t. 

52.  'JsS  \m  to  give  {deliver)  up  before  (of  a  conquered  land  or  foe) :  i^-^ 
2»i.33.36^2.23  23I5  (")  3i5,  and  (with  fijj  sitiitten)  28^-25.  So  Jos.  io'2  116. 
Elsewhere,  only  Jud.  11^  i  K.  S^**  (Deut.)  Is.  412.  The  usual  syn.  is  give 
into  the  hand  of ,  which  also  occurs  several  times  in  Dt. :  see  on  32. 

53.  To  turn  (nic)  neither  to  the  right  hand  nor  to  the  left :  22"  lit.  (altered 
from  Nu.  20'^,  which  has  nc3  to  incline) :  so  i  S.  &^  (of  the  kine).    Metaph. 

52a  P2)  i^U.  :;0  28I4  Jos_    ,7  23«  ;    so  2  K.   222  (  =  3  Ch.   342). 

54.  Ciy  to  be  affrighted :  i29  721  20*  31^  Jos.  i^     Not  elsewhere  in  prose. 

55.  D'T  nt'VD  the  -work  of  the  hands  { =  enterprise) :  2^  142^  16^*  24^^  28^2  30" ; 
in  a  bad  sense,  312*.  In  the  neutral  sense  of  enterprise,  not  very  common 
elsewhere.  Hag.  2"-^^  Ps.  90^^  Job  i^"  Eccl.  s^C'' ;  in  a  bad  sense,  i  K.  \G 
2  K.  22'''  (both  Deut.,  and  in  both  +  /o  vex  -with,  as  Dt.  3129),  Jer.  25®-''  32"'*' 
(also  +  to  vex  -dtith),  Ps.  28^  La.  3'*^, 

56.  ma  to  ransom,  fig.  of  the  deliverance  from  Egypt :  7^  (with  from 
the  house  of  bondage,  as  Mic.  6^),  92®  i3^('*  15'*  21^  2^^.     Not  so  elsewhere 

*  +I2'y2n'7  to  vex  him  (viz.  by  the  undeserved  dishonour,  involved  in 
idolatry),  as  1  K.  16"  2  K.  17"  2i«  (=2  Ch.  33«). 


STYLE    OF    DEUTERONOMY  Ixxxili 

in  the  Hex.:  Ex.  I5^''  (the  Song;  of  Moses)  uses  '?>\'J  {to  reclaim:  see  Ihe 
note  on  7''). 

57.  .   .  .  Ii:^^  '33X  j3  h]l  therefore  I  command  thee  .  .  .  :   i^n-'s  19'' 24' **•-'-. 

58.  3"niD  midst,  in  various  connexions,  esp.  in  or  from  thy  (or  Israel's) 
midst:  i«  (Nu.   14^^)  ^5  g.s  ^21  „6  132.12.15(1.11.14)  jgu  1^2.20  jgj  jgio.20  ^jS 

2^15.  17  (14. 16)  2511  28^3    agl"-  IS  (U.  ir>)  .    21-1- 15-  16   ^^3.  34    J36. 14  (5. 13)    j  ^11    j„7.  16    jgl''.  18 

19'^  21"--^  22-i'^  24''.  Tlie  word  is  a  common  one,  and  naturally  occurs  in 
JE  (as  also  elsewhere),  though  with  nothing-  like  the  same  frequency  as  in 
Dt.  P,  with  not  less  frequency,  uses  the  syn.  tiin  [e.g.  of  Israel,  32^^  Ex. 
25*  29''''  Nu.  3^-  4-' 18  &c.),  which  occurs  also  in  Dt.,  but  only  in  the  phrase 
noted  below,  No.  69  (cf.  5-"),  in  the  combination  lin  h^  into  the  midst  13''' 
2ii2  22-  23^^"-'-  (as  2  S.  3-^  al.'.  anp  '?«  is  not  generally  said,  in  Gn.  41^1  2"ip 
denoting  specially  the  interior  o^  a.n  animal),  and  in  3^®  11^  19". 

59.  Which  thine  eyes  have  seen  (emph.  for  the  normal  thou  hast  seen) : 
49^1-J  jo21  292  P)  (cf.  21^). 

60.  Thy  {your)  eyes  are  those  that  have  seen  (another  emph.  formula) : 
3-M'ii't. 

61.  To  eat  and  be  satisfed :  6^^  (see  note),  S^**-!-  11^^  14-'-'  26^-;  also  31"*' 

(P-  337)- 

62.  The  caution  7iot  to  forget :  4»-  2-  6^-  8"-  ^^-  ^'■>  g^  25I'"' ;  cf.  26i'^ 

63.  C'^'  ^av  ]2ch,  J3tP  to  viake  His  name  d^vell  there  (viz.  in  the  central 
sanctuary):  12^^  14^  J52. 6. 11  26-.  Only  besides  Jer.  7^2  Ezr.  6^^  Neh.  I'-'f. 
With  cib"?  {to  set)  12®  (see  note) -^  14-''.  This  occurs  also  in  Kings,*  viz. 
I  K.  9^  1 1^''  14-^  2  K.  2i*'  "^  (  =  2  Ch.  33") ;  also  2  Ch.  6'-^  (varied  from  i  K. 
S-^  shall  be)  i2^^\. 

64.  (cdt)  "IT  n'jc'D  that  to  ivhich  thou  puttest  thine  {ye  put  your)  hand 
(^enterprise) :   I2''-  ^8  15I0  2321  28«--''t. 

65.  Tcrn  to  destroy,  ica-:  to  be  destroyed :  i"^  2^--  -^-  ^"  -^  4''  6^^  ^i.  34  ^s.  s.  14. 

19.  20.  JS    28«-  63    3i3.  4  Jos_  g24  j  jH.  20  23I5  ;    Dt.  42^  72s  I  2'"'    28-"-  -*■  ^^-  ^^-  «.       The 

word  is  not  an  uncommon  one  ;  but  it  occurs  elsewhere  in  the  Hex.  only 
Gn.  34=^  (J)  Jos.  7I-  (JE)  24«  (E) ;  Lev.  26^^  Nu.  33=-  (H) ;  and  Dt.  33^^  (the 
Blessing). 

66.  'jNic  iDs-  Hear,  O  Israel :  5^  6*  9^  20^ ;  cf.  27",  also  4^. 

67.  And  .  .  .  shall  hear  a^id  fear  (of  the  deterrent  effects  of  punish- 
ment); 1312(11)  1713  19-0  2l2'. 

68a.  mE'j-'?  ncc  to  observe  to  do  :  51-29(32)  53.25  ^n  gi  1122.32  12I  13I  (12^2)  ,^5 

17I"  199  248''  28'- 15.58  31I2  3246   Jos.     i7.8   2.5  :    SO    2    K.     if^    2l8    (  =  2  Ch.   33^; 

hence  also  i  Ch.  22^^). 

686.   To  observe  and  do  :  46  f- 16^2  232^  (23)  248*  26I8  281-'  (cf.  298  (»))  Jos.  23«. 

69.  E-xn  -,inD  out  of  the  midst  of  the  f  re  :  412-  is-  3-  36  5-1. 19. 21. 23  gio  jo4_ 

70.  {a)  ''  nz'^yn  Jehovah' s  abomination,  esp.  as  the  final  ground  of  a  pro- 
hibition :  725  i2''i  17I  i8i2a  22^  23'8  2^^^  2^^= ;  cf.  24^:  {b)  nij'in  alonc,  chiefly 
of  heathen  or  idolatrous  customs,  726  (an  idol,  or  idolatrous  relic)  I3'5  143 
(forbidden  kinds  of  food),  17^;  of  customs  of  the  Canaanites,  i8'-'*  12b  20I8 
(cf.  I  K.  142*  2  K.  i63  21--11).     So  321";  and  often  in  Jer.,  and  (esp.)  Ez. 

*  Together  with  nrrh  to  be,  n^n^  shall  be,  which  are  not  in  Dt.  :  viz.  i  K. 
8'«  (  =  2  Ch.  65)29  2  K.  2327 :  so  2  Ch.  6^  33^  (varied  from  i  K.  9^  2  K.  21^ 
set) ;  cf.  20^ 


Ixxxiv  INTRODUCTION 

a  is  an  oxiirrssion  that  occurs  often  in  the  Proverbs  (as  ii'-^  12^ 
,;.8.9.28j.  ^vith  h  conip.  in  H  Lev.  i g-'-- ■-'«•■■"•-'"•  =**  20"  (but  only  of  sins  of 
unchastity).— Cf.  p.  Ixxi  f.  Other  expressions,  recurrinij  less  frequently, 
are  noted  in  the  Commentary. 

The  following'  is  a  list  of  noticeable  words  or  expressions 
found  only  in  Dt.  (c.  32,  33  excluded ;  see  pp.  348,  389) : — 

;7X  23"  ;  TCNH  26'^-  "* ;  C'ri3D  25"  ;  mv^D  sS-""  ;  Ji3Ni  28'"  ;  nno  7'®  28*  ; 
npVn  28--;  ]-~r\  i-"  ;  Sgn  28-"' ;  rann  iS"  23'-*;  nnnn  28'--;  onn  28-"^;  Srn  (cVrnj) 
25I*  ;  K^a  ^i«s>(W  26---'  28^-  '^  ;  n^5  28-''-^ ;  nS  34'' ;  nS-'^D  23^6  ;  npp  16"* ;  CTD  Ty 
2''*  3®  (but  read  so  in  Jud.  20^  as  well);  hai  (  =  Arab.  nasala)  \cf'  28*'  (see 
on  7^) ;  mjDrn  8";  hdd  (nro?)  27'-*;  eny,  o'ayn  15"-*  24'";  ei:y  24'"-'*  (cf.  a-aay 
Hab.  2");  cnan  niS-H"  22"-";  nni-nn  21'*  24'';  p':vn  15"  (cf.  pj;;  Ps.  73");  npvD 
22*  ;  13NS  nnnii'V  7^^  28^-  "• "  ;  im  nnj;  23'''  24^  ;  nx3  24-'"  (denom.  from  .tins)  ; 
h-ih-i  28^-  (as  name  of  insect) ;  'cp  g^s ;  n-\  28'''  ;  tsSn  n:c'  7''  28-'-  ^*- ''''  [ncna  ijc 
Ex.  13^-t] ;  •t'tc  28'''^;  nasy  release  151- -a  3,i«;  jjv"*  6';  also  ipn,  [rn,  -ici, 
and  nxT  (but  read  hni,  as  Lev.  11"),  14"-  '^. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  unusual  words  or  expressions, 
occurring-  in  Dt.  (creatures  named  in  c.  14  excluded;  also 
c.  32.  33) ;  fuller  particulars  respecting  most  of  them  will  be 
found  in  the  notes  :  — 

3'3Kn  C'-in  ihe  month  of  Abih  16'  ;  CCK  28^  Pr.  3^"! ;  ""B-n  slopes  (of 
Pisgah)  3"  4^";  ix?  1^27*  Hab.  2-f  ;  ps;  8'  (cited  Neh.  9-^)t ;  c^'^'ij  22'-'; 
■113  i"  i8~  (cf.  32'-'^),  and  nJ;  9"  28''*',  to  be  in  dread  (sq.  ':ES);  3i3  28-'^  ;  'Saa 
nVT  4*^  19^  Jos.  20=*-5  ;  t-pn  61"  9^  Jos.  23^  ;  -\-\j\  i***  17'*  18-""  ;  T3i  16"'  20^^  ;  33i 
25I8  Jos.  io'"t ;  •I'^n  29-';  'a  pen  f  lo'^  21'^;  nitma  6*  n^*  Ex.  13'®!;  c-p^ 
ii"  ;  Snj  NTic  (□•'?n:  c-niid)  4'-'  26*  34^-  (Jer.  32-1) ;  jru  4^  ;  Snnn  nir  4^  ;  D'x'ja 
22^  Lev.  i9^''t ;  Ii''?3  28'"'-' ;  ixn  (as  sithst.)  &>  2  K.  23-^t ;  ■"'"'^'O  28-""  ;  mcs  23' ; 
mxdD  28''-  ^^ ;  mj  to  impel  (of  an  axe,  or  hand  wielding-  one)  19'  20^* ;  of 
being-  driven  into  idolatry  4^"  30'";  so  n"nri  j^e-n-n  2  K.  17-^  Qre,  2  Ch.  21" 
(not  elsewhere  in  this  sense);  c  ;£3  T3n  i"  16'^;  nsj  28"^;  "jr:  (  =  Arab. 
nashala)  7'-  -  ;  hcD  4^®  ;  mo  defection  13"  19^"  ;  [n-y  28^  ;  I's.i  11*  ;  nmp  28" 
r,Bp  23^  (Job,  Ez.);  ]r\i  1^7;  ntnv  28--;  tjci'w'  22"  Lev.  ig^^t;  P-^^n  28^;  ny 
csn  2^*  si^-*". 

The  following  expressions,  occurring  mostly  once  only  in 
Dt.,  are  more  or  less  frequent  in  subsequent  writers,  esp. 
those  of  the  Deuteronomic  school  (see  notes) : — 

D''?i'?3  and  Ciipc  29I*  ("' ;  myi  28^;  D-yin  to  vex  (esp.  by  idolatry)  4^  9'* 
2j29  22I8  ^^f^  2;;?  v.'^^) ;  nnn  to  expel  (from  Canaan)  30',  cf.  v.*  ;  the  name  to 
be  called  over  28^"  ;  T'?^yD  yn  28"-*' ;  nor,  r\yx>  28*^  ;  nn-ic  29'^  P*' ;  cna  29^. 

The  general  literary  style  of  Dt.  is  singularly  pure  and 
beautiful ;  with  the  fewest  possible  exceptions,*  the  diction  is 
*  Comp.  on  1--  3"  II®  12*  24^ 


STYLE    OF    DEUTERONOMY  IxXXV 

classical,  and  the  s\ntax  idiomatic  and  rci^idar.  Dt.  abounds, 
for  instance,  with  classical  examples  for  the  construction,  in 
different  connexions,  of  the  perfect  with  lVa7v  consecutive. 

The  parenetic  tone  of  Dt.  bears  a  superficial  resemblance 
to  that  of  H  {r.^''.  Lev.  26) ;  but  when  the  two  styles  are 
compared  more  closely,  numerous  differences  at  once  reveal 
themselves,  that  of  Dt.  presenting  affinities  with  /eremia/i, 
while  H  displays  affinities  with  Ezckiel.  The  only  noticeable 
point  of  contact  in  the  style  of  Dt.  with  that  of  H  is  the  use 
of  the  term  thy  brother  (see  the  passages  quoted  in  the  note  on 
15-).  With  P,  Dt.  shows  no  phraseolog^ical  resemblance 
whatever.  In  the  laws  touching-  common  ground  (whether 
with  H  or  P)  identical  terms  occur  (as  c.  14  p?D  ;  22^  DVspn  ;  22^1 
I:l:1'*C';  24'='  ny"i^>n  I'Jj) ;  but  these  either  (as  those  in  c.  14)  form 
part  of  a  quotation,  or  are  technical  expressions  (cf.  p.  xii) ; 
they  are  not  recurrent  m  Dt.,  and  do  not  therefore  constitute 
any  real  phraseological  similarity  between  the  two  writings. 

The  majority  of  the  expressions  noted  above  (p.  IxxviiiflF.) 
occur  seldom  or  never  besides  ;  others  occur  only  in  passages 
modelled  upon  the  style  of  Dt.,  and  representing  the  same 
point  of  view.  Of  course  a  tabulated  list  of  idioms  cannot 
adequately  characterize  the  style  of  an  author ;  there  is  an 
effect  produced  by  the  manner  in  which  phrases  are  combined, 
and  by  the  structure  and  rhythm  of  sentences,  which  defies 
tabulation,  or  even  description,  and  which  can  only  be  properly 
appreciated  by  repeated  perusal  of  the  work  in  question. 
Those  w^ho  have  by  this  course  familiarized  themselves  with 
the  style  of  the  Deuteronomic  discourses,  will  be  conscious 
how  greatly  it  differs  from  that  of  any  other  part  of  the  Pent., 
— even  the  parenetic  sections  of  JE  (p.  Ixxvii),  which  show  a 
tendency  to  approach  it,  not  exhibiting  the  complete  Deutero- 
nomic rhythm  or  expression.*     The  style  of  Dt.  could  not 

*  Thus  in  Gn.  26'  the  rh)^hm  is  not  that  of  Dt.,  nor  tlie  plural  nmn.  In 
Ex.  15^  D  would  say  Sipn  for  'jip'?,  and  would  not  use  'jn,  and  hardly  [-ixn 
(i-*^);  nor  would  vniiD  and  rpn  be  distributed  into  iivo  clauses.  By  some 
scholars  (e.g.  Bacon,  Triple  Tradition),  large  parts  of  these  sections,  as 
also  various  other  passag-es  in  Ex.  Nu.  (as  Ex.  3"  g'"-'"-^  lo-"'"^  i2-''-'^ 
2220b-23.aj(2ib-24.27)  ^f-^^^^'-^-^'  ^2^%  are  thoug^ht  to  be  additions  due  to  a 
Deuteronomic  hand.     It  is  true,  they  are  largely  didactic  in  tone,  and 


IxXXvi  INTRODUCTION 

have  been  formed  without  precedents ;  and  it  is  probable  that 
these  parts  of  JE  (and  perhaps  other  writings  not  now  extant, 
the  style  of  which  was  similar)  formed  the  basis  upon  which 
the  Deuteronomist  developed  his  own  literary  style,  and 
supplied  elements  which,  in  moulding-  it,  he  assimilated. 
Another  of  his  literary  models  may  have  been  the  hortatory, 
or  prophetic,  sections  of  E,  or  (in  Judges  and  Sam.)  of  a 
document  (or  documents)  allied  to  E.*  It  is  evident,  however, 
that  the  original  features  of  his  style  preponderate  decidedly 
above  those  that  are  derived.  The  strong  individuality  of  the 
author  colours  everything  that  he  writes  ;  and  even  a  sentence, 
borrowed  from  elsewhere,  assumes  by  the  new  setting  in 
which  it  is  placed  a  fresh  character,  and  impresses  the  reader 
differently. 

This  may  often  be  observed  in  the  retrospects,  r.  1-3.  g'^-io^^.  Notice, 
for  instance,  the  fine  effect  of  mp  in  i^"  10--  28"-,  and  how  by  its  addition 
D'Dcn  'ansa  of  Gn.  22'"  is  adapted  to  the  oratorical  style  of  Dt.  The  varia- 
tions in  I**,  as  compared  with  Ex.  13-^,  have  a  similar  effect  (observe  esp. 
the  sustained  rhythm,  produced  by  connecting-  v.*^  with  v."*-  by  "i^inn).  In 
1^-  notice  the  force  of  the  addition  of  lon^n  Khi  (as  in  9-"  of  -n^n:i  and  "rx 
-1^122  ms),  and  in  i*^  of  cnann  nyc'i:n  ickd  cdhn  iehti  ;  in  2'^  ('n"2cn  f,DD3  hza 
•■^a-ia  mDi'N  pi  'n'nn  ''?  jnn  fjCan  cm  'n'?3.s"i)  the  superior  rhythm  to  Nu.  20'* 
(mni'N  ''7:i3  nai  ya  p-\  man  'nnji  'jpni  -:k  rtr.zfi  to'D  cni  n'?i':  nVroa),  Nu.  13'-'^ 
nxD  ni'?nj  n-nv^n  cnvni  pxa  zcrn  dvh  iv  'a  cax  is  ordinary  prose  ;  Dt.  i^  cy 
C'DB'3  nn-ii;ni  ni'?nj  ony  i3CC  mi  htn  is  oratory.  Comp.  similarly  Nu.  i4-'^-^- 
si.-iob  ^yith  Dt.  i35-:m.  yy.  41  ^j,j  yso  notice  na  -ni  for  r.cz-  xa). 

In  Deuteronomy,  a   new  style  of  flowing  and  impressive 

have,  as  Wellh.  recognized  {Co»/p.  pp.  76,  81,  88,  97«.,  208),  points  of 
contact  with  Dt.;  but  the  later  Deuteronomic  writers  usually  displaj"  the 
Deut.  phraseolog}'  as  decidedly  as  Dt.  itself,  if  not  more  so  ;  and  the  fact 
that  in  these  passages  of  JE  it  is  h'ss  marked  than  in  Dt.  is  a  reason  for 
referring  them — except  perhaps  parts  of  Ex.  20-"^^  (p.  Ixxviii  w.) — to  a  />n- 
Deuteronomic  hand  (either  J,  or  the  compiler  of  JE  :  comp.  L.O.T.  \>. 
116).  Cf.  Kuen. //f'.v.  g§  9  «.  2,  4;  i3«.  21,  29,  31,  32  (5),  who  takes  an 
intermediate  view. 

*  Compare  the  ^/-d»-Deutcronomic  parts  of  Jos.  24^'^*'  {L.O.T.  p.  106), 
of  Jud.  6'-^"  lo"-!"  {ib.  pp.  156,  158)  ;  i  S.  2"-36,  parts  of  i  S.  7-8  loi'"-''''  12 
{ib.  p.  167  f.;  and  below,  p.  213),  2  S.  7.  All  these  passagfes  show  some 
affinity  in  thought  and  expression  to  Dt.  ;  and  all  (except  i  S.  2""''*', — 
which  ought  probably  to  be  included, — and  a  few  isolated  phrases  in  the 
other  passages)  are  characterized  rightly  by  Budde  (Richter  u.  Samuel, 
i8go,  pp.  108,  128,  iSoff.  244  f.;  and  in  7'he  Books  0/  Samuel,  in  Haupt's 
Sacred  Books  of  the  Old  Testament)  as  pre-Deutcronomic. 


STYLE    OF    DEUTERONOMY  IxXXVll 

oralory  was  introduced  into  Hebrew  literature,  by  means  of 
which  the  author  strove  to  move  and  influence  his  readers. 
Hence  (quite  apart  from  the  matter  of  his  discourse)  he  differs 
from  the  most  classical  writers  of  historical  narrative,  by 
developing  his  thought  into  long-  and  rolling  periods,  which 
have  the  effect  of  bearing  the  reader  with  them,  and  holding 
him  enthralled  by  their  oratorical  power.  The  beauty  and 
effectiveness  of  Dt.  are  indeed  chiefly  due  to  the  skill  with 
which  the  author  amplifies  his  thoughts,  and  casts  them  into 
well-balanced  clauses,  varied  individually  in  expression  and 
form,*  but  all  bound  together  by  a  sustained  rhythmical  flow.f 
The  author's  fondness  for  the  pathetic  reflexive  dative  %  may 
mark  his  sympathy  with  the  people  whom  he  is  addressing ; 
but  his  love  of  asyiidcta^\  and  of  the  emphatic  form  [v  in  the 
2nd  and  3rd  persons  plural  of  the  impf.,  as  also  his  preference 
for  3np  (47  times)  above  3?,||  and  for  ''^bx  (56  times)  above  ''JX,! 
are  probably  due  to  his  sense  of  what  harmonized  best  with 
the  oratorical  rhythm  of  his  discourse.  It  is  another  char- 
acteristic of  the  elevated  prose  of  Dt.,  that  it  not  unfrequently 
uses  rare  or  choice  words,  not  found  in  ordinary  prose.**  The 
rhetorical  breadth  and  fulness  of  the  Deuteronomic  style,  and 
the  copiousness  of  its  diction,  are  manifest  even  in  a  trans- 
lation. The  practical  aims  of  the  author,  and  the  parenetic 
treatment,  which  as  a  rule  his  subject  demands,  oblige  him 
*  Notice,  as  one  mode  of  expansion,  which  adds  a  measured  dig-nity 
to  the  Deuteronomic  st)de,   the  clauses  attached  a.aviliiTai,  426b- su  (after 

V.^'),   i^^'^  P^)  (after  V.-^  (■'-))     7-'^-  ^'^-  !'"'•  22b.  24b.  26b  g7b  j  jUb.  12b  j  -ISb  j-lSb  28'7b.  24b 
t  E.g.  413-1'-'-  S3-36  610-15'7l7-19  gH-lT  j  i2-7.  10-12  ^^^-1.  10-12    J37-I2    28^""'.,       Qq^^, 

tlie  scries  of  clauses  introduced  aavtVirui  by  n'J3n  4iGb-i8^  j^y  pj^  8'^''"^,  by 

'IJ  aS"""'"^"  ;    also  4^"^-  32b-34  8Hb-16  2'^-^^-  3S"^2_ 

%  See  the  phil.  notes  on  i'^-^^,  g  Cf^  on  17''  iS^. 

II  Which  occurs  only  4"  (see  p.  Ixxi  «.),  28*^^  29^-  ^^. 

II  Only  12^"  29''  (for  the  reason  of  these  exceptions,  see  the  notes).  The 
other  occurrences  of  'jx  in  Dt. — 32-1-  3'*-  ^s-  s".  ssi  ;„  ^he  Song-,  and  32'*"-'-  ''^  in  p 
— are  not  from  the  pen  of  the  author  of  the  discourses. 

**  E.g.  ni3  i"  18--;  nnn  in  the  phrase  nnn  Sm  nth  Vn  (i^i  318;  hence  in 
D2  Jos.  i"  8^  10^,  and  as  a  reminiscence  i  Ch.  22"  28-"  2  Ch.  2(^^- "  32'' : 
otherwise  only  i  S.  17",  and  in  the  prophets) ;  pj?  (p.  Ixxxii) ;  -m^  (i^^  n^^-  ^5  ; 
cf.  Jos.  1^  14":  in  a.  purely  literal  sense,  i  S.  5^  Jud.  if^ :  otherwise  poet.); 
'■|:Nnn(p.  Ixxx) ;  pixn  (i-«) ;  r,N  (2":  see  note);  ^in  be  hi  anguish  {2^  i  i  S. 
3i»  ///.);  DJB-  be  lofty  {2^) ;  nnynn  (3^0) ;  n^-r.-n  (8») ;  paT  (Si-")  ;  nj;  (9"  2^^); 
CC7  (19I9);  nun  (28'»»)  ;  vys/  (28"^  30") ;  ryr^r\  {2^^). 


IXXXVIII  INTRODUCTION 

naturally  to  expand  and  reiterate  more  than  Is  usually  the 
case  with  Hebrew  writers  ;  nevertheless,  his  discourse,  while 
never  (in  the  bad  sense  of  the  term)  rhetorical,  always  main- 
tains its  freshness,  and  is  never  monotonous  or  prolix.  The 
oratory  of  the  prophets  is  frequently  more  ornate  and  diversi- 
fied :  in  his  command  of  a  chaste,  yet  warm  and  persuasive 
eloquence,  the  author  of  Deuteronomy  stands  unique  among' 
the  writers  of  the  Old  Testament. 

The  linguistic  character  of  Dt.  is  entirely  consistent  with 
the  date  assigned  to  it  by  critics  (cf.  p.  xlvii,  No.  6) :  on  the 
one  hand,  it  contains  nothing  rugged,  or  otherwise  suggestive 
of  antiquity;  on  the  other  hand,  it  exhibits  none  of  those 
marks  of  a  deteriorated  style  which  begin  to  show  themselves 
in  Hebrew  shortly  afterwards.  In  its  broader  literary  features 
Dt.  resembles  closely  the  prose  parts  of  Jeremiah  (p.  xcii  f.). 

Tliere  are  no  "archaisms,"  either  in  Dt.,  or  in  the  Pentateuch  sjcner- 
ally,  of  a  character  to  estabHsh  its  antiquitj-.  (i)  The  epicene  Kin  is  not 
an  archaism  :  for  the  fact  that  Arab.  Eth.  Aram. — to  say  nothing-  of 
Assj'rian — all  have  a  fem.  w'xihyod,  is  proof  that  the  distinction  between 
the  two  g^enders  must  have  existed  already  in  the  original  lang^iiag^e 
spoken  by  the  Semitic  nations,  when  they  liv-ed  tog^ether  in  a  common 
home,  and  that  Hebrew  consequently,  even  in  its  earliest  stage,  must  have 
possessed  a  fem.  hi'*  In  Phoen.  Moab.  and  old  Aramaic  Inscriptions 
the  pron.  of  the  3rd  pers.  sing,  is  written  regularly  Nn,t  which,  as  the 
evidence  of  the  cognate  languages  just  referred  to  shows,  will  have  been 
pronounced  hu  or  hi',  as  the  sense  required.  ©  shows  that  in  the  older 
Heb.  MSS.  the  scriptio  plena  was  not  generally  introduced  ;  and  in  the 
light  of  the  facts  just  adduced,  it  may  be  safely  inferred  that  the  1  of  Kin  in 
the  Pent.,  and  the  1  and  '  of  Nil  and  N"n  in  other  parts  of  the  OT.  (except 
possibly  in  the  very  latest),  formed  no  part  of  the  original  autographs.  The 
epicene  Nin  will  thus  not  have  been  introduced  into  tiie  Pent,  until  a  com- 
paratively late  epoch  in  the  transmission  of  the  text — perhaps  in  connexion 
with  the  assumption,  which  is  partly  borne  out  by  facts  (Del.  ZKWL. 
1880,  p.  396  f.),  that  in  the  older  language  fem.  forms  were  used  more 

♦  Noldeke,  ZDMG.  1866,  p.  458 f.,  1878,  p.  594;  Delitzsch,  ZKWL. 
1880,  p.  395  f.,  and  Conim.  on  Gen.  (Engl,  tr.)  i.  42  f.,  50;  Wright, 
Compar.  Gramvi.  pp.  103-105. 

t  As  CIS.  I.  i.  i"  N.T  pi!i  -Sc,  i"  N.i  n3N^3,  3~  xn  niSs^n,  and  frequently; 
in  Mesha"s  Inscription,  line  6  xn  cj  iCN'i,  line  27  N.i  \i.e.  ciri]  C"i.i  T  ;  and 
in  the  recently  discovered  Aramaic  (Nold.  ZDMG.  1893,  p.  99)  inscriptions 
of  Zinjirli,  near  Antioch  in  Syria  (8  cent.  B.C.),  as  Panammu,  line  11  ^V^ 
NH  fjc:  (D.  H.  Miiller,  Die  altsem.  Inschriftcn  von  Sendschirli,  1893,  pp.  6| 
18,  44).     Comp.  Xotes  on  Samuel,  p.  xxxiii. 


SUPrOSEI)    ARCHAISMS    IN    DKUTEKOXOMV       Ixxxix 

sparingly  than  subsequently.  The  pooulinrity  is  not,  in  fact,  confined  to 
the  Pent.  It  is  found  in  the  MS.  of  the  "  Later  Prophets,"  exhibiting'  the 
Oriental  text,  and  superlinear  punctuation,  now  at  St.  Petersburg,  and 
dated  a.d.  916  :  see  the  passag;es  cited  on  Ez.  30'"  in  the  Adnotationcs 
Crificce  prefixed  to  Strack's  facsimile  edition. 

(2)  On  Sxn  for  n^xn  (3  times  in  Dt.,  8  in  the  Pent.,  and  '7N  i  Ch.  20^)  see 
the  note  on  4'*-.  Dr.  Sinker,  in  his  note  on  this  form  {Lex  Mosaica,  p.  472), 
omits  to  mention — what  surel)'  is  an  element  in  judgfing-  of  these  8  exceptional 
passag-es — that  the  usual  forms  in  the  Pent,  (some  260  times)  are  rhnrt  and 
."iSn,  exactly  as  in  other  books. 

(3)  On  the  epicene  "il'J  (youno-  person, — the  sex  being-  indicated  by  the 
context),  see  on  22^^  (p.  225);  comp.  Kuen.  Hex.  pp.  3i8f.,  321  f.,  342, 
G.-K.  §  2.  5  (who  are  inclined  to  regard  the  distinction  as  merely  ortho- 
graphical :  see,  however,  Konigf,  Einl.  p.  152  f.).  No  doubt,  this  is  the 
older  usag-e  ;  but  we  possess  no  independent  knowledge  how  long-  it  con- 
tinued, or  when  the  distinctive  form  for"  the  fern,  came  into  use  ;  and  it  is 
unreasonable  to  allow  a  sing-le  phenomenon,  of  which  the  explanation  is 
doubtful,  to  outweig-h  the  evidence  of  a  multitude  of  indications  pointing 
convergently  in  an  opposite  direction.  Hence  until  the  supposition  made 
on  p.  225  can  be  shown  to  be  an  improbable  one,  the  epicene  ij':  cannot  be 
used  in  proof  of  the  antiquity  of  the  Pentateuch.  Both  this  distinction  and 
No.  I  imply  that,  when  the}'  arose,  the  Pent,  had  h^on  formally  separated 
from  Joshua  (in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  same  documents  are  continued  in 
it)  and  the  following-  historical  books,  and  stood  (in  some  respects)  upon  a 
dififerent  footing-  from  them  ;  but  nothing-  oblig-es  us  to  suppose  that  this 
separation  was  effected  until  considerably  after  the  return  of  the  Jews 
from  Babylon. 

(4)  On  the  term,  p-,  in  the  2nd  and  3rd  pers.  pi.  of  the  impf.  (56  times), 
see  the  note  on  i^'  (p.  19) ;  and  on  the  same  form — verj^  anomalously — in  the 
perf.  \yj-v  (twice),  see  on  8'''. 

(5)  On  ^yiz'  Dt.  33^®,  see  the  note  ad  loc. 

(6)  The  3  fem.  sing-,  perf.  has  its  orig-inal  form  (preserved  also  in 
Aram.)  with  n  Dt.  32^"  (the  only  case  -with  the  strong  \tiT\i),  31-'',  as  in  Gn. 
33^'  Ex.  ^'°  Lev.  25-1  26^.  But  the  same  form  is  found  also  2  K.  9'''  Kt. 
Is.  7"  Jer.  13^^  44-''  Ez.  24^-  46'^  Ps.  118'^, — none  of  which  can  be  said 
exactly  to  be  early  passages. 

(7)  ~t:i  in  \&'°  is  derived  from  the  older  law  of  Ex.  23^^  =  34--'' ;  mi3i 
occurs  independently  in  20'^  Elsewhere  (including-  more  than  50  times  in 
the  Pent.)  -c\  is  always  used  :  whj'  nnT  occurs  these  four  times  we  do  not 
know  ; — it  ma)'  be  an  isolated  collective  form — corresponding:  to  the  Arabic 
"broken  plural"  dhukiir""  (Konig-,  Lehrgeb.  ii.  i.  436) — preserved  before  a 
suffix  ("121  never  occurs  with  a  suffix). 

(8)  "Jericho"  is  spelt  in  Dt.  32'*^  34^-8  as  uniformly  (12  times)  in  the 
Pent,  im.:  ("  Yerrcho") :  it  is  spelt  in  Jos.  (28  times)  inn^  (so  2  K.  t.^-*-^- 
15.18  .  •,-.,.  (Baer)  Jos.  18^1  2  S.  10-''  Jer.  39-'  52'''i- ;  ni-n;  i  K.  'i6=«t) ;  and  Mr. 
Girdlestone  {Lex  Mos.  p.  119)  thinks  that  the  variation  is  only  naturally  to 
be  explained  by  the  supposition  that  "  Israel  picked  up  a  new  pronunciation, 
after  they  came  to  the  place."  How  comes  it,  then,  that  the  supposed 
older  pronunciation  ( Yerecho)  recurs  2   K.  2~;'  Ezr.  2^^  Neh.   3-  f'^  1   Ch. 


XC  .      INTRODUCTION 

6(53(78)  ig5  2  Ch.  zS^^i?  Were  these  books  also  written  by  Moses?  The 
same  writer's  statement  {Foundations  of  the  Bible,  p.  177),  that  "the 
Chronicler  gives  an  extract  from  a  document  which  retains  the  oldest 
spelling,"  is  incorrect;  i  Ch.  6''^("'''  corresponds  to  Jos.  21^,  where  the 
clause  with  Jericho  has  fallen  out ;  but  throughout  Jos.  the  word  is  spelt 
with  /  (conip.,  in  the  same  phrase,  Jos.  20") ;  and  i  Ch.  i<f  is  from  2  S.  10', 
where  it  is  also  spelt  with  i.  Even  if  the  distinction  were  original,  there- 
fore, no  argument  could  be  founded  upon  it  for  the  antiquity  of  the  Pent.: 
but  in  point  of  fact — comp.  esp.  2  K.  25'  with  Jer.  39^  52^,  where  in  one 
and  the  same  sentence  it  is  pointed  differently  in  the  two  books — it  can 
scarcely  be  doubted  that  it  is  one  which  grew  up  arbitrarily  at  a  very  late 
date. 

(9)  Other  words  peculiar  to  Dt,  (or  the  Pent.),  collected  by  Keil  and 
others — most  recently  in  Lex  Mosaica,  p.  473  f. — as  evidence  of  its 
antiquity,  are  altogether  inconclusive  :  there  is  nothing  connected  with  the 
words  themselves  suggestive  of  antiquity,  except  their  occurrence  in  books 
reputed  to  be  ancient :  the  argument  founded  upon  them  is  consequently 
circular.  Every  book  of  the  OT.  has  words  and  expressions  peculiar  to 
itself;  and  it  would  be  as  reasonable  to  collect  those  occurring  in  Sam.  or 
Isaiah,  and  to  argue  from  them  that  they  belong  to  the  Mosaic  age. — Nos. 
4  (in  the  impf ),  5,  6  are  no  doubt  genuine  examples  of  older  forms  ;  but 
(i)  they  are  too  isolated,  and  (2)  they  occur  too  frequently  in  books  other 
than  the  Pent.,  to  be  any  evidence  of  the  superior  antiquity  of  the  latter. 
Were  the  occurrence  of  these — and  of  two  or  three  similar  forms  (see 
L.O.T.  ed.  5,  Appendix,  p.  527 f.) — really  due  to  antiquity,  it  would  be 
more  uniform,  and  the  general  literary  style  of  the  Pent,  would  display  a 
perceptibly  archaic  flavour,  instead  of  being  (as  it  is)  virtually  indis- 
tinguishable from  that  of  books  written  confessedly  under  the  monarchy. 

Particular  words  or  forms  (apart  from  more  general  literary 
features),  harmonizing'  with  a  date  in  the  7th  cent.  B.C..  are — 
the  Nithp.  conj.  "iS33  21^  (see  note);  the  Aramaism  HDJp  i6i° ; 
the  form  niJ3DD  8^  (derived  from  an  adj.  '{^p^  poor,  which  is 
not  found  in  classical  Hebrew,  though  common  in  Aram.,  and 
hence  in  late  Heb.,  Eccl.  4}^  9^^.  lo) .  perhaps  also  yotD^  10^  (see 
note).  The  form  jiS^V  S^^  (so  pTSn  i& ;  riDTJ',  Jlpi^  28-'-;  pyrj', 
Imy,  fincn  28^8 ;  |v^3  28'''^)  is  not  very  common  in  early  writings 
(though  instances  occur:  see  Konig,  Lehrgch.  ii.  i.  129 f.). 
The  fern,  form  of  the  inf. — viz.  nx"i'  and  n^nx  4^°  7^  10^2  and 
frequently;  T\^p  127928;  np3^  1122  3020  (so  Jos.  22-')— has  also 
been  cited  in  the  same  connexion  ;  and  it  is  true  that  most 
examples  of  this  belong  to  the  later  language  {Journal  of 
PJiilol.  xi.  235  f.):  but  nsv  and  nnns  can  both  be  shown 
independently  to  have  been  in  use  early  (2  S.  3^^  Is.  29!^;  Gn. 
2920  2  S.    i8-'  197  20^") ;    so  that  only  two  are  added  by  Dt. 


LTTKRARY    INFLUENCE    OF    DEUTKRONOMY  XCl 

(Hos.  5- — if  the  text  be  sound  (of.  Wellh.  Die  Klciucn  PropJielcii, 
ad  loc.) — has  noncs  and  7-^  ''^'^"'^^^  :   Is.  50^^  nyrpi"). 

The  influence  of  Dt.  is  very  perceptible  in  the  Hterature  of 
the  OT.  Upon  its  promulgation,  it  speedily  became  the  book 
which  both  g-ave  the  religious  ideal  of  the  age,  and  moulded 
the  phraseology  in  which  it  w^as  expressed.  The  style  of 
Deuteronomy,  when  once  it  had  been  formed,  lent  itself 
readily  to  adoption  ;  and  thus  a  school  of  writers,  imbued  with 
its  spirit,  quickly  arose,  who  have  stamped  their  mark  upon 
many  parts  of  the  OT.  Even  the  original  Deuteronomy 
appears  (p.  Ixxv)  in  places  to  have  received  expansion  at  the 
hands  of  a  Dcuteronomic  editor  (or  editors).  In  the  historical 
books,  long  sections  of  Joshua — e.jr.  c.  i  22^-^  23 — besides 
many  shorter  passages  elsewhere,*  are  constructed  all  but 
entirely  of  Dcuteronomic  phrases  :  in  the  books  of  Judges  and 
Kings,  passages  constantly  occur,  distinguished  from  the 
general  current  of  the  narrative  by  their  strongly  marked 
Dcuteronomic  style,  and  evidently  either  entirely  composed, 
or  (in -some  cases)  expanded  from  a  narrative  originally  briefer, 
by  a  distinct  writer,  viz.  the  compiler  or  editor,  f  The  Dcutero- 
nomic passages  in  the  historical  books  do  not  usually  contain 
much  incident ;  they  consist  mostly  either  of  speeches  (or 
additions  to  speeches),  placed  in  the  mouths  of  prominent 
historical  characters,  and  reflecting  in  various  ways  the 
Dcuteronomic  point  of  view,  or  else  of  comments  passed  by 
the  compiler  upon  the  religious  aspects  of  the  history:  in  the 
book  of  Joshua,  for  instance,  the  Dcuteronomic  additions  (in 
harmony  with  the  spirit  of  Dt.  31^"^)  have  chiefly  the  aim  of 
illustrating   the    zeal    shown    by  Joshua  in    fulfilling    Mosaic 

*  Insertions  in,  or  expansions  of,  the  original  narrative  ;  as  2^""-'^  3''  4^^* 
21-24  ^1  yi-ii  ^j,^  parts),  •^■■^  &c.  ;  and  tlie  ^generalizing-  summaries  10-'*"'*^ 
1,10-15  ,^1-13  &c.  {L.O.T.  p.  97  ff.). 

t  As  Jud.  2"--^  s'l-s ;  and  (in  their  present  form)  s^""-  i2-i5;v  ^i-s  ^1  j^e-w 
iL.O.T.  p.  154 ff.) ;  I  K.  23-^  32-3-"  8^3-61  gi-9  ,ii-i:i  (in  its  present  form),  82-39 

I4l9-20.21-:i4  1^3-5  &c.,  21^^'-''^>  ;    2  K.  g'''^^  lyT-^S.  34b-«  iglS-l!)  ^f,.  {ib.  pp.    lysff., 

190-193).  The  references  in  Kings  to  the  "law"  (with  or  without  the 
name  of  Moses)  are  all,  as  either  the  context  or  the  phraseology  shows, 
specifically  to  Dt.  :  sec  i  K.  2^  8"  (Dt.  lo^  29I) ;  8'*  (4-'«>  7G) ;  8^6  (i29'-  2518; 
cf.  also  Jos.  2i^-«i«-^5)  23"  in  D^) ;  2  K.  lo'*'  ;  14'=  (Dt.  2^^^^)  ;  i8«-i2  218  22^ 
23'-'--';  and  comp.  the  passages  cited  p.  Ixxxi,  Xo.  37. 


XCU  INTRODUCTION 

ordinances ;  in  the  books  of  Kings,  they  are  largely  estimates 
of  the  character  of  the  kings,  or  reflexions  on  the  national 
history.*  Differences  should,  however,  be  noted,  as  well  as 
resemblances  :  many  of  these  passages,  for  instance,  contain 
new  phrases  not  found  in  Dt.  itself;  t  and  it  is  interesting  to 
note  what  is  on  the  whole  an  increasing  accumulation  of 
deviations  from  the  original  Deuteronomic  type,  till  in  [e.g.) 
2  K.  17  it  is  mingled  with  phrases  derived  from  the  Book  of 
Kings  itself.  Judges,  and  Jer.  It  is  but  seldom,  moreover, 
that  the  writers  who  thus  fell  under  the  Deuteronomic  spell 
show  the  same  delicate  sense  of  symmetry  and  balance;  Jer., 
especially,  instead  of  rounding  off  his  sentences  at  the  right 
point,  is  apt  to  throw  into  them  more  than  the  rhythm  will 
properly  bear.  The  prayers  in  Neh.  v'-'^^  (f^^-  Dan.  q'*-^^  are 
likewise  largely  moulded  in  the  Deuteronomic  phraseology — 
under  its  influence  even  the  author  of  Daniel  (whose  Hebrew, 
as  a  rule,  is  laboured  and  imcouth)  becomes  fluent.  The 
Chronicler,  also,  though  his  general  style  is  as  unlike  that  of 
Dt.  as  can  well  be  imagined,  sometimes  lets  his  thoughts  run 
in  Deuteronomic  phrases.  J  Among  the  prophets,  Jeremiah, 
as  is  well  known,  especially  in  his  prose  passages,  shows  most 
prominently  the  influence  of  Dt.  :  reminiscences  from  Dt., 
consisting  often  of  whole  clauses,  are  interwoven  with  phrases 
peculiar  to  Jer.  himself;  and  even  where  the  words  are  not 
actually  the  same,  the  thought,  and  the  oratorical  form — 
the  copious  diction,  and  sustained  periods — are  frequently 
similar. 

*  III  the  books  of  Samuc!  thc'-e  are  no  parts  with  the  same  stront^ly 
marked  character.  On  passag^es  in  these  books  which  display  a  partial 
affinity  to  Dt.,  see  p.  Ixxxvi,  7iofe. 

t  As  I  K.  2*  observe  their  way,  and  wa/k  before  me  in  faithfulness  (cf.  3® 
2  K.  20^) ;  a  whole  (or perfect)  heart,  i  K.  &^  if*  is'""  2  K.  20^ ;  to  dismiss 
(nVc),  cast  aw«y  (-\-h^n),  or  remove  (yon),  from  bejore  my  {his)  face,  1  K.  9' ; 
2  K.  I3-^  17*  24-";  2  K.  17I3. 23  2327  2^.3  (also  in  Jer.);  to  bring  evil  upon, 
I  K.  9"  14^"  21^'-'^  2  K.  21'^'  22^®-^"  (and  often  in  Jer.) ;  to  turn  from  one's 
evil  way  {7vays)  1  K.  if^  2  K.  if^  Jer.  18"  25^  26^  ss^'^  sG-'-'?  (cf.  2f%  Ez. 
33"  (cf.  13-'"),  Zech.  I*  Jon.  3^  ;  end  to  reject  (Jehovah,  His  people)  2  K.  17'-'* 
23-''  Jer.  7-'^  14^"  31"  ;  130  to  sell  (fig-.)  Jud.  2^*  ;f  4-'  10^  (so  only  in  the  Song-, 
Dt.  32-");  ra:  of  Jehovah's  forsa it ing  His  people,  Jud.  6*^  i  S.  12^2  (  =  Ps. 
94>-'),  I  K.  8"  2  K.  2ii-«  (also  Is.  2"  Jer.  f^  12^  sj'^-s"). 

J  Comp.  p.  Ixxxi,  Nos.  35,  38;  p.  Ixxxiii,  No.  68a;  i  Ch.  29^'. 


LITERARY    INFLUENCE    OF    DEUTERONOMY        XClll 


Comp.,  for  instance,  Jer.  7^-='^  ii^-^  16^-12  zi^''^"  26  27"'-"  29"--"  ^^^''''^ 
34''*--*2  44.  Zunz  {ZDMG.  1873,  pp.  6-ji-6-]2,=  Gesaiiimclte  Schri/ten,  i. 
219-222)  has  transcribed  in  parallel  colinnns  66  passag-es  of  Dt.,  of  which 
there  are  echoes  in  not  less  than  86  of  Jer.;  and  he  certainly  has  not 
exhausted  all  that  could  be  found,     A  few  specimens  :ire  here  given  : — 

Deuteronomy  Jkkemiah 

4I"  D'D"n  '?3  'nix  hnt'?     ^z'^^  dh'?  nia'?  d'd'h  ^3  'nix  nxT^ 

b-"*  C'S'.T  ':':3  ijS  sis'?  irn'?N  ''  nx  r\i<-\-h 
4'-'"  cniico  Sn^n  nirs  cDnx  N:iVi 


1:!  I, 


nno    Dn-ja    j-nxa    cmx    'N'^iin    dv3 

33   'jic'-nn   '3   cn.s'iiCi    "nN   cncpm 

0333"? 

32-'  .Tia:i  VTN31  nptn  t31  c'nsiD3i  ninxn 

Vnj  NmD3i 

7-^  C3nN    ni;;N    nrx    i-iin    '733    cn3'?ni 

03'?  3D"  \];r:h 


4'"^  "3    n.\-jai   -■n'?N   ''   nx   cc'a   cnrp3i      29 

-rr:  S331  -33'?  S33  ijc'mn 

4''-'  npin    T31    nan'?a3i    □'naia3i    ninN3 

c'Snj  D\vniD3i  n'la:  i'ni3i 

5='^'  C3n,x   c3M'r.\"   ''   m:i   i^i'n   inin   '?33 

03"?  31m  jrnn  jya'?  i3'7n 

5-"  en'?  32"  ij;b'? 

8'-'  cm3in     D'inN     ciVx     nnN     n3':'m     25^   0131''?    onnx    D\n'?N    nnx   i3'7n   ^ki 

en"?  n-innrni  (cf.  13'"  16")  on'?  mnncnSi 

18-''  vn-^•i   ah   nrx   nx    \ar3    n3i    131'?     29-^   c'n'ia  ni"?  n^x  npt'  'D:;'3  n3n  nsn-i 

-13^^ 

pxn  nnSao  '^3'?  nij;)'?  n"m      1 5-*  24"  29'**  pNn  ni3':'aa  ^3'?  nyii'7  D-nn:i 

(similarly  34^'') 


28-» 

2S-«  u-c-c-r\ 


-jiy   '73'?    '73x2'?    •in'73J    nn-m 


28'"'  Tni3Ni    nnx    niT    n'?    nrx    *u    Vx 

i3Ni  j-y  onnx  ch'tn  cej'  rn3j;i 

28*^  (cf.  4-')  cayn  '733  ni.T  is'sni 

28"'''  nxT  -il:->s'3  j-nxn  n^ipa  pma  'u  i'"?!; 

!:[:■>  i-acn  x"?  ni^-x  'u  i^j.t 

28-'-  na3  nnx  ncx  rmii;3ni  nin3Jn  I'mmn 


7"-   .-jij;'?    '73xa'?    nin    oyn    n'?3J     nn'-i 

T-ina    pxi     pxn     nan3^i    D'a:;'.! 

(similarly  16''  19'^) 

16^^  D3"ni3xi  Dnx  nnvT  xS  nrx  j"ix.t  "tj; 

ht'?!  car  Dnnx  cnVx  nx  db'  Dn"i3;;i 

9^5  na.T    lyT    x"?    ntrx    d'ij3    D'm^'Dm 

□ni3Xi 

5I5 13C''?  j,nn  xS  'ij  .  .  .  pmaa  'u  d3''7j; 

n3T  na  vocn  x'71 

5^^  njn3  nu3  nnx  irx  ■in;i3a  ny 


28'^ .  .  .  i"n:3i  •)':3  -i:;'3  ■i:b3  ns  nS3xi      19"  D.Tnj3  ■it:'3  nxi  cn'j3  t^'3  nx  □•n''3xm 

■13'ix  i'?  p's'  -\w«  pi;>a3i  -iiia3  □.t3"ix  □n'?  ip's'  nt'x  pii;a3i  nii;B3  .  .  . 

28®  3'aM'7    D3'^y    ni.T    bb-    nc'X3    n-m     32''i  cnix  I'in'rh  c.T'?y  'nL-c'i 

C3nx 
29^  nxin  jnx"?  n33  '■■  nt'y  na  ^i;*     22*   nxin  nSi-un  tj;'?  n33  ''  n:;-];  .la  "^v 

(cf.  1 610  I  K.  9«) 

Such   parallels    (the    number   of  which    mig-ht    be    readily 

increased  f)  are  remarkable.     They  are  to  be  explained,  how- 

*  Comp.  also  \.^-  ^  with  Jer.  i6"-  '^  22^  i  K.  98. 

t  E.g.  10"  (Jer.  3222) ;  ii28  (73) ;  122  pn  j-y  ^3  nnn  (220  38.13) .  12I1  idb'  pvh 

Cv(f^)-    1231(731);    138  ''    "ry    mO   IST    (28I8   293^);    1318(4212);    i^la.  12  (^^^Of.M)  . 

26«'-  (3221'-);  2618  (13"  338);  2918(23"  12,'''  "*) ;  29-7  (i^'"");  2927  nen3i  ^xa 

^nj  >isp31  (21«  ;    cf.  3237)  .    3o3.  5  (^^M  303  332Gb'|  .    30I5  (218-). 


XCIV  INTRODUCTION 

ever,  by  the  influence,  theolng-ical  and  literary,  which  (as  has 
been  remarked  above)  Dt.,  after  its  promulg^ation,  speedily 
acquired.  The  opinion  that  Jer.  was  the  author  oi  Dt.,  thouijh 
advocated  formerly  by  Colenso,*  rests  upon  a  superficial  com- 
parison of  style,  and  has  been  rii,'-htly  rejected  by  all  subsequent 
critics.  For  when  the  style  of  the  prophet  is  compared  closely 
with  that  of  Dt.,  differences  disclose  themselves,  which  more 
than  outweigh  the  similarities,  and  place  identity  of  authorship 
out  of  the  question.  On  the  one  hand,  terms  and  expressions 
which  are  characteristic  of  Dt.,  occur  rarely  in  Jer. — e.g.  to 
love  (Jehovah  His  people),  once  only,  Jer.  31^,  (Israel  Jehovah) 
only  Jer.  2^  (in  a  fig.,  never  found  in  Dt.) ;  to  choose  (Jer.  332* 
only);  to  possess  (of  Canaan),  only  30^  Z'^'^'^'f  ^^  observe  ("iDti') 
the  law,  &c.,  only  16^^  35^^;  or  never,  as  "i^Nn  {prolong  or  be 
long,  of  days),  to  observe  to  do,  to  observe  and  do,  gates,  repre- 
senting cities  (possibly  once,  Jer.  14^) :  Dt.  moreover  has 
characteristic  epithets  of  God,  which  Jer.  avoids,  as  K:p  4^*  5^ 
615,  Q^pj-|  ^6\^  p^^  yo^  j^-|^j  y2i  jo^^^  p^2X  k^'wS*  42-*  9^.  Further, 
in  Dt.  23^5  is  greatly  preferred  to  2^  (p-  Ixxxvii) ;  Jer.  prefers  3^ 
(57  times  +Jer.  51^)  to  33^  (7  times);  in  Dt.  the  term,  p-  of 
the  2nd  and  3rd  pi.  impf.  is  very  frequent  (56  times),  in  Jer.  it  is 
rare  (5  times) :  in  Dt.  ''3JN  preponderates  almost  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  'jx  (p.  Ixxxvii),  in  Jer.  *3X  (54  times)  is  more  frequent 
than  ''33X  (37  times).  On  the  other  hand,  Jer.  shows  a  fondness 
for  many  expressions  not  found  in  Dt.,  as  ^]}  "ipD  to  visit  up07i 
[punish),  incline  the  ear  [L.O.T.  p.  2^S),  Jehovah  of  Hosts,  the 
sivord,  the  pestilence,  and  the  famine  [ib.  ',  not  so  even  in  Dt. 
28),  &c.  Jeremiah's  style  is  moreover  less  chaste  and  correct 
than  that  of  Dt. :  he  also  frequently  adopts  a  lyric  strain, 
which  is  never  the  case  in  Dt.  As  Jer.'s  authorship  of  Dt.  is 
not  maintained  by  critics,  further  illustrations  of  the  difference 
of  his  style  will  be  superfluous  :  the  reader  who  is  interested  in 
the  subject  may  refer  to  Kleinert,  pp.  185-190,  235;  Cheyne, 
Jeremiah,  p.  81  f. ;  and  esp.  to  J.  L.  Konig's  Alttest.  Stiidien 
(ii),  1839  (whose  painstaking  collection  of  materials  contains, 
however,  much  that  is  irrelevant,  and  needs  careful  sifting). 

*  The  Pe7itateuch,    &c.,    iii.  618,  vii.   225-227,   and   App.    pp.   85-110 
(where  a  large  number  of  parallels  are  transcribed). 


LITKRARY    INFLUENCE    OF    DEUTERONOMY         XCV 

The  text  of  Deuteronomy,  except  in  a  few  passages  of 
c.  32.  33,  has  been  preserved  in  remarkable  purity,  and 
presents  none  of  the  problems  which  arise,  for  instance,  in 
connexion  with  the  books  of  Samuel,  Jeremiah,  or  Ezekiel. 
It  admits,  however,  occasionally  of  correction  by  the  aid  of 
the  Ancient  Versions  :  the  passag-es  in  which  this  is  the  case 
will  be  found  noted  in  the  Commentary. 


COMMENTARY. 


I.  1-5.  Historical  lilt rodtLct ion. 

I.  1-5.  Introduction,  specifying  the  place  and  time  at  whicn 
the  discourses  following  were  delivered. — 1.  All  Isnicl\  an 
expression  much  used  in  Dt.,  and  the  Deuteronomic  sections 
of  Joshua.  It  occurs,  as  here,  after  a  verb  of  addressing-,  5^ 
2y9  29^  31^  32*5  Jos.  232 ;  with  before  the  eyes  of  (or  before) 
2i7. 11  2^1  Jos.  3'' 4^^  ;  as  subject  of  a  verb  13^2  2121  ^jH  Jqs. 
317  7-24. 25  815.  21. 24. 33  ^^xb.  29. 31. 34.  30. 38. 43  •  rather  differently  (with 
from  or  in  the  midst  of)  Dt.  ii^  i8".  It  is  not  so  used  besides 
in  the  Hex.,  Ex.  18-'^  (\v\X\\  from)  Nu.  \6''^  (followed  by  the 
limiting-  clause  cn^nn"'3D  i^'X)  being  both  different. — Beyond 
fordiui\  i.e.  on  the  E.  side  of  Jordan,  from  the  standpoint  of 
W.  Palestine.  So  i^  38  4^1-  ^o.  47.  49^  See  more  fully  on  this 
expression  in  the  Introduction,  §  4. — In  the  wilderness,  in  the 
' Ardbah,  in  front  of  Siiph,  between  Paran  (on  the  one  hand) 
and  Tophel  and  Laban  and  Hazerotli  and  Di-zaJiab  (on  the 
other)]  these  words  occasion  difficulty.  On  the  one  hand, 
from  the  position  which  they  occupy,  it  seems  natural  to  sup- 
pose that  they  are  intended  to  define  more  particularly  the 
exact  spot  "beyond  Jordan"  where  Moses  delivered  the  dis- 
courses which  follow  ;   on  the  other  hand,  the  names  are  other- 

I.  1.  '^'ic]  only  here,  for  the  normal  ^'a,  j^erhaps  for  the  s:ike  of  dissimila- 
tion from  the  following-  "i^D. — .  .  .  1  .  .  .  1  .  .  .  i  '?2n  pai  pNr  pu]  the  rend,  j^iven 
abo%-e  is  the  only  one  which  .'iccords  with  Hebrew  usage,  "between  .  .  . 
and  "  being-  expressed  regularly  by  p3i  .  .  .  J'a  (or  "?  .  .  .  p^),  but  not  by 
1  .  .  .  J'3.  The  supposition  that  3  in  is  to  be  carried  on  in  thought  from 
nmv::,  and  understood  before  nnr'ni  niTim  p'?  is  not  probable ;  Hebrew 
idiom,  in  such  cases,  repeals  the  preposition. 
I 


2  DEUTERONOMY 

wise  unknown  as  those  of  places  situated  in  that  locality, 
while  at  least  three  of  them  occur  in  connexion  with  the  earlier 
period  of  the  Israelites'  w^andering-s  (Suph  in  the  Heb.  name 
of  the  Red  Sea,  "  Sea  of  Suph,"  Paran  Nu.  lo^'^al.y  Hazt^roth 
Nu.  11^5  33^^')'  Accordingly  many  efforts  have  been  made  by 
commentators  to  refer  the  names  to  the  earlier  period  of  the 
forty  years'  journeying-s. 

Knobel  supposed  that  tlie  verse  was  retrospective,  referring-  to  the  various 
communications  made  by  Moses  to  the  people,  and  recorded  in  Ex.-Nu. 
This  interpretation  is  possible,  so  far  as  the  usage  of  nVx  /hese  is  concerned 
(which  may  point  indifferently  backwards,  Nu.  36'*,  or  forwards,  Dt.  12'), 
but  improbable,  in  view  of  the  position  which  the  verse  occupies  at  the 
beginning  of  a  new  book,  and  in  view  also  of  the  fact  that  none  of  the 
places  mentioned  are  named  in  the  preceding  narrative  in  connexion  with 
the  promulgation  of  laws  to  the  people.  It  is  indeed  insisted  by  Klost. 
{Pent  p.  131)  that  Knobel's  view  of  nVx  is  the  only  one  consistent  with  the 
context ;  but  this  opinion  depends  upon  a  very  questionable  explanation 
of  the  v.  as  a  whole  (ib.  p.  130).  Schultz  and  Keil,  treating  likewise  the 
names  as  those  of  places  passed  by  the  Israelites  in  the  earlier  stages  of 
their  wanderings,  supposed  that  the  words  were  meant  to  describe  the 
country  on  the  opposite  side  of  Jordan,  in  contrast  to  the  land  of  promise, 
as  pari  of  the  same  great  wilderness,  conceived  as  a  kind  of  ideal  unity, 
which  the  Israelites  entered  after  crossing  the  Red  Sea  (Ex.  15'-") ;  but 
this  explanation  is  very  forced  and  artificial :  it  is  not  credible  that  the 
writer,  if  such  a  thought  had  been  in  his  mind,  would  have  so  expressed  him- 
self as  to  idenfijy  localities  altogether  distinct.  Nor  was  Hengstenberg's 
explanation  [B  ilea  in,  p.  221  ff.)  more  probable.  Di.  conjectures  that  v."*'' 
is  a  fragment  of  D's  itinerary  of  the  Israelites,  prefixed  by  the  compiler  of 
Dt.  to  the  discourses  of  Moses,  and  afterwards,  as  further  changes  were 
introduced  into  the  text,  abbreviated  by  the  omission  of  what  was  already 
known  from  the  narrative  of  Ex.-Nu.  But  it  does  not  seem  probable  that 
the  description  of  a  route  would  be  so  altered  as  to  become  (what  v.^'' 
manifestly  is)  the  description  of  a  locality.  None  of  these  explanations 
can  therefore  be  said  to  be  satisfactory. 

/;/  tlie  ivil(k'nicss\  an  indeterminate  expression,  which  may 
denote  either  the  wilderness  of  the  wanderings,  between  the 
Sinaitic  peninsula  and  the  South  of  Canaan,  or  the  wilderness 
on  the  East  of  Moab  (Nu.  21"- 13  Dt.  281-  cf.  4'^).  But  the 
term  must  be  used  somewhat  inexactly,  if  it  be  applied  to 
a  locality  in  the  "'Ardbah"  (see  the  next  note)  on  the  U\'st 
of  Moab. — The  'Anida//]  this  geographical  term  occurs  here  in 
the  OT.  for  the  first  time.  It  denotes  (cf.  RV.  ina/'g.)  the  deep 
depression  through  which  the  Jordan  flows,  in  which  the  Dead 


I-  »  3 

Sea  is  situate,  and  which  is  prolonged  S.  of  this  to  the  Gulf 
of  'Akabah.      At  present   the   northern  part  of  this  valley  is 

called  el-GJior  (  ..n]^),  i.e.  tlie  Hollow  or  Depression ;  but  the 
southern  part,  from  a  line  of  chalk  clifts  which  sweep  across  it 
about  6  miles  S.  of  the  lower  end  of  the  Dead  Sea,  still  retains 
the  ancient  name  of  the  whole,  the  WCtdv  (or  Valley:  see  on 

2^-^)  cl- Ariibah  (I,  .JO-  Those  who  refer  v."' to  the  earlier 
stages  of  the  Israelites'  wanderings,  suppose  naturally  this 
southern  part  of  the  'Ar;ibah  to  be  here  meant  (as  is 
certainly  the  case  in  2'^) ;  but  the  term  may  denote  with 
equal  propriety  the  Jordan-valley  North  of  the  Dead  Sea 
(as  i7  iiso  I  s.  232-1  a/.). 

See  further  011  llie  'Ai;ibali,  Robinson,  BR.  ii.  ii3ff.,  183  flf.,  Hi.  333-5; 
Ges.  Thes.  s.v.  nmy ;  SniiUi,  DB.  s.v.  ;  S.  &  P.  pp.  84f.,487f. ;  Trislram, 
Lmid  of  Israel  (ed.  4),  pp.  217  f.,  234,  320-4,  446;  J.  W.  Dawson,  Egypt 
and  Syria,  chap,  v.;  and  esp.  Prof.  Edw.  Hull's  Mount  Selr,  Sinai,  and 
IV.  Palestine  (1S89),  pp.  75  tT.,  104  ff.,  108  ff.,  i78ff.  The  Ghor  is  a  valley, 
the  floor  of  which  consists  largely  of  alluvial  deposit,  flanked  on  each  side 
by  ranges  of  hills,  2000  feet  or  more  in  elevation,  and  varying  in  breadth 
from  2-3  to  14  miles  across  (Conder,  Tent  Work  in  Palestine,  chap.  xiv.). 
The  floor  of  the  Ghor,  in  the  plain  of  Jericho,  consists  of  a  series  of 
plateaux,  descending  by  stages  to  the  Jordan,  which  can  only  have  been 
deposited  by  the  agency  of  water ;  the}^  are  thus  an  indication  that  the 
Jordan  was  once  a  much  larger  and  deeper  stre.'im  than  it  is  at  present, 
and,  in  fact,  that  during  the  glacial  period  it  formed  a  great  inland  sea, 
extending  from  Lake  Huleh  on  the  N.  to  the  ridge  of  Samrat  Fiddan 
(Hull,  pp.  100 f.,  180-3),  which  crosses  the  present  A\'ady-el-'Arabah  about 
30  miles  S.  of  the  Dead  Sea  (but  ?tot  communicating  with  the  Red  Sea). 
The  general  character  of  the  Wady-el-'Arabah  is  that  of  a  desolate  and 
arid  valley,  from  4  to  15  miles  across,  bounded  on  the  E.  by  ranges  of 
porphyr}-  and  granite  (in  the  midst  of  which  are  nestled  the  fertile  glens 
and  vallejs  which  formed  the  ancient  Edom),  and  on  the  W.  by  the  sterile 
cliffs  of  sandstone  and  limestone,  rising  to  a  height  of  some  1500  feet  above 
the  floor  of  the  depression,  which  form  the  abrupt  margin  of  the  Tih  (pp. 
4,  20)  plateau.  See  the  excellent  geological  map  in  Prof.  Hull's  Geology 
and  Geography  of  Palestine  (Pal.  Expl.  Society),  1886. 

In  front  of  SicpJi\  perhaps  the  same  as  Suphah  Nu.  2ii'*, 
which  must  have  been  in  the  neig-hbourhood  of  Moab,  though 
the  exact  site  is  unknown.  G}-)©  treat  Suph  as  abbreviated 
for  "  the  Sea  of  Suph,"  i.e.  the  Red  Sea;  but  this  abbreviation 
is  not  found  elsewhere;  nor,  as  the  name  "Sea  of  Suph" 
appears  to  be  derived,  not  from  a  locality  "Suph,"  but  from 


i 


4  DEUTERONOMY 

the  reedy  growth,  called  by  the  Hebrews  supJi,  with  which  the 
Red  Sea  abounded,  can  it  be  said  to  be  a  probable  one.  The 
pass,  Nakb-es-Safa,  some  25  miles  WSW.  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
suggested  by  Knob.,  is  unsuitably  situated;  nor  does  the 
name  agree  phdnetically  (for  ^  corresponds  to  V,  not  to  c). — 
Between  Paran  and  Tophel,  fr'c.]  the  "wilderness  of  Paran  " 
(Gn.  2i2i  Nu.  1012  12I"  133.20  I  s.  25^  [MT.]t),  so  far  as  can 
be  judged,  corresponds  generally  with  what  is  now  called  the 
wilderness  oi  et-Ti/i,  the  bare  and  elevated  table-land  of  lime- 
stone, bounded  on  the  S.  by  the  mountains  of  the  Sinaitic 
peninsula,  on  the  E.  by  the  'Arabah  and  the  north  end  of  the 
Gulf  of 'Akabah,  on  the  W.  by  the  wilderness  of  Shur,  and  on 
the  N.  by  the  wilderness  of  Zin  (IV)  and  the  south  of  Judah 
{S.  &  P.  p.  7);  Rob.  BR.  i.  177  f.;  Palmer,  Desert  of  the 
Exodus,  p.  284(1.).  The  site  of  Paran  (i  K.  ii^^:  cf.  ps3  in 
Dt.  332  Hab.  3'^),  from  which  this  wilderness  derives  its  name, 
is,  however,  unknown :  the  Wady  Feiran,  near  Jebel  Serbal, 
which  has  been  suggested,  seems  to  be  too  much  secluded  by 
intervening  mountains  from  the  great  plateau  itself  to  have 
given  it  its  name.  From  i  K.  11  ^"f  it  may  be  inferred  that 
Paran  lay  between  Midian  and  Egypt.  If,  however,  the 
present  verse  describes  the  scene  of  Moses'  discourse  in  the 
territory  of  Moab,  a  different  Paran  altogether,  not  otherwise 
known,  will,  of  course,  be  intended. — TopJiel\  this  has  been 
generally  identified  with  et-Tu/ile,  a  large  village  situated  in 
a  well-watered  valley  on  the  route  from  Kerak  to  Petra,  about 
15  miles  SSE.  of  the  Dead  Sea  (Rob.  BR.  ii.  167;  Biid.  191). 
But  the  t  (1?)  does  not  correspond  phonetically ;  and  the  identi- 
fication depends  upon  the  assumption  that  some  halting-place 
belonging  to  the  period  of  the  forty  years'  wanderings  is 
referred  to. — iMhun  and  flazcroth^  if  places  in  the  Israelites' 
wanderings  are  meant,  these  may  be  identical  with  Libnah  and 
Hazcroth,  Nu.  332**-^'^.  The  site  of  Libnah  is  not  known. 
Hazc-roth  (also  Nu.  ii-^^)  is  usually  identified  with  'Ain-el- 
Hudra,  about  half-way  between  Sinai  and  'Akabah  (Rob.  i. 
151  ;  Ew.  ii.  191  ;  &c.).  Otherwise  the  names  will  denote 
localities,  not  elsewhere  mentioned,  in  Moab. — Di-sahab] 
the  name  suggests  some  place  productive  of  gold  (hence   ffit 


Karaxpro-eay  It  has  been  identified  by  Burckhardt,  Svna 
(1822),  p.  523,  Knobel,  and  others  with  Mina-ed-Dhahab,  "as 
Vollers  tells  me  from  local  information,  the  third  of  seven 
boat-harbours  between  the  Ras  Muhammad  and  'Akaba  "  (W. 
R.  Smith,  MS.  note),  nearly  due  E.  of  Jebel  Musa.  It  is 
objected  by  Keil  that  Mina-ed-Dhahab  is  too  inaccessible  on 
the  side  of  Sinai  for  the  Israelites  to  have  made  it  one  of  their 
hahing--places  ;  he  consequently  considers  the  name  to  be  that 
of  a  place,  otherwise  unknown,  in  the  desert  of  the  wanderings. 
Upon  the  view  that  the  verse  is  descriptive  of  a  locality  in  Moab, 
the  name  will,  of  course,  be  that  of  an  undetermined  site  in 
that  neig^hbourhood. — It  results  from  what  has  been  said  that 
v.i''  presents  difllculties  which,  in  the  present  state  of  our 
knowledge,  do  not  admit  of  a  satisfactory  solution.  Inter- 
preted in  their  obvious  sense,  the  words  define  (otherwise  than 
is  done  in  2~^  4^*')  the  locality  East  of  Jordan  in  which  the 
following-  discourses  were  delivered.  It  is  some  objection  to 
this  view  that,  as  has  been  said,  the  names  are  not  otherwise 
known  as  belonging-  to  this  neighbourhood,  while  at  least 
some  of  them  do  occur  as  those  of  places  passed  by  the 
Israelites  during-  their  wandering-s.  But  in  the  position  in 
which  the  clause  now  stands  it  seems  impossible,  if  the  latter 
reference  be  adopted,  to  interpret  it,  as  a  whole,  in  any 
satisfactory  or  intellig;ible  sense.  It  is  not  improbable  that 
the  words,  from  some  cause  or  other,  have  been  transplanted 
from  their  orig-inal  context. 

2.  //  z's  eleven  days,  drc.^  the  words  convey  an  approxim- 
ate idea  of  the  distance  from  Horeb,  the  scene  of  the  delivery 
of  the  Law,  to  Kadesh-barnea',  on  the  S.  border  of  the 
Promised  Land.  The  time  specified  agrees  with  the  narra- 
tives of  modern  travellers  :  Robinson,  for  instance,  travelling- 
in  1S38  from  Jebel  Mfisa  to  'Akabah,  and  hence  across  the 
desert  to  the  neig-hbourhood  of'Ain  Kadis,  occupied  exactly 

2.  am  n]  the  name  is  curious.  Tlic  n  (if  correct)  suggests  at  once  the 
oblique  case  of  ,j  possessor  of  (oftcw  in  names  of  both  persons  and  places); 
but  it  is  not  apparent  how  an  Arabic  i,_  ,,_■■.>  ,j  should  be  expressed  in 
Hebrew  by  am  n,  the  j  being  represented  difierently  in  the  two  parts  of 


th 


e  name. 


6  DEUTERONOMY 

II  days  on  the  journey  [BR.  ii.  565-7).  The  distance  would 
be  about  160-70  miles. — Horcb]  the  name  given  uniformly  in 
Dt.  (except  in  the  Blessing^  332)  to  Sinai  (Dt.  12.6.19410.1552 
98  18'"  28''^;  comp.  I  K.  8^=2  Ch.  5^0,  in  a  Deuteronomic 
passage):  elsewhere  only  Ex.  3^  17*'  33''  (all  apparently  E) ; 
I  K.  19^  Mai.  3^2  Ps.  106^^1.  No  topographical  distinction 
is  traceable  between  Horeb  and  Sinai;  they  are  " different 
names  of  the  same  locality,  interchanging  only  according  to 
different  writers,  or,  as  in  Sir.  48",  in  the  parallel  members  of 
the  same  verse"  (Dillm.  on  Ex.  3^). — hy  way  of  Mount  Sc  ir^ 
or,  perhaps,  by  the  Mount  Seir  Road.  The  words  define  the 
particular  route  from  Horeb  to  Kadesh  intended  by  the  writer. 
There  are  three  main  roads  leading  from  Sinai  to  Palestine ; 
and  the  easternmost  of  these,  passing  by  el-'Ain  and  the  well 
el-Themed,  and  approaching  the  mountains  of  Se'ir,  might 
well  be  called  the  "Mount  Se'ir  Road"  (Trumbull,  Kadesh- 
bamca,  76 ff.;  Rob.  BR.  i.  igSf.,  601  ff.).  The  expression 
Moiiftt  Seir — or  rather  (collectively)  the  Mountains  of  Sc'ir — is 
a  common  one  {2^-^  Gn.  32^  2>^^aL):  it  denotes  the  moun- 
tainous region,  E.  of  the  'Arabah,  in  which  Edom  proper  lay 
{DB.  S.V.). — Kndcsh-harncd\  v.^^  2^*  9-'  Nu.  32^  34*  Jos.  lo'*' 
146-  7  15^1:  the  fuller  name  of  the  place  elsewhere  called  simply 
Kadesh  (v.^**  32^1  Nu.  132c  20^- 1*- 1*^-  22 «-/.).  Kadesh-barnea'  was 
placed  by  Rob.  (ii.  175,  194)  at  'Ain-el-Wcibeh,  on  the  W. 
edge  of  the  'Ardbah,  35  miles  S.  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and  22-3 
miles  NW.  of  Mount  Hor ;  the  Rev.  J.  Rowlands,  how- 
ever, in  1842  (Williams,  Holy  City,  i.  464 ff.),  identified  it 
with  'Ain-Kadi's,  about  45  miles  W.  of  'Ain-el-Weibeh,  and 
50  miles  S.  of  Beer-sheba'.  The  site  was  lost  for  many 
years,  till  it  was  rediscovered  by  Trumbull  in  1S81  [Kadcsh- 
bamea,  pp.  238-275),  and  the  identification  is  now  generally 
accepted. 

The  spriiisf  (cf.  Nu.  20^')  lies  in  a  recess  of  a  low  limestone  liill-ranq-e,  in 
the  midst  of  the  arid  stone-covered  waste.  At  the  foot  of  a  larye  mass  of 
rock  standing'  out  from  this  range,  flows  an  abundant  stream,  fertilising- 
the  soil  around,  and  forming  a  veritable  oasis  in  the  desert,  until  after 
running  300-400  j-ards  it  loses  itself  in  the  sand.  About  the  stream 
fig-trees,  shrubs,  and  flowers  flourish  in  profusion  ;  and  a  carpet  of  grass 
covers  the  ground  (Trumbull,  272-5). 


I.   3-4  7 

3.  In  the  fortieth  year,  &■'€?[  this  verse  fixes  the  date  when  the 
following  discourses  were  delivered.  Originally,  as  can  hardly 
be  doubted,  it  formed  part  of  the  narrative  of  P  (who  alone, 
of  the  Pentateuchal  writers,  reckons  by  months  and  days,  or 
uses  the  expression  "icy  \TL'y  [see  below]),  being  designed  as 
an  introduction  to  the  summary  account  which  that  narrative 
appears  once  to  have  contained  of  Moses'  final  communications 
to  the  people,  and  being  followed,  almost  immediately,  by 
Dt.  32^5-^2  (notice  "on  this  self-same  day,"  v.''^  i.e.  on  the  day 
specified  in  i^).  It  will  have  been  adapted  here,  by  the  final 
redactor  of  the  Pent.,  for  the  purpose  of  adjusting  Dt.  to  the 
scheme  of  P  (Wellh.  Hist.  384  f.).  For  the  general  reference 
of  the  Deut.  legislation  to  Jehovah,  cf.  528(31)61. — 4.  After  he  had 
smitten  Sihon,  &'c.\  Nu.  212I-22I  (JE).  The  victories  of  Israel 
over  Sihon  and  'Og  are  a  favourite  subject  of  reference  with 
the  Deuteronomic  writers  :  cf.  not  only  2^^^-  3I"",  but  also  4^"'^- 
29'f  31*  Jos.  210  910  122-6  1310-12  (all  D2).  The  phrase  1^?3  pn^D 
}n"'ra  aci"  "lt^'S  """irosn  (so  32  4*6),  as  Nu.  2 1^'^.  Heshbon,thecapital 
of  Sihon  (now  Hesban),  was  about  14  miles  E.  of  the  north  end 
of  the  Dead  Sea :  it  was  afterwards  one  of  the  cities  assigned 
to  Reuben  (Jos.  13^").  See  further  on  2-'^.  'Og  in  Nu.  2\^'^ 
is  styled  simply  the  "king  of  Bashan  " ;  but  in  Jos.  i2'*  (D2) 
he  is  described  further  as  ^j;-ns3"l  miD'Cyn  X"Vn,  "who  dwelt 
in  'Ashtaroth  andm.  Edre'i "  (cf.  13^2  "who  reigned  in  'A.  and 
E.";  13^^).  As  the  text  stands,  in  Edrei  must  be  construed 
with  smote  (ini2n),  and  the  sense  thus  obtained  would  be  in 
agreement  with  the  fact  (Nu.  ai^s'-^Dt.  3^''):  at  the  same 
time,  in  view  of  Jos.  12^,  it  is  very  possible  that  (SU  are  right 
in  reading  "who  dwelt  in  'A.  and  in  E."  Edre'i  appears  to 
have  been  the  second  royal  city  of  Bashan ;  'Ashtaroth  is 
named  also  as  the  residence  of 'Og  in  Jos.  ^^^. 

3.  -\vj  'ncy  (not  nry  nnx,  as  v.^)  for  "eleven,"  as  Ex.  se''-*  (  =  36^''-'"') 
Nu.  7''-  29-"  (all  P).  ^T\wj  is  a  word  used  chiefly  in  the  later  Hebrew : 
2  K.  25-  (  =  Jer.  52-')  Jer.  i^  39-  Ez.  26^  40'"'  Zech.  i^  i  Ch.  12'^  24^-  25^^ 
2-14.  i4.|._ — ,nj(  ',  n,^  ^^j^  ij33j  as  Ex.  3g32. 43  40"*;  and  without  Sd  Nu.  3''^ 
1726  27-2,  and  often  with  ni^-n  nx  for  wn,  as  Nu.  i>»  2^^  3"  S*-^^  &c.  (all  P). 
For  the  addition  crhn  imlo  them,  cf.  Ex.  6^*  25-^  (both  P). — 4.  'ui  nnx] 
it  is  best  to  understand  a  colon  at  the  end  of  v.'*,  and  to  construe  v.* 
with  V.'. 


8  DEUTERONOMY 

Tlic  modern  name  of  Edrc'i  is  AV/rcV?/— abbrc\  iatcd  to  Dcr'ut  and  Dera 
—  on  the  Southern  border  of  Bashan  (3'- '"),  about  30  miles  E.  of  the  Sea  of 
Tiberias,  and  30  miles  \V.  of  the  Hauran  ranj^^e  (the  Jebel  Uauran).  For  a 
description  of  the  ruins,  and  of  the  remarkable  underground  dwellings 
beneath  them,  see  Wetzstein,  Reisebericht  iiber  Haiiran  und  die  TracJwnen, 
i860,  p.  47  f.;  Schumacher,  Across  the  Jordan,  pp.  121-147.  'Ashtaroth  (in 
form,  the  plural  of  'Ash/ore/h,  the  name  of  the  Canaanitish  goddess)  was 
no  doubt  an  ancient  and  prominent  seat  of  'Ashtoreth  worship.  It  is  gener- 
ally identified  with  Tell  'Ashtere;  a.  mound  or  hill  about  15  miles  X\V.  of 
Der'at,  with  remains  of  walls,  built  of  massive  unhewn  stones  (Schumacher, 
I.e.  209  f.;  Merrill,  East  of  Jordan,  3290".;  Riehm,  HWB."  148;  Dillm.  on 
Gn.  14^;  &c.),  though  according  to  Eusebius  {Onom.  ed.  Lagarde,  p.  213) 
its  distance  from  Edre'i  was  not  more  than  6  miles. 

5.  In  /lie  land  of  Moab]  so  28''^  32'*''  34'^- ''.  P  says  always 
3SV0  nmy  (see  on  34!). — Set  himself  to  expound  (1X3  P'Si'i)]  on 
both  these  words  see  below.  Declare  (AV.,  RV.)  is  used  in  the 
old  and  etymolog-ical  sense  of  the  word,  to  7nake  clear,  i.e.  to 
explain  or  expound  ((5  Siao-a^T/o-at,  U  explanare).  "The  title 
of  Pilking"ton's  Commentary  on  Hag"g"ai  (1560)  is  '  Ag'g'eus 
the  Prophete,  declared  by  a  larg"e  Commentarye ' "  (W.  A. 
Wright,  Bible  Word-Book,  s.v.^. — This  laii^  the  supposition 
that  this  expression  refers  to  the  laws  contained  in  Ex.-Nu. 
stands  on  the  same  footing"  with  the  false  idea  that  Dt.  is  a 
"recapitulation"  of  the  three  preceding-  books  of  the  Penta- 
teuch. In  point  of  fact,  not  only  cannot  the  g^reater  part  of 
the  laws  contained  in  these  books  be  said,  in  any  sense,  to  be 
"  declared  "or  "  expounded  "  in  Dt.,  but  the  legislation  of  Dt. 
includes  many  provisions  not  found  in  these  books  at  all.  The 
expression  recurs  4^  (cf.  ^^)  1718-19  27^^- »•  26  sS'^s.  ci  292S(-'u)  31O.  11. 
12.24  32"'-  (cf.  this  hook  of  the  law  2920(21)  30^0  3120  Jqs.  jS),  and 
reg"ularly  denotes  the  code  of  hno  embodied  in  Dt.,  the  exposition 
of  which  is  the  primary  object  of  the  discourses  which  follow. 
The  laws  of  which  this  code  consists  are  not,  as  a  rule,  stated 
with    abstract,    naked    brevity ;    they    are    accompanied    with 

5.  V'NinJ  the  idea  expressed  by  the  word  is  to  resolve,  take  upon  oneself, 
set  oneself, — whether  as  opposed  to  internal  reluctance  or  diffidence  (Gn. 
i8'"'"),  or  to  external  opposition  (Jud.  i-"-^'').  The  rend,  "began"  (AV., 
RV.)  is  weak  and  inadequate.  The  constr.  nxa  ^'Kin,  exactly  as  Hos.  5''  : 
see  G-K.  §  120.  2*^,  Ew.  §  285'',  or  the  writer's  note  on  i  S.  2^ — 1x5]  cf.  27^ 
Hab.  2-  (to  "make  plain,"  of  writing).  In  post-Biblical  Hebrew,  nxs  is 
common  in  the  sense  explain,  TiN'?  being  an  exposition,  or  commentary. 


1.5  9 

hortatory   introductions    and    comments;    i.e.    they   are    "ex- 
pounded" or  "explained." 

I.  6-1 V.  40.   A  loses  First  Discottrse. 

This  discourse  consist  of  two  parts,  the  first  (i^-S"'^)  com- 
prising- a  review  of  the  principal  incidents  which  had  taken 
phice  between  the  Israelites'  departure  from  Horeb  and  their 
arrival  at  "the  ravine  in  front  of  Beth-Pe'or,"  in  the  land  of 
Moab  ;  and  the  second  (4^"^*^)  consisting^  of  an  eloquent  practical 
appeal  addressed  to  the  nation,  urg^ing-  it,  as  the  condition  of 
its  prosperity,  not  to  forg-et  the  g-reat  truths  of  the  spirituality 
of  Jehovah,  and  of  His  sole  and  exclusive  Godhead,  impressed 
upon  it  at  Horeb. — On  the  question  whether  this  discourse 
is  by  the  same  hand  as  the  body  of  Dt.  (c.  5-26.  28),  see  the 
Introduction,  §  4. 

(i.)  I.  6-III.  29.  Introductory  Retrospect.  —  The  retrospect 
begins  by  recalling-  to  the  Israelites'  memory  how  they  had 
been  divinely  commanded  to  break  up  from  Horeb,  and 
advance  to  take  possession  of  the  Promised  Land  (i^-^)  ;  how 
thereupon,  the  arrang-ements  for  the  administration  of  justice 
having-  been  first  of  all,  at  Moses'  sugg-estion,  remodelled  and 
improved  (i*^'^^),  the  nation  crossed  the  desert  and  arrived  at 
Kadesh-barnea'  (i^^);  and  how,  in  consequence  of  the  events 
which  there  took  place,  the  Israelites  were  condemned  to 
wander  for  an  entire  g-eneration  in  the  wilderness  (i^o-^c). 
After  this,  the  narrative  recounts  the  Israelites'  circuit  of  the 
lands  of  Edom  and  Moab  (2I-25),  their  conquest  of  Sihon  and 
'Og-,  and  the  division  of  their  territory  among-  the  2],  tribes 
(2"^*^-3^"),  the  obligation  laid  upon  these  tribes  to  assist  their 
brethren  in  the  conquest  of  Canaan  (3^^"^^),  and  the  confirma- 
tion of  Joshua's  nomination  (i^s)  as  Moses'  successor  in  the 
leadership  of  the  people  (3^^"^*').  The  narrative  is  so  told  as 
to  explain,  in  particular,  how  it  happened  (i)  that  Israel  did 
not  effect  an  entrance  into  Canaan  from  the  South  ;  (2)  that 
Edom,  Moab,  and  the  'Ammonites  remained  as  neig-hbours  of 
the  Israelites,  while  the  territory  of  Sihon  and  'Og-  was  occupied 
by    them.      In    this    retrospect    the    narrative    is    throughout 


10  DEUTERONOMY 

dependent  upon  that  of  JE  in  Exodus  and  Numbers,  and 
phrases  are  frequently  borrowed  verbatim  from  it.  The  follow- 
ing- tables  will,  it  is  hoped,  assist  the  reader  to  understand  the 
relation  in  which  the  retrospect  of  Dt.  stands  to  the  earlier 
narrative  of  JE.  The  number  of  cases  is  remarkable  in  which, 
while  there  is  a  coincidence  in  language,  the  passage  quoted 
does  not  describe  the  same  event,  but  is  borrowed  yVow  another 
part  of  the  narrative;  these  are  indicated  in  the  tables  by  a 
parenthesis.  In  the  passages  to  which  "Cf."  is  prefixed,  the 
correspondence  is  not  verbal. 

Dt.  i'*  .   .   .   .  (Xii.  14-^  03*?  U'01  "3.) 

"''....  (Nil.  ii"nin  DJM  '?3  nx  nxrS  nn^  '2:x  "^iiix  nV.) 

'-    ....  (Xu.  ii^^'^-nn'?  nnx  niiti  n"?!  cj''1  NwS^  -nx  ixi^^i.) 

"••'  ....  Cf.  Ex.  i82'*. 

^^    ....  Ex.   18-*  D'csn  nc  m.sa  na"  d'3^n  ^~i-j  cyn  "jy  ccxi  cnx  jnn 

^"•^  .  .  .  .  Ex.  iS-'-^ncD  "jx  jix'n'  ncp.i  imn  nx. 
'8    .  .  .  .  Cf.  Ex.  24^-7. 

6-8.  How  the  Israelites,  having  completed  the  purpose  of 
their  sojourn  at  Horeb,  were  commanded  to  advance  and  take 
possession  of  the  land  promised  to  their  fathers. — 6.  Jehovah^ 
our  Goii\  23  times  in  Dt.  (c.  1-6,  and  c.  29) ;  elsewhere  in  the 
Pent,  only  Ex.  31s  5^  8'"'- 22- 23  iqS.o.  20  (all  JE).  The  same  ex- 
pression with  other  pronouns  (///)',  your)  is  still  more  frequent 
in  Dt.  (on  i-').  It  is  intended  to  emphasize  the  close  relation- 
ship subsisting  between  Israel  and  its  God, — a  relationship 
sealed  by  the  covenant  concluded  at  Horeb  (5^),  and  forming' 
the  ground  on  which  the  claim  to  Israel's  obedience  is  specially 
rented. — 7.  Turn  you,  and  take  your  jou?'ney]e^a.ctly  a.sNu.  1425, 
though  there  in  a  different  connexion,  viz.  in  the  command 
to  turn  back  from  Kadesh,  and  re-enter  the  wilderness. — The 
hill -country  of  the  Amorites]  v.^^- 20  (comp.  v.''*  Nu.  13-'-'). 
Amorite  is  here  used  as  the  general  designation  in  D  (as 
in  E)  of  the  pre-Israelitish  population  of  Canaan,  and  of  the 

6.  rii.T  nnn  nzv  oaV  3-1]  lit.  "the  dwelling- in  this  mountain  is  much  for  you," 
idiom,  for  "  is  too  much,  is  enough  "  ;  so  2'.  Elsewhere  an  inf.  with  ]D  follows 
{"than  that  ye  should  .  .  .")  i  K.  12^,  cf.  Ez,  44*  (in  both  these  cases, 
however,  the  o  after  02^  is  possibly  due  to  dittography)  Ex.  9^^.  Comp. 
ddS  an  (absolutely)  3-"  Nu.  i6''-^  Ez.  45^;  and  m  alone  2  S.  24'^  (=1  Ch. 
21'°)  I  K.  19''. — 7.  DJ^  ij'oi  133]  v.*^  ivai  Djh  i:3,  2'  5^^^  03*?  izv^:     The  reflexive 


I.  6-7  II 

territory  E.  of  Jordan  occupied  by  the  Israelites.  The  "hill- 
country  "  meant  (as  v.-°  shows)  is  more  particularly  the  S.  part 
of  the  high  ground  of  Canaan. 

Amorlte  is  used  (i)  Nu.  2i^'*-^,  and  frequently,  of  the  peoples  ruled 
bj'  Sihon  and  'Og-,  E.  of  Jordan,  conquered  by  the  Israelites  ;  (2)  as  the 
gfeneral  desigfnation  of  the  pre-Israelitish  population  of  the  territory  W.  of 
Jordan,  especially  in  the  Pent,  writers,  E  and  D,  and  occasionally  besides: 
as  thus  applied,  the  term,  though  possessing'  a  general  connotation,  may 
naturall}-  be  used  with  reference  to  the  inhabitants  of  a  particular  district  : 
Gn.  151"  48--'  Dt.  i''*  (•  nnn)  is*.  20M!7.  44*  Jqs.  ^7  (<Ai)  lo^  (Jerusalem,  Hebron, 
Jarnuith,  Lachish,  'Eglon)  **•■''  24^^  (read  with  (G  tivelve  for  tivo,  of  the 
kings  W.  of  Jordan)  i^- "*  (cf.  Am.  2"-!'^)  Jud.  !•■'*'• »«  (unless  'idn  be  here  an 
error  for  "Dix)  6^"  i  S.  7'''  2  S.  21"  (naxn  nn%  of  the  Gibe'onites)  i  K.  21*® 
2  K.  21^^;  cf.  On.  14^-  ^'^ ;  and  beside  the  Canaanites,  in  passag-es  where  the 
latter  term  seems  used  specially  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  sea-coast,  or  the 
Jordan-valley,  Nu.  13""'  Jos.  5^  13*  (text  dub.;  see  Di.),  perhaps  also  here  ; 
(3)  in  enumerations  of  the  nations  of  Canaan  (W.  of  Jordan)  dispossessed 
by  the  Israelites,  by  the  side  of  the  Canaanite,  Hittite,  &c.  (see  on  7^). 

Canaanite,  on  the  other  hand,  is  the  general  designation  of  the  pre- 
Israelitish  population  of  the  territory  W.  of  Jordan  preferred  by  J  :  D  and 
D-  (in  Jos.),  using-  "Amorite"  in  the  wider  sense  noticed  above,  show 
a  tendency  to  limit  "Canaanite"  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  sea-coast 
and  of  the  Jordan-vallej' :  (1)  Gn.  10^^  (extending-  from  Zidon  on  the  N.  to 
Gaza  on  the  S\V.,  and  to  Lesha' — i.e.  ace.  to  tradition,  Kallirrhoe,  E.  of 
the  Dead  Sea  —  on  the  SE. :  comp.  the  tribes  named  as  "sons"  of 
Canaan,  in  v.^^-is)  j^''  24^-37  5o'i  Ex.  13"  Nu.  13-9  14^5  (near  Kadesh)  ^^.45 
21^-^  {  —  2,2,^^  \  in  the  Ncgeb)  Dt.  \'  (see  p.  13  f.)  11^"  (in  the  'Aribah)  Jos.  5^ 
ii''  ("on  the  east,"  i.e.  in  the  'Aribah ;  "on  the  west,"  i.e.  on  the  Medit. 
Sea)  133-*  i6'»  (in  Gezer,  of  Ephraim  :  so  Jud.  i^a  i  K.  g'^)  if-^-^^-i^xn  the 
"land  of  the  vale"  pcy.T  pN3,  about  Beth-Shean  and  Jezreel)  ^^  Jud.  ii-3.9. 
10. 17. 27f.  29. 30. 32. 33  33.  ^f.  2  S.  24^  Nch.  9"^  (2)  it  occurs,  together  with 
Amorite,  Hittite,  &c.,  in  enumerations  of  the  nations  of  Canaan  (on  7^). 
If  the  passag-es  here  cited  be  examined  in  detail,  they  will  be  found,  it  is 
believed,  to  support  the  distinction  laid  down  above,  which  is  accepted 
generally  by  modern  -svriters  (cf.  Wellh.  Comp.  p.  341  f. ;  E.  Me3'er,  ZATW. 
1S81,  121  ff.,  I39ff.;  Budde,  Bibl.  Urgesch.  pp.  344-8;  Dillm.  on  Gn.  10^® 
Dt.  i^  and  pp.  617  f.,  626;   Delitzsch  on  Gn.  48-). 

S,  throwing  back  the  action  denoted  by  the  verb  upon  the  subject,  and 
referring  it,  as  it  were,  to  the  pleasure  or  option  of  the  agent,  gives  more 
or  less  pathetic  expression  to  {kvQ  perso7ial  feelings — the  satisfaction,  or  the 
interest,  or  the  promptitude — with  which  the  action  in  question  is  (or  is  to 
be)  accomplished.  The  idiom  is  most  common  with  the  ist  or  2nd  person 
(esp.  in  the  imper.),  but  is  found  also  with  the  3rd  pcrs.  It  is  used  not 
only  with  verbs  of  motion  (Gn.  12^  22-  27''^),  but  also  with  trans,  verbs  (see 
on  v.":  cf.  7>.r.  ^  5  h  ;  G-K.  §  1 19.  3^2).  yD3  is  properly  to  plitch  up  (the  pegs 
of  a  tent),  hence  to  journey  by  singes  :  cf.  VfO  stage  (of  a  journey),  Gn.  13' 
Ex.  17^  al.—V^z^  "73]  all  his  neighbours,  viz.  of  ncxn. 


12  DKUTERONOMY 

According  to  Sayce(  ffaces  o/f  he  OT.  1S91,  pp.  55f.,  loif.:  cf.  110-117), 
the  Tel-el-Amarna  tablets  show,  that  in  the  15th  cent.  B.C.  Amurra  {i.e. 
Amorite)  denotes  exchisively  the  inhabitants  on  the  Xorlh  of  Canaan 
(including-  Kadesh  on  the  Orontes),  while  Kimikhkhi,  which  is  said  to 
correspond  to  [v^^,  denotes  the  region  between  Gcbal  on  the  N.  and  the 
Philistines  on  the  S.  This,  however,  rel.atcs  to  a  period  long  anterior  to 
that  at  which  the  Biblical  records  were  composed  ;  and  in  the  interval,  the 
Amorites,  it  seems,  must  have  extended  themselves  Southwards,  and 
secured  a  footing-  in  "Canaan"  beside  the  Canaanitcs,  as  also  on  the  E. 
of  Jordan,  in  the  territory  ruled  by  Sihon  and  'Og.  From  the  Inscriptions 
of  Seti  I.  and  Ramses  III.  (Brug^sch,  Hist,  of  Eg.'-  ii.  I4f.,  154),  it  may  even 
perhaps  be  inferred  (Budde,  I.e.  p.  346 f.)  that  in  the  14th  cent.  B.C.  (see 
on  the  date  RP.-  vi.  148)  the  names  land  of  Amur  and  land  of  Kanuna 
were  already  used  intcrchang-eably  as  designations  of  Palestine. 

It  would  thus  seem,  so  far  as  can  be  judg-ed  from  the 
Biblical  and  other  data  at  present  at  our  disposal,  that 
"  Canaan,"  before  it  came  into  the  possession  of  the  Israelites, 
must  have  been  occupied  principally  by  two  tribes,  the 
Amorites  and  the  Canaanites,  each  sufliciently  numerous 
and  prominent  to  supply  a  designation  of  the  entire  country ; 
the  former,  it  may  perhaps  be  inferred,  resident  chiefly  in  the 
high  central  ground  of  Palestine,  the  latter  chiefly  in  the  lower 
districts  on  the  W.  and  E.*  From  a  survey  of  the  passages 
quoted,  it  appears,  further,  that,  as  Wellh.  {Comp.  p.  341) 
remarks,  while  the  Canaanites  are  often  alluded  to  as  still 
resident  in  the  land  in  the  age  of  the  Biblical  writers,  especially 
in  the  cities  of  the  plains  not  conquered  by  the  Israelites,  the 
Amorites  are  usually  referred  to  as  the  past  population  of 
Canaan,  expelled  by  the  Israelites,  and  as  such  are  invested 
with  semi-mythical  attributes,  and  described  as  giants  (cf. 
Am.  2^  Dt.  i-^). — The  'Anida/i]  see  on  v.^.  The  northern 
part,  the  modern  Ghor,  the  depression  containing  the  Jordan 
and  the  Dead  Sea,  is,  of  course,  here  meant.  —  The  Jiill-couiitn'^ 
the  elevated  ground  in  the  centre  of  Palestine,  especially 
Ephraim,  Benjamin,  and  Judah  (cf.  3-^). — The  lowland]  the 
Shephclah  (fem.  of  ?3'^'  low),  the  technical  designation  of  the 
low  hills  and  flat  valley  land  (G.  A.  Smith,  Historieal  Geography 

*  The  idea,  however,  which  is  often  put  forward,  that  "  Canaan  "  means 
etymologically  "  lowlander,"  is  destitute  of  philological  support,  in  either 
Hebrew  or  Arabic  ;  see  G.  F.  Moore,  American  Or.  Soc.  Proc.  1890,  pp. 
Ixvii  Ixx. 


I.  7  13 

of  the  Holy  Land,  p.  joi  IT.),  which  formed  the  W.  and  SW. 
portion  of  Juduh,  sloping-  down  towards  the  Mediterranean 
Sea,  and  extending^  from  Ajalon  and  Gimzo  (near  Lydda)  on 
the  N.  to  Lachish  (Tell-el-Hesy)  on  the  S.  The  extent  of  the 
Sheph^lah  may  be  inferred  from  the  cities  of  Judah  enumerated 
as  belong-ing-  to  it,  Jos,  i5''^-i'*.  The  soil  is  fertile;  and  it  has 
been  called  "the  corn-field  of  Palestine."  The  term  is  found, 
as  here,  in  descriptive  summaries  of  Palestine  (or  Judah),  Jos. 
9I  10^0  12S  Jer.  17215  32«  al.  Cf.  S.  &  P.  pp.  255  f.,  485  f., 
DB.  s.v.  Judah. — And  in  the  Soitth^  Heb.  the  "Neg'eb,"  i.e. 
the  southern  tract  of  Judah,  which  the  term  always  denotes 
when  printed  in  RV.  with  a  capital  S  (see  Gn.  12'''  RV.  Diarg.) ; 
this  is  another  technical  g-eographical  desig^nation,  denoting- 
"the  undulating-  pasture  country,  which  intervened  between 
the  hills  ("''^i^),  and  the  deserts  which  encompass  the  lower 
part  of  Palestine  "  {S.  &  P.  159  f.  ; '  -DB.  s.v.  Judah). 

The  Heb.  word  A'cgeb  is  derived  from  a  root  preserved  in  Aram,  and 
sigfnifying-  to  be  dry;  and  the  district  so  named,  though  not  entirely 
unprovided  with  water,  has,  speaking-  generally,  that  character.  The 
"  neg-eb  "  or  "  dry  land  "  of  Palestine  being-  on  the  South,  the  term  acquired 
(comp.  W.  R.  Smith,  OTJC^  p.  326)  the  general  sense  of  "south"  (Gn. 
13'-*,  &c.);  but  when  provided  with  the  art.  it  always  (except  Dan.  8" 
I  r''"^-)  denotes  the  special  locality  just  described.  The  cities  reckoned  as 
belonging-  to  the  Negeb  are  enumerated  in  Jos.  15"'"'^^  (comp.  the  expression 
"  cities  of  the  South,"  Jer.  13^^  32^^  33'''  Ob.-").  The  sites  of  many  of  these 
cities  are  uncertain,  or  unknown  ;  but  it  is  difficult  not  to  think  that 
Palmer,  Desert  of  the  Exodus,  p.  359  ff.,  is  disposed  unduly  to  extend  the 
Southern  limits  of  the  Neg^eb.  The  term  in  its  geographical  sense  occurs 
frequently,  e.g.  Gn.  20^  24''-  Nu.  I3'''-  --• ""  Jos.  lo'*"  1 1^*"  15'"  ('Achsah's  request 
of  Caleb,  illustrating-  the  general  aridity  of  the  region). 

And  on  the  sca-sJiorc\  cf.  Jos.  9^,  The  term  is  added  for  the 
purpose  of  embracing-  in  the  description  the  whole  of  the 
country  between  the  Jordan  and  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  But, 
no  doubt,  the  part  of  the  coast  specially  intended  is  that 
extending-  from  the  N.  end  of  the  Shephclah  towards  '  Acco 
and  the  Ladder  of  Tyre. — Tlie  land  of  the  Cauaanite^  1 1''"  Jos. 
5'  11''  13^  appear  to  show  that  D  and  D-  limited  the  term 
"Canaanite"  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  'Arabah,  and  of  the  N. 
part  of  the  Mediterranean  coast :  it  seems  probable,  therefore, 
that  the  "land  of  the  Canaanite  "  is  intended  here  not  to  be 


14  UKUTERONOMY 

synonymous  wilh  the  "land  of  Canaan"  generally,  but  to  be 
epexegetical  of  the  preceding'  "sea-shore"  (cf.  Jos.  13^). — 
Lebano>i\  included  similarly,  11-'  Jos.  i*  (D")- — Even  unto  the 
great  river,  the  river  Euphrates] :  the  same  ideal  limit  is 
assigned  to  the  territory  of  Israel  in  ii^'  Jos.  i*,  as  also 
Gn.  15I8  Ex.  2331  (both  JE)  i  K.  5I  (421),  cf.  Is.  2712.-8.  See, 
I  have  set  the  land  before  yoii\  to  set  before  (•'^Ei^  jJii),  in  this 
connexion,  means  to  place  at  the  disposal  of,  to  give  over  to  ;  it 
is  a  favourite  expression  in  Dt.,  being-  used  often  of  the 
delivering  7/p  of  foes  before  any  one  (see  below).  The  land  is 
free  for  the  occupation  of  the  Israelites ;  and  they  are  bidden 
to  enter  and  take  possession  of  it.  Which  Jehovah  S7vare, 
Gr'c.]  the  oath  to  the  forefathers  is  referred  to  often  in  JE 
(Gn.  502*  Ex.  135-11  321^  33I  Nu.  1112  1410.2:)  32I1  c.  3i20f.  23  3^1)^ 
and  with  particular  frequency  by  D  {i^-^  Qio.is.2:i  yVi  gi  gS  jqU 
ii9.2i  igs  o63. 15  2811  3020  31^:  cf.  in  D2  Jos.  16  56  21*1  (•'S)'"-; 
also  Jud.  2I).  The  promise  is  recorded  Gn.  12''  i3i^'^-  iS^'^^' 
(Abraham) ;  26''''-  -^  (Isaac) ;  28^3'^-  (Jacob) ;  the  oath  is  speci- 
fied expressly  only  Gn.  221''''"-,  cf.  263'^-  (both  JE). — And  to  their 
seed  after  theni\  so  4^^  iqI^,  and  often  in  P  (Gn.  9^  jyz.  s.  9. 10. 19 
3512  48*  Ex.  281^  Nu.  25I') ;  also  i  S.  24^2  2  S.  712  (=  i  Ch.  17I1). 
The  addition  emphasizes  the  perpetuity  of  a  promise  or 
injunction. 

9-18.  The  appointment  of  officers  to  assist  Moses  in  the 
labour  of  judging  the  people  (see  Ex.  18).  The  numbers  of  the 
Israelites  were  so  great  as  to  render  it  impossible  for  Moses 
to  adjudicate  personally  upon  all  the  differences  arising  among 
them  :  hence,  at  his  suggestion,  they  consented  to  the  selection 
of  competent  men  out  of  all  their  tribes,  who  should  relieve 
him  as  far  as  possible  of  this  burden.  In  instituting  these  men 
to  their  office,  he  had  impressed  upon  them  the  duty  of  equity 
and  impartiality  in  the  discharge  of  it.      Moses'  action  in  the 

8.  nx-i]  see!  slightly  more  emphatic  than  the  more  common  n:n:  cf.  !-'•  "*•  '^ 
30!^  Jos.  6-  8'  (D-) ;  also  Gn.  27-''  4i'»i  Ez.  4"  al.  As  the  imper.,  by  loiij? 
usage,  came  to  be  employed  as  a  mere  exclamation,  it  is  here  treated  as 
indeclinable  (in  spite  of  cj'js?)  :  so  4'  11^^  (the  pi.  ?x"i,  however,  occurs 
similarly;  e.g.  Gn.  39''*). — 'JsV  jn:]  so  i^i  a^i-ss.  36  ^e.23  2315  28^-^' 31^;  else- 
where (in  the  sense  of  delivering  vp  before)  only  Jos.  10^^  11®  (D")  Jud.  11® 
I  K.  8^''(Deut.)  Is.41-:  cf.  •Js'?  alone  in  Gn.  13"  20^5  3410 476;  also  24^1  Jer.  40^ 


I.  S-io  15 

appointment  of  these  officers  is  attributed  in  Ex.  (iS^^-^)  to 
the  advice  of  Jethro,  who,  however,  is  not  referred  to  here,  as 
the  stress  Hes  less  on  the  originator  of  the  suggestion  than 
on  the  fact  of  the  org"anization  having  been  estabhshed  by 
Moses,  and  on  the  need  for  it  in  the  numbers  of  the  people. 

9.  And  I  spake]  the  tense  in  the  Heb.  p^^J)  sug-gests  rather 
strong-ly  a  date  subsequent  to  the  command  described  v.''"^ — or 
at  least  a  date  at  the  close  of  the  sojourn  at  Horeb — instead  of 
(as  required  by  the  existing  narrative  of  Ex.)  a  date  prior  to 
it,  and  indeed  prior  to  the  arrival  at  Horeb  (Ex.  18:  cf.  19^--) ; 
either,  therefore,  the  retrospect  was  written  at  a  time  when 
the  interval  between  Jethro's  visit  (Ex.  18)  and  the  departure 
from  Horeb  (Nu.  lo^")  had  so  dwindled  that  both  could  be 
included  in  the  expression  "at  that  time,"  or,  as  is  not  im- 
probable even  on  independent  grounds  (cf.  Dillm.  on  Ex.  18; 
Klost.  Pent.  138,  143  ;  Bacon, /^Z//.  xii.  24),  Ex.  18  stood  once 
in  JE  beside  Nu.io-'J-so,  and  was  still  read  there  by  the  author 
of  Dt. — At  that  time]  the  same  expression  occurs  frequently  in 
the  retrospects,  ii«-  is  2^*  3^-  s.  12.  is.  21. 23  ^u  ^20  iqI.  s  (rather 
differently  5^), — in  c.  2-3,  even  with  reference  to  occasions, 
which,  if  the  discourse  was  delivered  by  Moses,  must  have 
happened  less  than  six  months  previously  (i^  compared  with 
Nu.  2o--^-  33^^). — I  am  not  able  to  bear  you  a/one]ihe  reference 
is  to  the  appointment  of  judicial  assessors  to  assist  Moses, 
Ex.  18-^;  but  the  expression  is  borrowed  from  the  terms  of 
Moses'  complaint  in  the  narrative  of  the  70  elders,  Nu.  ii^* 
(nrn  nyn  ^3  nx  DSL**^  '•naS  '•rJS*  ^3"iS  ^h).  As  has  already  been 
remarked,  the  same  rather  peculiar  phenomenon  may  be  noticed 
frequently  in  the  retrospects. — 10.  As  tJie  stars  of  Jteavcn]  lO" 

9.  nsN]  can  only  be  interpreted  naturally  as  stating-,  if  not  the  sequel  to 
v."'^  (Dr.  §  67),  yet  something-  either  really  or,  from  the  point  of  view  of 
the  speaker,  substantially  contemporaneous  -with  it  {ib.  §  75).  Had  tlie 
author  intended  to  disconnect  the  incident  here  narrated  from  what  pre- 
cedes, so  as  to  leave  scope  for  its  being  anterior,  we  should  have  expected 
him  to  avoid  the  construction  with  1  (see  ib.  §  76  Obs.),  and  to  say  a-r^n  nva 
'msN  or  NMD  nvn  'mcN  ':::ki.  The  cases  in  which  1  expresses  a  sequence  in 
thought,  not  in  time  (Keil),  are  different  {ib.  §  75,  76),  and  do  not  afford  a 
precedent  for  the  interpretation  of  the  present  passage. — 10.  31^]  " /« 
respect  o/multitude  "  :  Anglice,  "yb;- multitude."  The  7  defines  the  tertium 
comparationis  ;  so  often,  as  Jud.  7^-'  Gn.  3"  nin"?  in  respect  0/ knowing, 


1 6  DEUTERONOMY 

28'"'2 :  so  in  the  promise  (JE)  Gn.  22'''  26^  Ex.  32^^  (each  time 
with  "  multiply") :  cf.  Gn.  15''. — 11  12.  In  order  to  remove  any 
misapprehension  as  to  the  motive  of  his  protestation  (v."), 
Moses  adds  that  it  was  not  the  increase  of  the  people  which 
prompted  it  (for  this  his  only  desire  was  to  see  continued 
indefinitely),  but  simply  his  inability  to  cope  with  the  practical 
difficulties  which  their  numbers  occasioned. — 11.  Jehovah,  the 
God  of  your  fdthers,  add  to  you  the  like  of  you  a  thousand  timcs\ 
Moses'  wish  is  expressed  with  characteristic  generosity  and 
larg"eness  of  heart  (cf.  Nu.  11-'').  For  the  phrase  employed,  cf. 
2  S.  24-^ — The  God  of  your  fathers]  the  title  gives  expression  to 
the  continuity  of  the  relationship  subsisting"  between  Jehovah 
and  His  people:  the  God  who  now  takes  Israel  under  His 
care  is  the  same  who  formerly  showed  His  faithfulness  to 
their  ancestors,  and  was  known  of  them.  So  Ex.  3I3. 10  Dt,  ^^i 
Jos.  18"':  and  with  thy  Dt.  t^^  &  12^  27''',  our  26^,  their  29-* 
Jud.  2'-. — As  lie  promised  (lit.  spake)  to  you]  a  standing  formula 
in  Dt.  (i2'  &''(^^  (cf.  28)  io9  ii25  1220  j 5G  iS^  26I8  2f  2g^'^ ;  cf.  with- 
out ^  6'-'  26i''3i^),  as  of  D'-  in  Jos.  (i3i-t-33  22*  2^^-^^).  The  refer- 
ence is  to  Gn.  122  22^''^  26' •  2^. — 12.  Hoii}  can  I  bear  alone  ?]  the 
verse  repeats  more  emphatically  the  thought  of  v.'-',  for  the  pur- 
pose of  stating  more  distinctly  the  ground  of  Moses'  proposal. 
—  Yourcumbranee  (D3n"iD)]  cf.  Is.  i^-*  nnb?  vj?  Vn. —  Your  burden 
(DDstv^)]  cf.  Nu.  ii"-i7  "the  burden  of  this  (the)  people."— 13. 
Get  you   men  (that  are)  wise,  and  understanding,  and  known] 

41^"  VT;,  Ex.  24'"  "Hb?.  Notice  the  fine  rhj-thniical  close  produced  here 
by  the  addition  of  i-h  (which  is  not  in  itself  necessary,  and  in  a  sentence 
such  as  Gn.  22^"  would  have  been  heavy  and  ineleg^ant). — 11.  ddS  -\ir\\  to 
promise  is  the  general  sense  of  T3T  with  7  ;  conip.,  besides  the  passag^es 
quoted  above,  i  K.  S^'-  ^s-  -"  Gn.  24''  28"  Ex.  32^^  a/.— 13.  do'?  un]  lit.  ^ive 
for  yourselves,  i.e.  provide  for  yourselves,  get  you  ;  so  Jos.  iS'*.  The  )  is 
the  reflexive  or  "ethical"  7,  explained  on  v.^,  and  used  also  (as  there 
mentioned)  with  trans,  verbs  ;  conip.  DS?  I3ft  Ex.  7"  Jos.  20^.  Similarly 
1^  ■lb';;.,  -^  np,  D3^  inp,  d;^  ici^,  ^^  .Tjp,  &c.,  Gn.  Q^--^  Ex.  5'*  Jud. 
igio  j(,p_  22",  and  often,  csp.  in  the  imp.  :  in  other  tenses,  Dt.  2^^  3^  7'^  9'- 
(from  Ex.  2,-^:  often  also  elsewhere  with  nt'i') '"  lo'"'  15",  and  in  injunctions 

,60.  13.  18.  •-'!.  21'    i^lfi.17.  18    ig2.3.7.9    20"    22'"    27-;      cf.     LeX.     S    5    h.  —  DTBaB-V] 

the  7  has  a  distributive  force,  according  to  your  tribes,  tribe  by  tribe :  cf. 
Jos.  7"-'''  18'  I  S.  10'^  &c.— DD'C'Nna]  the  2  is  the  "  Beth  esscntije,"— "  will 
appoint  them  as  3  our  heads  "  :  cf.  Xu.  36-  n'rn;3  jn:  to  give  as  an  inherit- 
ance, Jos.  23*  Ps.  78*" ;  and  see  Lex.  3  I,  7.     The  expression  in  v.  ^^  is 


I.  II-I5  17 

"known,"  i.e.  of  proved  character  and  ability  (IJ  quorum 
conversatio  sit  probata).  In  Ex.  18-1  the  choice  is  to  be 
determined  by  the  moral  qualities  of  the  men  to  be  selected 
("men  of  worth,  fearers  of  God,  men  of  faithfulness,  hating- 
unjust  gain"):  here,  though  the  terms  used  (esp.  "known") 
imply  moral  qualifications,  the  emphasis  rests  rather  on  their  in- 
tellectual fitness  for  the  post  to  which  they  are  to  be  appointed. 
— 15.  Moses  took  action  accordingly,  and  selected  men  suit- 
able for  the  purpose. — The  heads  of  your  tribes]  ^-^.  The  words 
are,  however,  omitted  in  (Ti  (which  has  in  place  of  them  simply 
ef  v/xuJi') ;  and  as  they  agree  indifferently  with  v,  ^'^-  ^^  (accord- 
ing to  which,  not  heads  of  the  tribes,  as  such,  but  men  of 
discretion  selected  from  each  tribe  indiscriminately,  were  to 
be  chosen),  Dillm.  may  be  right  in  supposing  them  to  be  a 
gloss.  Otherwise  it  must  be  supposed  that  the  men  who 
approved  themselves  to  Moses'  choice  were  also  those  who 
were  already  distinguished  as  the  leading  representatives  of 
their  tribes. — And  made  them  heads  over  you,  captains  of 
thousands,  &'c.]  exactly  as  Ex.  iS^^  (see  the  Table,  p.  10). — And 
officers  according  to  your  tribes]  the  duties  and  position  of  the 
"officers"  {Shoterini)  are  not  distinctly  indicated. 

In  Arab,  satara  is  to  ride  (a  book),  to  -write ;  satr  is  a  ro7v  (of  buildings, 
trees,  &c.),  a  line  (of  writing).  The  primary  sense  of  the  root  seems  thus 
to  have  been  to  range  in  order  (Noldeke,  Gesch.  d.  Ooratis,  p.  13)  ;  and 
Sliofer  w'lW  have  denoted  properly  arranger,  organizer  {ci  lEy't?  Job  38''^t, 
ordered  arrangement,  i.e.  ride).  SJioterini  are  named  immediately  after 
the  "elders"  of  the  people  in  Nu.  11^^  Dt.  290110)  3128  Jqs.  8^^  23-  24',  by 
the  side  of  the  "judges"  in  Jos.  8^*  23^  24^  Dt.  16'^;  cf.  Pr.  G  (the  ant 
has  no  hvr:>\  -\'d-j  p^p) :  the  duty  of  making  proclamations  or  conveying  orders 
to  the  people  in  time  of  war  is  assigned  to  them  (Dt.  20^*  ^-^  Jos.  i'"  3-) :  in 
Egypt  the  officials  appointed  b^^  Pharaoh's  taskmasters  for  the  purpose 
of  superintending  the  labour  of  the  Israelites  bear  the  same  name  (Ex. 
5«- 10. 14. 15. 19).  In  the  late  passages  i  Ch.  23*  26-9  ^f  2  Ch.  19"  26"  34" 
the  term  appears  likewise  to  be  used  of  subordinate  military  or  judicial 
officials,  who  once  (2  Ch.  34^'')  took  part  in  superintending  the  repairs  of  the 
Temple.  <&  in  Ex.  iS-'-  -^  Dt.  i^"  \(?^  29^  (i"'  31-8  renders  by  the  curious  term 
— perhaps  the  title  of  some  law-officer  at  Alexandria — yfo.^t.iJL'r.TOMaayaiy'.vi, 

The  Shoterini,  it  thus  seems,  were  subordinate  officials,  who 

were  employed  partly  in  the  administration  of  justice,  partly  in 

the  maintenance  of  civil  order  and  of  military  discipline,  and 

different. — 14.  ^a^.^  2it:]  the  same  formula  of  approval  (though  without  a 

2 


t8  DEUTERONOMY 

whose  duty  it  was  to  put  in  force  the  mandates  issued  by  their 
superiors.  Except  here  and  Ex.  i8-^  the  "captain  of  ten"  is 
not  mentioned  in  the  OT.:  the  captains  of  50,  100,  and  1000 
are  mentioned  frequently  in  connexion  with  the  army  {e.^. 
I  S.  812  lyis  22^  2  K.  i^-ii-i^  Is.  3''),  thoui;h  not  elsewhere  as 
concerned  with  the  administration  of  justice.  The  passaj^e 
does  not  state  that  the  whole  peojDle  was  divided  systematically 
into  thousands,  hundreds,  fifties,  and  tens,  but  only  that  chiefs 
commanding-  these  numbers  were  appointed,  who  exercised 
judicial  authority,  not  necessarily  over  those  only  who  were 
under  their  immediate  command,  but  over  the  people  at  large. 
Men  were  appointed  with  military  rank,  and  entrusted  for  the 
time  with  a  share  in  the  administration  of  justice.  The 
arrangements  in  later  days  seem  to  have  been  out  of  relation 
with  this  institution.     See  more  fully  on  Ex.  18. 

16.  And  I  charged  voiir  judges,  tS^-'c.]  Moses  availed  himself 
of  the  occasion  for  the  purpose  of  impressing  upon  the  judges 
the  duties  of  their  office,  viz.  to  hear  all  impartially,  to  decide 
fearlessly,  and  to  refer  cases  too  hard  for  themselves  to  him. 
— Hear  between  your  brethren']  i.e.  listen  patiently  to  all  that  is 
said  on  both  sides. — And  judge  righteously  (or  righteozisncss)] 
cf.  i6i^-20. — And  his  stranger]  i.e.  the  stranger  who  has  to  deal 
with  him.  The  "stranger"  {Ger),  or  foreigner  settled  in 
Israel  (see  on  10^^  and  14^^),  is  to  have  equal  rights,  in  such 
matters,  with  the  native  Israelite  (24I''  27^^,  and  elsewhere). — 
17.  Ye  shall  not  respect  persons  in  judgment]  cf.  iG^^,  where  see 
note. — For  the  judgment  is  God^  s\\t  belongs  to  Him;  you  are 
acting  in  His  name,  and  as  His  representatives  (cf.  Ex.  iS''''*^ 
21*'  2  Ch.  19^);  and  you  must  accordingly  be  superior  to  worldly 
considerations.  And  the  matter  which  is  too  hard  for  you  ye 
shall  bring  unto  ?ne]  Ex.  iS^"  (cf.-)  n^T)  ^N  ps''3"'  ncpn  "lain  nx. 
The  reference  is  probably  to  cases  which  were  not  provided 
for  by  existing  regulations  or  precedents,  or  which  were  in  some 

rel.  clause  following)  i  K.  2^^'*^  18"*. — 16.  j;.-V'l  the  hif.  abs.  with  the  force 
of  the  imperative:  see  G-K.  §  113.  4''  (a). — 17.  d':s  iT;n  ^h]  D'js  t?.7,  lit. 
fo  recognise  //le  presence  or  person  of  any  one  {sc.  unjustly),  as  16'''  Pr.  24-'^ 
28-'t.  The  more  usual  expression  is  c'J3  kv:. — jU'crn  '?nj3  ]^P-]  Vn^D  ppD 
is  (implicitly)  an  accus.  of  manner  (G-K.  §  n8.  5),  defining-  the  circum- 
stances under  which  the  hearing  is  to  take  place:  lit.   "ye  shall  hear 


,27 
,28b 


I.     16-19  19 

respect  complicated,  as  opposed  to  such  as  could  be  decided 
readily  by  existing"  laws. — 18.  And  I  coinnuiudcd you  at  tliat 
time  all  the  things  which  ye  should  do]  the  reference  (cf.  4^* 
-•23(31))  appears  to  be  to  Ex.  24^  (cf,  v-'^''^"  21^;  also  18-").  The 
repeated  at  that  time  (cf.  v.  ^-  ^'')  seems  intended  to  emphasize 
the  fact  that  Moses,  before  the  departure  of  the  people  from 
Horeb  (v.^-'),  had  done  all  that  was  in  his  power  to  provide 
for  their  civic  welfare. 

19-28.  Departure  of  the  Israelites  from  Horeb,  and  journey 
to  Kadesh-barnea'.  Mission  of  the  spies.  Disappointment  of 
the  people  upon  receiving  their  report. 

Dt.  i-s  ....  Cf.  Nu.  i3-\ 

I-"*''  ....  Nu.  13^''  -inn  ha  nn^hiii,  -■'  h^cii  bm  nv  i.xan. 

i^^"'  ....  Nu.  13-"  jnNn  n20  nnnp'^i. 

1^''  ....  Nu.  13-''  nm  onx  la'c'i. 

.    Cf.   Nu.    i42l'-3a. 

.  Nu.  13-'*  d:;'  ir.s-i  py,'n  'Th"  dji  nxa  niViJ  nm:i3  cnym. 
19.   That  great  and  terrible  ivilderness]  so  S''',  where  it  is 
further  described  as  the  abode  of  fiery  serpents  and  scorpions, 

(them),  the  like  of  the  small  (benigf)  the  like  of  the  great"  — "ye  shall  hear 
(them),  50 /"/w/ the  small  be  as  the  great";  in  Eng-lish  idiom,  "Ye  shall 
hear  .the  small  and  the  great  alike."  On  9  (properly,  an  undeveloped 
subst.)  see  more  fully  the  luminous  explanation  of  Fleischer,  Klcinere 
Schriften,  i.  p.  376  fF.,  or  ap.  Bottcher,  Leiirbiich  der  Hehr.  Spr.  ii.  p.  64  f. ; 
more  briefly  G-K.  §  1 18.  6  ;  and  Lex.  s.v.  ?,  at  the  beginning,  and  3. — lU'Oti'n] 
the  more  original  form  of  the  termination  of  the  2nd  and  3rd  pi.  impf., 
preserved  in  classical  Arabic  (in  the  indicative  mood),  in  Aramaic  (usually), 
Ethio2:;ic,  and  Phoenician,  but  in  Hebrew  only  occurring  sporadically 
(altogether  305  times  in  the  OT.  ;  the  passages  are  enumerated  by  J.  L. 
Konig,  Alttest.  Studien,  i.  (1839)  P*  1^5  ^-j  ^"^  Bottcher,  §  930),  not, 
however,  as  an  archaism  (for  those  books  in  which  it  is  most  frequent  are 
not,  upon  any  view  of  their  authorship,  the  most  ancient),  but  as  a  more 
emphatic  form  than  that  in  ordinary  use,  adapted  to  round  off  a  sentence, 
and  accordingly  sometimes  preferred  in  an  elevated  or  rhetorical  style. 
It  is  peculiarly  frequent  in  Dt.,  occurring  in  it  56  times.  In  other  books  it 
occurs  {e.g.^  12  times  in  Gn.,  28  times  in  Ex.  (9  times  in  the  Laws, 
c.  20-23),  never  in  Lev.,  7  times  in  Nu.,  9  times  in  Jos.,  8  times  each  in 
Jud.  and  i  S.,  15  times  in  1-2  K,,  21  times  in  Is.  1-39,  16  times  in  Is. 
40-66,  53  times  in  the  Psalms  (of  which  15  are  in  Ps.  104),  23  times  in  Job. 
— i-ii;n]  18--.  The  word  is  rare,  and  mostly  poetical,  occurring  besides  in 
prose  only  Nu.  22'  (JE)  i  S.  i8^\ — Ni.i  cn'^x'?  t;r:;cn  o]  lit.  "  For  the 
judgment,  it  is  God's  "  =  (Anglice)  "For  the  judgment  is  God's."  See 
Dr.  §  198 ;  Lex.  Nin  3  b. — 19.  ninDn-nx]  nt<  is  used  (very  exceptionally)  with 
l^n  to  denote  the  space  traversed  :  so  2'' ;  cf.  Nu.  13^'  (n'jj;). 


20  DEUTERONOMY 

and  as  waterless  (cf.  also  32"^  Jer.  2'').  The  wilderness  meant 
is  the  desert  of  et-Tih  (cf.  p.  4),  between  the  Peninsida  of 
Sinai  and  the  S.  border  of  Palestine.  Modern  travellers 
describe  its  barrenness  and   "  blanched  desolation." 

Thus  E.  II.  Palmer,  DescH  0/  the  Exodus  (1871),  pp.  284-288,  writes: 
"  Tlie  desert  of  ct-Ti'li  is  a  limestone,  plateau  of  irrei^^ular  surface,  the 
southern  portion  of  which  projects  wedg^e-wise  into  the  Sinaitic  peninsula.' 
The  distance  across  from  Suez  to 'Akabah  is  about  150  miles,  and  from 
the  southernmost  part  of  the  wedge  just  mentioned  to  Beersheba',  about 
170  miles.  "  The  surface  of  the  plateau  is  an  arid  featureless  waste,  its 
monotony  relieved  only  by  a  few  isolated  mountain  groups,  amongst  which 
the  most  conspicuous  are  Jebels  Yeleg,  Ikhrimm,  and  Heidi.  It  is  drained 
for  the  most  part  by  the  Wddj-el-'arish,  which  takes  its  rise  in  the  highest 
portion  of  the  southern  cliff  [where  the  plateau  approaches  the  mountains  of 
the  Sinaitic  peninsula],  and  flows  northwards  towards  the  Mediterranean. 
.  .  .  The  country  is  nearly  waterless,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  springs 
situated  in  the  larger  wadys  ;  but  even  here  water  can  only  be  obtained 
by  scraping  small  holes  or  pits  (called  theiiidil)  in  the  ground,  and  baling 
it  out  with  the  hand.  All  that  is  obtained  by  the  process  is  a  yellowish 
solution  which  baflles  all  attempts  at  filtering.  .  .  .  The  ground  is  for  the 
most  part  hard  and  unyielding,  and  is  covered  in  many  places  with  a 
carpet  of  small  flints.  ...  In  spite  of  the  utterly  arid  nature  of  the  soil, 
a  quantity  of  brown  parched  herbage  is  scattered  over  the  surface,  and 
affords  excellent  fuel  for  the  camp-fire.  During  the  greater  part  of  the 
year  this  remains  to  all  appearance  burnt  up  and  dead,  but  it  bursts  into 
sudden  life  with  the  spring  and  winter  rains.  ...  In  the  larger  wadys, 
draining  as  they  do  so  extensive  an  area,  a  very  considerable  amount  of 
moisture  infiltrates  through  the  soil,  producing  much  more  vegetation  than 
in  the  plains,  and  even  here  and  there  permitting  cultivation." 

As  the  Northern  part  of  the  plateau  is  reached,  the  char- 
acter of  the  country  changes,  the  soil  becomes  more  fertile, 
the  fields  and  terraces  are  covered  with  corn  and  vines,  until 
finally  the  wilderness  gives  place  to  the  "Negeb"  (see  p.  13) 
of  Judah.  "  Waterless"  (8^^^^  provided  the  expression  be  not 
interpreted  with  prosaic  literalncss,  is  substantially  accurate ; 
for  thoug-h  wells  and  springs  (as  stated  above)  are  met  with, 
the  water  is  mostly  scanty  and  poor,  except  after  rain  (cf. 
Robinson,  i.  pp.  179,  180,  182,  184,  189,  &c.;  Palmer,  pp.  304, 
319,  326,  342,  345):  in  the  Wady  Lussan,  however,  and 
especially  to  the  N.  of 'Ain  Kadi's,  as  the  Negeb  is  approached, 
water  becomes  more  abundant,  and  the  remains  of  dams 
and  other  devices  for  irrigation  are  discernible  in  the  wadys 
(Palmer,  pp.  347,  350,  354,  &c.). —  Which  ye  saw\  and  so  gained 


I.   20— 2 1  2  I 

a  practical  acquaintance  with  its  character. — By  /lie  7vav  to  llic 
Jt  ill-country  of  the  Amontes\  i.e.  by  the  route  leading'  across  the 
desert  to  the  S.  of  Palestine  (on  \' .") :  if  a  definite  road  be  meant, 
perhaps  one  branchings  ofT  from  the  Mount  Se'ir  Road  (v. 2)  a 
little  NW.  of  'Akabah,  and  circling  round  the  base  of  Jebel  'Araif 
cn-Nakah  (Trumbull,  K.-B.  pp.  80-3). — Commanded  t(s\  vJ. 

20-21.  Upon  their  arrival  at  Kadesh,  Moses  bade  the  people 
proceed  to  take  possession  of  their  promised  inheritance. — 
20.  UV/ie/i  Jeliovah  our  God  is  giving  to  ns\  i.e.  is  in  course  of 
giving  us  (viz.  at  the  present  moment).  AV.  giveth  obscures 
the  true  force  of  the  original.  The  phrase  (attached  mostly  to 
land  or  ground)  is  extremely  common  in  Dt.:  i^s  2^9  320  ^.40  ^10 
(  =  Ex.  20^-),  &c.  (some  25  times) ;  and  followed  by  n^n3  4^^  15* 
20I6  siS"!  244  2519  261.  Comp.  in  D^  Jos.  \^-^^-^^.— Jehovah 
our  God\  so  upwards  of  200  times  in  Dt.;  in  Jos.  (D-)  i^- 17  g^*-  24 ; 
in  earlier  books  of  the  Pent.,  only  Ex.  \c^^^  2o2- 5- v.  10. 12  ^'^si 
(  =  342«j)  3424  (all  parts  of  JE  showing-  affinity  with  Dt.  :  Intr. 
§  5).  So  Jehovah  you  r  God  (v.^^)  occurs  nearly  50  times  in  Dt., 
and  28  times  in  Jos.,  mostly,  if  not  entirely,  in  passages 
belonging-  to  D^  {e.g.  13  times  in  c.  23).  Both  expressions 
occur  occasionally  in  the  other  hist,  books  and  the  prophets, 
but  very  much  less  frequently  than  in  Dt.  and  D"-.  Cf.  on  v.^ 
("  J.  o//r  God"). — 21.  Thy  .  .  .  ///^^]  Israel  is  addressed  in  Dt. 
(i)  in  the  2nd  pers.  plur.  (as  in  the  preceding-  verses) ;  (2)  as  a 
whole,  collectively,  in  the  2nd  pers.  singular,  as  here,  v.^^  2"- 
i8f-  24  and  frequently ;  (3)  in  the  persons  of  its  individual 
members,  also  in  the  2nd  pers.  sing.,  4^^  ("thy  children''')  -■' 
5(if.  i-jom.  9(10)  i^Tff.  12.  iG  22^ff-<5  &c.  In  particular  cases  it  may 
sometimes  be  uncertain  whether  the  2nd  pers.  sing,  is  to  be 
understood  as  (2)  or  (3) ;  but  there  seem  to  be  clear  instances 
in  which  it  is  intended  as  an  appeal  to  the  individual  Israelite. 
The  change  (as  here)  from  the  plural  to  the  singular  (or  vice 
versa)  is  very  frequent,  sometimes  taking-  place  even  within 
the  limits  of  a  single  sentence  (i^i  27-24  ^o-ii.  10. 20. 23b.25. 20.  :;4 
6'f-  8if-  i2-'''-7.9  &c.). — Neither  be  dismayed  {^'^'^^.  ^^'')]  a  word 
confined  mostly  to  poetry,  and  the  higher  prose  style  ;  see  below. 

21.  .IN1]  V.8.— nnn  Sni]  so  318  Jos.  8'  lo^^  Jcr.  3oi"{  =  46-'')Ez.  2«3"(n'?)  Is.  51" 
(in  all,  II  (i).sTn  (n'?)^n)  ;  Jos.  i''  (||  jnj'n  hn).    In  Hex.  used  only  by  D  and  D- ; 


2  2  DEUTERONOMY 

— 22—25.  The  people,  however,  in  the  first  instance  proposed 
that  spies  should  be  sent  out  to  reconnoitre  the  land,  and 
report  upon  the  best  way  of  approaching  it ;  and  Moses  agreed 
to  the  proposal. — 22.  Atid  re  came  near  unto  me  and  said\ 
in  Nu.  131^-  Moses  sends  out  the  spies  in  consequence  of  a 
command  received  by  him  from  God :  here  the  initiative 
appears  to  be  taken  wholly  by  the  people.  The  two  repre- 
sentatives are  capable  of  at  least  a  formal  reconciliation  :  the 
people,  it  might  be  supposed,  having-  (as  Dt.  states)  preferred 
their  request,  Moses  refers  it  to  God,  who  then  gives  it 
His  sanction,  at  which  point  the  narrative  in  Numbers  opens. 
At  the  same  time,  the  variation  is  a  remarkable  one ;  and  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  the  retrospect  follows  consistently  the 
narrative  of  JE,  which  is  defective  in  Numbers  for  the 
beginning  of  the  episode  of  the  spies  (for  Nu.  131-17*  belongs 
to  P),  it  is  highly  probable  that  it  follows  it  here  also,  and 
that  the  representation  referring  the  proposal  to  the  people 
(v."f )  is  based  upon  the  narrative  of  JE,  which  the  writer  of 
Dt.  had  still  before  him  intact. — 23.  Tivclvc  men,  one  man 
for  every  tribe]  Nu.  13^'^''  (P).  In  the  existing  narrative  of 
Nu.  13,  the  appointment  of  one  spy  from  each  of  the  tribes  is 
recorded  only  in  P  ;  but  it  is  probable  that  JE,  when  complete, 
described  the  selection  similarly,  and  that  this,  as  in  other 
cases,  is  the  source  of  the  representation  in  Dt.  Tribe  is 
denoted  in  Dt.  by  t2Tu',  which  is  used  also  by  JE,  not  by  P's 
characteristic  term  noo  (Nu.  13^;  L.O.T.  p.  127). — 24.  And 
went  up  into  the  moitntaiii\  or  liill-coiintry,  i.e.  the  high  ground 
of  Judah  (v.7-19).  Cf.  Nu.  \f~.—Unto  the  torrcnt-vallcy  [2^'^) 
of  Eshcol]  near  Hebron  (Nu.  13-'-- 2:^). — 25.  And  they  took  of  the 
fruit  of  the  land,  &c.]  Nu.  132:5?-  2Gb.  27._2e_28.  But  in  spite  of 
the  favourable  report  of  the  spies,  the  people  refused  to  move, 
and  murmured  discontentedly  in  their  tents. — 26.  Bui  ye  "would 

elscwlicrc,  in  prose,  only  i  S.  I7^\  aiul,  as  reminiscences  of  Dt.,  i  Cli.  22'' 
28'-'^  2  Cli.  2o'''-i''  32"  (in  all,  ||  (i).xTn  '?.\-i).— 22.  "Tin  tn]  most  probably  the 
accus.  is  attached  loosely  to  n3i  unx  n'Ci,  Kara,  bumhiii  :  cf.  G-K.  §  117.  i  R.'  ; 
I^x.  I  TN  1  c,  3  a. — 26.  cn"3.v  nVi)  a  favourite  word  in  Dt.  :  2^  10'"  23^ 
(Jos.  24">)  25''  29'^;  13"  (1^  nn.\n  nS).— "  '3  n.x  ram)  i^'g-^  Jos.  i^s  (D-)  i  S. 
\2^*  (Deut.)  t ;  the  same  idiom,  in  Qal,  Nu.  20^^  (P)  27'*  (P)  i  S.  \2>^  1  K. 
j^ii.  ^B  La,„,  i8|.  .  ',  QM  Qn"n  d'-ds  Dt.  9^-  -''  3i'"t.     The  word  signifies  to  resist 


I.  22-2S  23 

fiof  go  lip,  atia  dejicd  the  mouth  [comma  11  dine  ni)  of  Jehovah  your 
God\  cf.  Nu.  14'^"^;  and  see  below. — 27.  A?id  ye  murmured  in 
ivj/zz-Ztv/A' (□D-'^nsn)]  hence  Ps.  loG-^.  Geig^cr,  Urschri/t  [iS^'j), 
p.  290  f.,  supposed  that  DD''^nX3  was  an  intentional  alteration 
of  D3'n^N3  against  your  God,  made  for  the  purpose  of  removing 
a  statement  disparaging-  to  Israel :  but  the  supposition  is 
unnecessary;  in  your  tents  means  "among  yourselves,"  and 
suggests  at  the  same  time  the  reproach  that  the  people  refused 
to  bestir  themselves,  and  advance  to  the  conquest  of  Canaan. 
— Through  Jehovah's  hating  tis,  &c.\  cf.  9-*^. — To  deliver  vs, 
&c.\  Jos.  7'''. — The  Amorite]  vJ. — 28.  Wiiither  are  ive  going 
up?\  i.e.  to  a  land  full  of  what  unknown  perils  ?—Our  brethren 
have  caused  our  heart  to  melt]  the  idiom  as  20®  Jos.  2^^  5I  7^ 
(all  D-) ;  also,  with  reference  to  the  same  incident,  Jos.  14^ 
(Caleb  speaks)  Ql'H  2^-r\ii  Vprpn  noy  "bv  ^^"X  ^nt<\  The  expres- 
sion in  Jos.  14^  may  be  borrowed  from  here ;  but  it  is  possible 
that  in  both  passages  it  is  derived  from  a  part  of  JE's  original 
narrative  of  the  spies,  not  retained  in  Nu.  13. — A  people 
greater  and  taller  than  we  ("iJ'OO  D"i1  ^nj  Dy)]  rhetorically  varied 
from  Nu.  i32Sa.3i;  t|-,e  phrasing  is  that  of  D  (cf.  2^*>- 21  438  yi 
end  gi- 2a  ii23^. — Cities  great  and  fenced  into  heaven]  so  9^^, 
Varied  from  Nu.  1328  ix!D  ni^lJ  nmva  Dnym.  Cf.  Sayce,  Monu- 
ments, p.  288  (Lachish). — And,  moreover,  we  have  seen  sons  of 
the  ' Anakiin  there]  as  Nu.  1328,  except  that  ?^V^  "'"Iv"'.  "children 
of  the  'Aniik"  (collect.)  is  changed  into  D'pjy  ''22  (so  92a). 

The  three  p^nn  "t"?*,  Sheshai,  Ahinian,  and  Talmai,  who  dwelt  hi  Hebron, 
and  were  expelled  by  Caleb,  are  named  in  JE,  Nu.  13—  Jos.  15^'**  ;  piy  "12 
are  mentioned  in  Nu.  13^'  ("of  the  Nephilim"),  Dt.  9'-";  pmn  'jn  ("sons 
of  the'Anak")  in  Jos.  is'-**  (  =  Jud.  1-'^"');  D'pjy  ':2  in  Dt.  1"^  g"^ ;  the  more 
general  designation  D'p2j,'(^)  occurs  Dt.  a^"-^^-^^  (in  a  comparison),  and 
Jos.  11-^"--  (D-),  where  it  is  stated  that  they  were  cut  off  by  Joshua  out  of 
Hebron,  Debir,  'AnSk,  and  all  the  hill-country  of  Judah  and  Israel,  and 
left  only  in  the  Philistine  cities  of  Gaza,  Gath,  and  Ashdod  (cf.  Jer.  ^y-'^  G 
(see  Graf) ;  also  the  Philistine  hbtt  't"?'  2  S.  2i"'-^*  (cf.  v.-"---),  and  Goliath, 
the  giant  of  Gath).     In  Jos.  14^'  (JE  or  D-)  Arba'  (whence  the  old  name  of 

conttimaciously,  to  defy  or  (intrans.)  ie  defiant. — 27.  unx  ''  nxji^-a]  G-K. 
§  115.  2  R.^ :  cf.  78  9-*  Gn.  29-". — UTcrn'?]  Ttss-n  icbo  is  a  favourite  word 
with  D  (27  times) ;  elsewhere  in  the  Hex  only  Gn.  34'*  (J)  Lev.  26'"*  Nu. 
335-  (both  H)  Dt.  :i,'^''  (the  Blessing);  Jos.  7"  9^^  ii^^-^o  23'5  (mostly  D-) 
24^  (E). — 28.  C'c::'^]  in  heaven:  so  9',  cf.  Gn.  ii*  □"ca'3  1c•!<^^.  ccr,  not  of 
any  far  distant  region,  but  of  the  heights  of  the  air,  in  which,  for  instance, 


24  DEUTERONOMY 

Hebron,  Kirtath  (city  of)  Arba)  is  described  as  D'pJV^  ^njn  cnxn  ;  and  In 
Jos.  15"  21'^  (P)  he  is  called  the  father  of  the  'Anak.  Most  of  these 
passages  (including  the  oldest)  connect  the  'Anakim  only  with  Hebron  : 
that  they  were  spread  generally  over  the  hill-country  of  Judah  and  Israel 
is  stated  only  in  Jos.  1 1'-"",  which  belongs  to  D-,  and  may  be  one  of  the 
generalizations  to  which  this  Deuteronomic  author  is  prone  {L.O.T.  pp. 
97,  loi).  It  is,  however,  implied  that  there  were  more  "  giants  "  in  Hebron 
than  the  three,  Shcshai,  Ahiman,  and  Talmai ;  and  perhaps  indeed  these 
three  names  are  meant  as  those,  not  of  individuals,  but  of  families  or  clans. 

29-40.  Moses'  vain  endeavour  to  reassure  the  people. 
Jehovah's  oath  that  none  of  that  generation,  save  Caleb, 
should  enter  the  Promised  Land.  Designation  of  Joshua,  as 
Moses'  successor. 

Dt.  r'"*  ....  (Ex.  i3'2i  Dn':s'7  I'^in  ni.Ti ;  i4''' cs"?  urh'  mn\) 
i«3    ....  Cf.  Nu.  14'^^ 
1"'"    ....  (Ex.  13^'  iinvn  rh'h^  imn  onhi^  pv  iisi'a  cor  dtos'?  i'?i.t  nin'i 

Nu.  i4^'"'  rh'h  B'x  nisyai  ddv  ctjbV  I'jin  nn.x  py  nicyai.) 
i''''*  ....  (Nu.  lo-""'  nni:D  arh  nin'?.) 

I ^■■^-2"   .  .  .   Nu.  14-'"^^  apv  a'?D  nnyi  .  .  .  cniDN'?  'nvnti-j  -^z-k  j-in.t  nw  int  dk 
r\DV  »i  -lii'x  pxn  "^N  rnx^ani  nnx  n'jd'i  icy  mnx  nn  rmM 

j37-38       .      ,      ,     *  ;|e  :|t 

r"'''  (om.  G)  Nu.    14"  n\T  in'?  cmsN  icn  cdsui  ;    cf.   Nu.    14"  i:doi  U'tfj 

la"?  v,T, 
1*°    ....  Nu.  14-''''  f]ia  D'  jn  nnnon  dd'?  iv21  1:2  nno. 

29-33.  Moses  encouraged  the  people  by  reminding^  them 
Who  it  was  that  went  before  them,  and  what  He  had. done  for 
them  in  the  past. — 29.  Dread  ?/o/]  )-iy,  as  7-^  20-'  31''*  Jos.  i^ 
(D-).  Not  elsewhere  in  prose,  and  not  frequent  even  in 
poetry. — 30.  Who  goeth  before  yoii\  31Gb.  s.  see  Ex.  13^1  (J E). 
—  Will  fight  for  yo2('\  Ex.  1414  (JE) ;  also  Ex.  14^5  Dt.  3- Jos. 
ioi4b.  42  23^- 10  (all  D'-). — Before  yotir  eyes\  a  point  which  the 
Writer  loves  to  emphasize  (in  different  connexions)  4"-  2*  6^2  gi7 
253.9  28-n  29I  3i7  3412;  cf.  Jos.  10^2  24IT  (both  D^)  i  S.  12^6. 
(The  expression  is  also  charact.  of  Ezek.)  "  Omitted  here  by 
C&,  evidently  because  Moses  is  addressing-  the  new  generation  ; 
but  in  v.22ff-,  and  indeed  through  the  entire  discourse,  the 
present  generation  is  conceived  by  the  speaker  as  identical 
with  the  past"  (DiHm.). — 31.    WhieJi  thou  sa'west'\\.'^'^. — Asa 

the  birds  fly  (4'^  Pr.  30'"). — 30.  c:h  en'?'  n^ri\  on  the  emphatic  resumptive 
Nin,  see  Dr.  §  123  Obs.  ;  Lex.  Nin  2  a.— cdbx  n:;'i']  for  "to  do  ivith"  cf.  10-^ 
I  S.  12'b;  Jud.  II-''. — 31.  >•:;':  nii'x]  ^'■ivhere  J.  bare  thee."  After  a  word 
denoting  place,  time,  or  manner,  the  pron.  or  adv.  complement  of  ^CK  (ia, 


I.  29-35  25 

man  dotli  bear  his  soii\  comp.  for  tlic  simile  !■**  8'^  ("ID''''  "ltJ'M3 
133  nx  {^'"'S)  28-^-  ^^.  The  use  of  similes  is  not  unfrequent  in  the 
more  picturesque  style  of  Hebrew  prose  {e.g.  Ex.  33^^  Nu.  ii^^ 

22-1  27I'    Jud.    6'^    7I2    14O    15U    16O    2    S.     I4I7.2O    1^8.10.11.13  &c.): 

those  occurring"  in  Dt.  have  been  strangely  supposed  to  be  a 
mark  of  the  Mosaic  authorship  of  the  book.  For  the  thought 
of  Jehovah's  "bearing"  His  people,  comp.  Ex.  19*  ("on 
eagles' wings  ") ;  Dt.  32^^  (the  Song);  also  Hos.  ii'^  Is.  46'f-. 
—Eve7i  viito  this  plaee]  9^  ii^;  (^t?)  26^  29*5.— 32-33.  But  in 
spite  of  this  word  of  encouragement  the  Israelites  remained 
disbelieving'  (of.  Nu.  14^^). — In  this  thing  (RV,)]  rather  in  spite 
of  this  word  [i.e.  of  Moses'  speech,  just  ended) :  the  3  as  Lev. 
26-''  Nu.  14^1  nimsn  ^22/or  (i.e.  in  spite  of)  all  the  signs,  Ps. 
27^. —  Ye  continued  not  believing  [■^''T'l^^t^  DZiO\s)]  the  ptcp.  with 
|*S  indicates  the  endurance  of  the  state  of  unbelief  (cf.  D''"1^P 
CiT'n  9-^). — 33.  Mliich  went  before  you,  isr^c.^  resumed  from 
v.soa^  and  further  developed  ("to  spy  out  for  you  a  place,"  &c.) 
for  the  purpose  of  marking  more  emphatically  the  gravity  of 
the  unbelief. — To  spy  out  for  yo7i,  &c.  ('jl  D3^  "1'~i?)]  apparently 
a  reminiscence  of  Nu.  10^^  (of  the  ark)  nni30  Wrh  "iinS  The 
rest  of  the  verse  consists  of  reminiscences,  with  slight  varia- 
tions, of  Ex.  1321  and  Nu.  i/^^'^  (quoted  in  the  Table),  Cianinp 
being  perhaps  suggested  by  Onh^p  (Ex.  13"^),  and  'H'}."^?  '^?'?^^"}i 
("to  cause  you  to  look  upon  the  way  ")  being  seemingly  a  para- 
phrase of  cn^  "i"'^'^'?  ("to  give  them  light"). 

34-36.  Jehovah's  wrath ;  and  His  oath  sentencing  all  the 
men  of  that  generation,  with  the  exception  of  Caleb,  to  exclu- 
sion from  the  Promised  Land.  Cf.  Nu.  1422-21. __34.  Was  wroth 
(ri^p)]  Gn.  402  Ex.  16-0  i  S.  29^^/.:  of  God,  c.  97- s.  19.  22  jg.  4^6 
^yio.  17^/^ — 35_  Surely  there  shall  not  one  of  these  men,  (even) 
this  evil  generation,  see,  &c.\  a  terse  and  forcible  condensation 
of  the  terms  of  the  oath  contained  in  Nu.  i42-f-  (comp.  esp. 
v. 23a), — {JS.\en)  this  evil  ge?ieratio7{\  these  words  correspond  to 

or  □v')  is  often  dispensed  with,  so  that  ni^N  alone  becomes  equivalent  to 
ivhere,  ivhen,  how  {Lex.  n^'N  4  b;  or  on  i  S.  24''). — nc'  n^'.va]  the  inipf., 
denoting  custom  or  habit,  is  the  tense  reg-ularly  used  in  comparisons  ;  cf. 
v.*^  Is.  298  658  &c.  (Dr.  §  33^;  G-K.  §  107.  2A).— 33.  CDniN-i'?]  contracted 
for  o^m.xnn'?  (G-K.  §  53.  3  R.^  ;  or  on  i  S.  2'-").  The  contraction  is,  however, 
unusual ;  and  perhaps  D^niNTV  that  ye  might  look  was  meant  by  the  writer. 


26  DEUTERONOMY 

nothing-  in  Nu.  14,  they  are  not  expressed  in  (Tc,  and,  by  the 
somewhat  awkward  apposition  which  they  form,  they  impede 
the  flow  of  the  sentence  ;  hence  they  are  perhaps  a  gloss,  added 
(as  Dillm.  sug-gests)  for  the  purpose  of  precluding  the  mis- 
conception that  "these  men"  referred  solely  to  the  spies. — 
The  good  land]  so  often  in  Dt.:  325  421.22  518  810  96  ii^^;  Jos. 
2-ji6  (D2),  and  with  ground  [n'OI^),  ib.  v.^^.  i5;  cf^  a  good  linid, 
c.  8'''  Ex.  38  (JE). — 36.  Save  Caleb,  the  son  of  Jcphunnel{\  only 
in  favour  of  Caleb  was  an  exception  made :  see  Nu.  14-*. 
The  representation,  according  to  which  Caleb  alone  is  directly 
mentioned  as  exempted  from  the  sentence,  agrees  with  that  of 
JE  (Nu.  142^),  as  against  that  of  P  (Nu.  14'^''),  according  to 
which  Joshua  is  named  together  with  Caleb  (cf.  L.O.  T.  pp.  58, 
77,  103). —  IVJiich  he  hath  trodden  upon  (^"1"^)]  Nu.  14-^  has 
simply  "whither  he  came";  Dt.,  in  harmony  with  its  more 
elevated  style,  uses  the  choicer  and  more  expressive  word 
^ij24. 25  Jos.  i^  149).  The  reference  is  specially  to  Hebron 
(Jos.  i4i-':ii3. 14)^ — Hath  gone  fully  after  Jehovah]  so  Nu.  14^*. 

37-33.  Also  with  me  7vas  Jehovah  angered  on  your  account, 
saving,  Thou  also  shall  not  go  in  thither]  Moses  also  (as  well  as 
the  rest)  incurred  God's  anger,  and  was  included  consequently 
in  the  same  sentence :  another  leader,  Joshua,  should  bring 
Israel  into  its  promised  inheritance.  The  reference  is  generally 
supposed  to  be  to  Moses'  act  of  presumption  in  striking  the 
rock,  Nu.  2o^''"i^  (P),  which,  according  to  P  (both  ib.  v.^^  ^nd 
27'^f-  Dt.  32'i''f.),  was  the  occasion  of  his  exclusion  from  Canaan. 
Two  independent  g^rounds,  however,  each  confirming  the  other, 
combine  to  render  this  view  improbable. 

(i)  T\\c  position  of  the  two  verses,  in  the  midst  of  a  continuous  narrative  of 
what  happened  at  Kadesh  in  tlic  second  year  of  the  Exodus.  Moses'  act  of 
presumption,  narrated  in  Nu.  20,  took  place  in  the  39th  year  of  the  Exodus, 
s  )ine  37  years  after  the  incident  of  tlie  spies  ;  and  though  it  is  true,  as 
Kiil  observes,  that  the  object  of  the  retrospect  is  not  to  teach  the  people 
chronolog-y  and  history,  still  the  order  followed  in  it  is  chronological,  v.-'^ 
carries  on  the  thread  of  v.^^"^",  and  v.''""'^  are  in  no  way  marked,  either  by 

— 36.  'nVn)  /\^'^  Jos.  ii^'.  Not  elsewhere  in  the  Hex. — mVi]  on  the  position 
of  this  word,  see  Samuel,  p.  292,  and  on  i  S.  6". — nnx  xVa]  lit.  to  Jill  up 
after,  pregn.  for  to  go  fully  after,  to  follow  ivith  undivided  allegiance. 
Repeated  from  Nu.  i^--*  (JE),  here  and  Xii.  2,2^'^-'^-  Jos.  14'^- »•  '*.  Only  once 
besides,  i  K.  11®  vax  ^^^D  '•  '^ni<  x'^a  i6. 


1. 36-37  27 

tlieir  form  or  by  their  contents,  as  parenthetical,  or  as  referring'  to  an 
occasion  that  took  place  37  years  subsequently  ;  hence  a  strong  pre- 
sumption arises  that  they  allude,  like  the  context,  to  what  occurred 
immediately  after  the  return  of  the  spies.  {2)  The  expression  "was  angry 
with  me  on  j}'oitr  accoitni"  {comp.  the  synonynis  in  the  parallel  notices  3"'' 
4-')  is  very  insufficiently  explained,  if  the  allusion  be  to  the  incident  narrated 
in  Nu.  20^'^"^".  By  those  who  suppose  this  to  be  the  case,  the  expression  is 
accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the  sin  of  Moses  was  occasioned  by  the 
unbelief  of  the  people  ;  but  the  terms  used  imply  naturally  that  God's 
anger  with  Moses  was  an  immediate  consequence  of  the  people's  mis- 
behaviour, not  that  it  only  resulted  from  it,  accidentally  and  indirectly,  ' 
through  the  intervening  cause  of  Moses  07vn  sin:  it  is  singular,  if  Nu. 
20^0-1-2  ijg  the  occasion  referred  to,  that  Moses'  own  fault  should  be 
unnoticed,  and  that  each  time,  3^^  4^'  as  well  as  here,  it  should  be  emphatic- 
all}-  said  that  Moses  incurred  Jehovah's  displeasure  on  account  of  the 
people.  But  this  expression  would  be  exactly  explained  if  it  could  be 
supposed  to  describe  how  Moses  had  been  implicated  in  the  consequences 
of  the  people's  disobedience  after  the  return  of  the  spies, — for  instance, 
through  his  being  included  formally,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  he  was 
personally  innocent,  in  the  terms  of  the  sentence  passed  upon  the  dis- 
obedient Israelites. 

Dillm.,  observing  that  v.^^  is  the  natural  sequel  of  v."^  (rather  than  of 
v."*),  and  considering  that  the  direction  for  Joshua's  appointment  is  first 
given,  according  to  Dt.,  in  3-^,  supposes  the  verses  to  be  an  insertion  in 
the  original  text  of  Dt.,  m:ide  by  the  Redactor,  on  the  basis  of  3'"'''^^  for 
the  purpose  of  supplying  a  notice,  which  seemed  to  be  here  desiderated,  of 
Joshua's  exemption  from  the  sentence  of  exclusion  from  Canaan.  This 
hypothesis  meets  the  first  of  the  two  difficulties  mentioned  above,  but 
leaves  the  second  as  it  was. 

It  thus  appears  that,  as  they  stand,  neither  the  position  of 
these  two  verses,  nor  their  contents,  can  be  properly  explained 
unless  they  are  held  to  refer  to  some  incident  which  took  place 
immediately  after  the  return  of  the  spies.  If  that  be  the  case 
they  will  present  another  (cf.  v.^f^)  of  the  many  examples  which 
the  Pent,  contains  of  a  double  tradition  :  according-  to  Dt.  Moses 
was  forbidden  to  enter  Canaan  in  consequence  of  the  people's 
disobedience  at  Kadesh  in  the  second  year  of  the  Exodus  ; 
according-  to  P  (Nu.  20^-  o'f-'^'  Dt.  32''0f)  it  was  on  account  of 
his  presumption  at  the  same  spot,  but  on  a  dilTercnt  occasion, 
37  years  afterwards. — 37.  Was  angered  (^iXrin)]  ^.21  gS.  20  j  y^^ 
II-'  2  K.  17^8  (both  Deut.).t  An  uncommon  and  forcible  word. 
—  On  your  account  (Drrr^r)]  the  force  of  ^^1  may  be  learnt  from 
Gn.  12^3  3027  3c,5:  cf.  the  synonyms  in  ^t''  (^-?V'?^)  4^^  (/V 
D3'73"n). — Thou  also\  including  Moses  in  the  same  sentence  with 


28  DEUTERr)NOMY 

the  rest.— 38.  JV7io  standcth  before  thee  ("^32^  "^PV^)]  to  stand 
before,  in  Heb.  idiom,  is  to  ludit  or  attend  upon,  as  a  servant, 
courtier,  &c.  (i  K.  lo^;  of.  on  lo'').  The  phrase  employed 
here  is  a  synonym  of  the  term  used  elsewhere  of  Joshua,  'll-'P 
HK'O  <' Moses'  minister"  (Ex.  24^^  33"  Nu.  ii2s  Jos.  i^t).— 
He  shall  go  in  thither,  &c.'\  in  accordance  with  the  representa- 
tion which  connected  Moses'  exclusion  from  Canaan  w'xih  the 
people's  disobedience  after  the  return  of  the  spies,  the  nomina- 
tion of  Joshua  as  his  successor  is  assigned  to  the  same  time: 
in  P  this  is  referred  consistently  to  an  occasion  (Nu.  z'j^-'-'^'-') 
arising-  directly  out  of  Moses'  presumption  at  the  waters  of 
Meribah  (Nu.  2712-1'),  37-38  years  afterwards. 

39-40.  Only  the  next  generation  of  Israelites  shall  enter  the 
Promised  Land. — 39.  And  your  little  ones,  which  ye  said  should 
be  a  prey'\  in  verbal  agreement  with  Nu.  i4''i,  whicii  in  its  turn 
is  based  upon  Nu.  14''  (JE)  "our  wives  and  our  little  ones 
shall  be  a  prey,"  with  the  omission  (from  the  nature  of  the 
case)  of  "our  wives."  The  clause  cannot  be  cited  as  an 
example  of  the  retrospect  presupposing  the  narrative  of  P  ;  for 
the  verses  Nu.  14^1-^2  ^^f.  B.  W.  Bacon,  The  Triple  Tradition 
oj  the  lixodiis,  p.  188)  are  referred  most  probably  to  JE 
(attaching  originally  to  v.-')  :  it  is,  moreover,  remarkable 
that  it  is  not  expressed  by  G,  and  as  "little  ones"  is  almost 
tautologous  by  the  side  of  "children"  following,  it  is  very 
possible  that  it  is  a  comparatively  late  insertion  from  Nu.  i^-^^ 
(so  Kuen.  Theol.  T.  xi.  557  f.,  Dillm.). —  Who  this  da'^'  hnow 
not  good  or  cvil\  cf.  Is.  7^^- 1*'.  Here  the  meaning  is,  who  are 
morally  irresponsible,  and  consequently  no  parties  in  the  guilt 
of  their  fathers. — -40.  But  as  for  you,  turn  you,  and  take  your 
journey  into  the  7vilderness  by  the  ivay  to  the  Red  Sea\  almost 
exactly  as  Nu.  14-^  (see  the  Tabic).  Whether  a  definite  road 
is  meant,  is  vmcertain ;  Trumbull  identifies  the  "Red  Sea 
Road"  with  the  modern  pilgrim  track  across  the  Tih  from 
Suez  to 'Akabah  [Kadesh-Barnca,  pp.  81,  134,  360  f.). 

38a.  Nin)  as  v."".  So  v.^  .T?n. — pjn  ^nk]  notice  the  emph.  position  of 
the  pron.  ;  cf.  10'-"  ^ivx\  131  nayn  wx  Jos.  5^  Gn.  37*  42'"'  Jiid.  14^  i  S. 
15'  18'^;  and  similarl)'  with  preps.,  as  Gn.  15'  30'®  43'"  Ex.  21^  i  S.  19^ 
2  K.  5". — p?n]  strengthen,  encourage:    3-*,  cf.   Is.  41^. — 40.  cd"?  1:2]  v.^. — 


1. 38-44  29 

41-46.  Ineffectual  attempt  of  the  people  to  force  a  way  into 
the  mountains  of  the  Amorites.  Their  subsequent  sojourn  at 
Kadesh. 

Dt.  i-*^*  ....  Nu.  I4''"''  uxan  o  ''  icx  nrx  cipcn  "r.s*  irH'i  i3Jn. 

.  .  .  Nu.  14^^ ''  'D  riN  Dnay  Dnx  ni  no"?,  ■'•'  nnn  b-nt  '?n  m'jj;'?  I'j'syi. 
.  .  .  Nu.  14'*^  nmnn  ij;  dwd'i  di3'1  Ninn  nnn  2C'vn  ':l;:2n^  'p'rovn  "iTi. 

.    .    .    (Nu.   20^  Cip2    DVn   3B"1.) 

41.  ]]\'  Jiavc  sinned  a o<ii}isi  fcliovah  :  ivc  (eniph.)  ivilL  go  up 
and  figJit,  &c.\70C  ("ijnjs)  will  g'o  up — not  our  descendants — 
and  perform  all  that  Jehovah  requires  of  us.  Cf.  Nu.  i4*'Jb. 
Notice  how  the  retrospect  passes  from  Nu.  14"^  to  Nu.  14*°, 
without  any  reference  to  v.^f'-^'^  which  belong-s,  in  the  main, 
to  P. — Go  up\  as  V.21.. — Dcctncd  it  a  light  thing  to  go  up\  i.e. 
went  up  heedlessly,  attempted  it  as  somethings  to  be  lig-htly 
undertaken. — 42.  Go  not  up,  &c.\  the  terms  of  the  prohibition 
are  taken  nearly  verbally  from  Nu.  14^2  (gee  the  Table),  thoug-h 
it  is  not  there  expressly  described  as  proceeding  from  God. — 
Among ymi  (D33-ip3)]  cf.  Ex.  17^  34^-10  Nu.  ii-«  i4i-i--i-  Dt.  31'" 
Jos.  3^0.  The  same  thought  also  in  P,  but  always  there  ex- 
pressed by  the  syn.  "[inn  Ex.  29'*5  Lev.  26"- ^^  (H)  Nu.  5^  i6'^ 
3534.-43.  But  yc  defied  the  mouth  of  Jehovah,  cSrr.]  Nu.  i4«-44. 
— 44.  And  the  Amorite,  -who  dwelt  in  that  hill-country,  came 
forth  .  .  .  and  beat  you  down  in  Se'ir  even  tinto  HorniaJi]  the 
italicised  words,  as  Nu.  i4*\ — The  Amorite]  in  Nu.  the  foe  is 
termed  "the  'Amalekite  and  the  Canaanite "  :  the  change  is 
probably  to  be  attributed  to  D's  use  of  "Amorite  "  in  v.'^- 1'-*-  ^O-  27. 
— As  bees  do]  Ps.  118^-;  Is.  7^^.  An  effective  comparison: 
swarming  about  you,  as  pertinaciously,  as  ferociously,  and  as 
numerously  as  bees. — Eveii  unto  Hornuih]  the  former  name  of 

a.  n'nril]  a  ar.  Xsy.,  to  be  explained  from  the  Arab,  haiia,  I0  he  lii(Jit 
or  easy,  conj.  iv  to  slight  (Qor.  22"') ;  hence  in  Hif.  to  deal  lighily  or  Jwed- 
lessly  in  respect  of  going  up  (constr.  exactly  as  Nu.  14^*  ni'?j/''?  I'j'SV'i ;  G-K. 
§  114.  2  R.-').  The  meaning  of  the  word  was  unknown  to  the  ancient 
translators,  who  accordingly  merely  conjectured  from  the  context ;  <& 
cvia^foiaf-vTis,  Aq.  ofiotor.ffavTi; ,  U  instructi  amiis,  C  began  (y\T\—\v),  S:  incited 
yourselves  (pn:",:r.N).  The  Rabb.  Commentators  derived  it  fancifully  from 
jn,  as  though  it  meant  io  say  Lo  I  (cf.  Nu.  14^"^  Mir^  —  liere  we  arc);  and 
Rashi  paraphrases  accordingly  DnjET]},  whence  AV.  "were  ready." 


30  DEUTKRONOMY 

I  lormah  was  Zephath  (Jud.  i^") :  the  orig-in  of  the  name 
Hormah  is  related  ib.^  and  Nu.  ai"*.  According  to  one  tradi- 
tion it  was  so  called  because  the  Israelites  under  Moses,  in 
fulfilment  of  a  vow,  devoted  it  to  the  herern  or  ban  (on  7^) ; 
according"  to  another  tradition,  it  received  its  name  somewhat 
later,  when  the  tribes  of  Judah  and  Simeon  devoted  it  similarly 
in  the  course  of  their  conquests.  Hormah  is  mentioned  besides 
Jos.  12*  i5''<^  (a  city  of  Judah,  in  the  Negeb,  on  the  border  of 
Edom)  I  S.  30"''':  Jos.  19^  I  Ch.  4-^*'  u  is  reckoned  to  Simeon. 
The  site  is  uncertain.  Es-Sebaita  (Seetzen,  iii.  44;  Palmer, 
Desert  of  the  Exodus,  374-380,  cf.  512  f.),  in  a  plain  in  the 
Wady-el-Abyad,  about  25  miles  NNE.  of 'Ain-Kadis  (Kadesh), 
has  been  suggested.  As  Dillm.  remarks,  the  situation  would 
be  suitable,  though  Sehaita  does  not  correspond  phonetically 
to  Zephath  ('"!?>'),  as  it  should  do.  The  existing  ruins  of  es- 
Scbaita  date  from  Christian  times.  The  town  lay  in  the  centre 
of  a  well-cultivated  district ;  and  the  hills  around  show  traces 
of  former  orchards,  and  terraces  of  vineyards.  If  this  be  the 
site  of  Hormah,  the  Israelites,  on  the  occasion  in  question, 
will  have  attempted  to  force  their  way  into  Canaan  by  one  of 
the  passes  about  30  miles  N.  of  Kadesh, — probably,  if  the 
view  of  Se'ir  taken  below  be  the  true  one,  the  Wady  Murreh, 
which  runs  from  SW.  to  NE.,  and  which  would  bring 
them  towards  es-Seer. — In  Seir\  cf.  Jos.  ii^'^  12^,  where 
"mount  Halak  [or  the  bare  mountain],  that  g'oeth  up  to 
Se'ir,"  is  mentioned  as  part  of  the  Southern  limit  of  Canaan. 
Trumbull  {K.-B.  pp.  91-102)  has  made  it  probable  that  this  is 
the  elevated  plain  of  es-Seer,  N.  of  the  Wady  Fekreh,  which 
runs  in  a  South-Westerly  direction  SW.  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and 
forms  the  natural  boundary  line  between  Canaan  and  the 
mountains  W.  of  the  Wady-el-'Arabah  (the  Jebel  Mukrah).  As 
Kadesh  is  described  (Nu.  20^")  as  on  the  border  of  Edom 
(Se'ir),  if  it  be  rightly  placed  at  'Ain-Kadis,  the  Edomite 
territory  will  not  have  been  confined  to  the  region  E.  of  the 
'Ardbah,  but  will  have  embraced  more  or  less  of  the  moun- 
tainous district  on  the  other  side,  to  the  S.  and  SE.  of 
Judah.  GS'F  express  "/row  Se'ir  to  Hormah"  (-i^yj'O  for 
"l"'J;:^'3),    which,    if   the    locality  just    suggested    for    "Se'ir" 


1. 45-46  31 

be  riqlit,  is  probably  the  true  reading-:  for,  though  the 
sense  is  not  materially  different,  the  combination  "from 
.  .  .  to "  is  common  and  natural  (see  below). — 45.  And 
ivc'p/  before  Jchova1i\  in  penitence:  Jud.  20-^  (cf.  21^)  2  K. 
22'''. — Nor  gave  car  (pTXn)]  the  word  is  common  in  poetry; 
but  in  prose  it  occurs  besides  only  Ex.  \^^  (||  ^  j;?2L*'),  and  in 
late  authors  (Ne.  9^0  2  Ch.  24I9). — 46.  And  ye  abode  in 
Kadcsli\  the  phrase  refers  here  to  the  period  immediately 
following-  the  defeat  at  Plormah  ;  but  in  Nu.  20^  (JE)  it  is 
used  of  the  period  just  before  the  message  sent  by  Israel  to 
the  Edomites,  38  years  subsequently,  craving  permission  to 
cross  their  territory,  in  order  to  reach  the  E.  side  of  the  Dead 
Sea.  See  further  the  next  note  but  one. — According  to  the 
days  tJiat  ye  abode  tJierc\  an  example  of  the  "idem  per  idem" 
idiom,  often  employed  in  the  Semitic  languages,  when  a  writer 
is  either  unable  or  has  no  occasion  to  speak  explicitly.  Comp. 
2gi5(ir.)  <'how  we  passed  through  the  midst  of  the  nations 
through  which  ye  passed,"  i  S.  23^^  "and  they  went  about 
where  they  went  about,"  2  S.  \^^  2  K.  8^  Zech.  10^.  The 
idiom  is  copiously  illustrated,  especially  from  Arabic,  by 
Lagarde  in  a  note  at  the  end  of  the  Pscdteriuni  Hici'onvnii 
(1874),  p.  156 f.,  from  whose  examples  some  specimens  are 
cited  in  the  writer's  note  on  i  S.  23^^. — Many  days\  the  same 
expression,  applied  here  to  the  sojourn  at  Kadesh,  is  applied 
in  2^  to  the  wanderings  about  Edom.  The  expression  is,  how- 
ever, a  vague  one,  and  need  not  necessarily  in  both  passages 
designate  a  period  of  similar  length.  In  2^  (see  note)  it  must 
denote  a  period  of  37-38  years,  so  that,  unless  the  present 
passage  be  inconsistent  (Wellh.  Comp.  no,  200)  with  2^- 1*,  it 
cannot  here  embrace  more  than  a  few  months.  In  point  of  fact, 
however,  two  different  representations  of  the  course  taken  by 
the  Israelites  after  the  incident  of  the  spies  at  Kadesh  are  to  be 

44.  Tj'B-]  the  substitution  of  3  for  D  is  palaographically  easy ;  for  the 
Heb.  alphabet  passed  through  a  stage  in  which  the  two  letters  resembled 
each  other  far  more  closely  than  they  do  either  in  the  archaic  or  in  the 
modern  square  character,  and  the  versions  supply  many  instances  of 
their  being  confused  ;  Samuel,  p.  Ixviii.  ny  .  .  .  jo,  as  Jud.  11^  2  S.  5-'^  nl. 
Ti'ii'D  is  accepted  by  Kn.,  Kosters  {De  Hist.-Beschoiciving  van  den  Deut. 
p.  53),  Kohler  (^Bibl.  Gesch.  AT.s  i.  305),  Dillm.,  Oettli. 


32  DEUTKRONOMY 

found  in  the  OT.,  which  it  seems  impossible  in  some  respects 
to  harmonize. 

According  to  JE  in  Nmnbcrs,  the  Israelites,  after  the  incident  of  the 
spies,  are  commanded  to  "turn  biick  into  the  wilderness  by  the  way  to  the 
Red  Sea"  (Nu.  14'-^).  Whether  they  did  this,  is  not  stated:  after  the 
defeat  at  Hormah  (Nu.  14^"'^'')  we  next  read  of  them  that  they  "abode  in 
Kadesh"  on  the  [vvesternj  border  of  Edom  (Nu.  20'-'''), — as  seems  clear, 
in  W\Q  fortieth  year  of  the  Exodus  ;  hence  they  send  to  crave  permission  to 
pass  through  the  Edomite  territory,  which  being  refused,  they  turn  aside, 
and  proceed  "by  the  way  to  the  Red  Sea,"  in  order  to  "compass"  the 
land  of  Edom  on  the  south  (20^^ '-'  21^),  and  so  to  reach  the  wilderness  on 
the  E.  of  Moab  (21'^).  (Similarly  Jud.  11"'"'^,  which  is  based  evidently 
upon  JE.)  In  Dt.,  after  the  repulse  at  Hormah  (1^'"^^),  the  Israelites,  it  is 
said,  "abode  in  Kadesh  "  many  days  (i'*®) :  after  this,  in  obedience  to  the 
injunction  of  i'*"  (Nu.  14"°),  they  "  turn  back  to  the  wilderness  by  the  way 
to  the  Red  Sea,"  and  "compass  Mount  Se'ir  many  days"  (2'),  until  at 
length  they  are  told  (2')  that  they  have  done  this  long-  enough,  and  are  to 
"turn  northward"  :  accordingly,  proceeding  in  this  direction  along  the  E. 
border  of  Edom,  they  arrive,  38  years  after  leaving  Kadesh-barnca',  at  the 
torrent  Zered,  on  the  border  of  Moab  (2**-  '•*•  '"•). 

These  two  narratives  imply  two  different  conceptions  of  Israel's  wander- 
ings. The  rather  remarkcible  use  of  the  same  phrases  "  abode  in  Kadesh," 
and  "compassing"  the  land  of  Edom,  to  denote  in  the  two  narratives 
different  periods  of  the  38  years  (cf.  p.  31,  and  on  2'),  is  indeed,  in  itself, 
a  literary  peculiarit}',  which  may  be  explained  as  before  (pp.  10,  15,  &c.); 
but  in  the  present  case  the  difference  is  more  than  a  merely  literary 
one.  In  estimating  it,  two  alternatives  have  to  be  considered,  (i)  If 
the  present  narrative  of  JE  in  Numbers  be  complete,  the  38  years 
in  the  wilderness  will  have  been  spent  at  Kadesh  :  nolhing  is  said  of 
the  Israelites  moving  elsewhere;  and  the  circuit  round  Edom  (Nu.  21'') 
will  have  taken  place  at  the  close  of  this  period,  merely  in  order  to 
enable  the  Israelites  to  reach  the  E.  side  of  Jordan.  In  this  case  the 
representation  in  Dt.  2'" ",  according  to  which  the  38  years  of  the 
wanderings  are  occupied  entirely  with  circling  about  Mount  Se'ir,  will  be 
irreconcilable  with  JE.  (2)  If  it  could  be  assumed  that  the  narrative  of 
JE  between  Nu.  14  and  Nu.  20  is  incomplete,  and  that  it  once  told  how 
the  Israelites,  after  remaining — perhaps  a  few  months — at  Kadesh, 
afterwards  wandered  southwards,  in  obedience  to  the  command,  Nu.  14'-', 
then  the  sojourn  at  Kadesh,  related  by  JE  in  Nu.  20^  would  be  a  second 
visit  of  the  Israelites  to  the  same  place,  after  the  wanderings  in  the 
wilderness  had  been  completed,  some  38  )-ears  after  the  first.  The 
supposition  that  JE's  narrative  in  Numbers  has  been  preserved  incom- 
pletely is  not  in  the  abstract  an  unreasonable  one ;  and  the  assumption 
that  Nu.  20^  speaks  of  a  second  visit  of  the  Israelites  to  Kadesh  has  been 
generally  made  by  commentators  :  but  even  so  the  two  narratives  do  not 
harmonize ;  for  although  the  silence  of  Dt.  (in  2')  would  not  in  itself  be 
conclusive  against  a  second  visit  to  Kadesh,  such  a  visit  appears  to  be 
inconsistent   with    2'^,    which    alludes   to    the    Israelites'   departure   from 


n.  1  33 

Kadosh-Barnca',  3S  j-ears  previously,  in  terms  implying'  that  they  had 
not  visited  it  since.  Dt.  a'--''*  thus  supports  the  view  that  the  Israelites 
visited  Kadesh  once  onlj^  and  that  Nu.  13-14  and  Nu.  20  relate, 
respectively,  the  beginning'  and  the  close  of  one  and  the  same  sojourn 
there 

The  discrepancy  is  acknowledged  by  Dillm.,  not  less  than 
by  Wellh.,  and  is  attributed  by  him,  no  doubt  rig-htly,  to  the 
fact  that  no  fixed  or  distinct  tradition  existed  respecting-  the 
journeyings  of  the  Israelites  in  the  wilderness.  According  to 
JE  the  38  years  in  the  wilderness  were  spent  at  Kadesh  ; 
according  to  Dt.  they  were  spent  (nvay  from  Kadesh  (21^),  in 
wandering  about  Edom  [2^).  The  discrepancy  is  lessened, 
though  not  removed,  by  the  consideration  that  Kadesh  was 
situated  on  the  border  of  Edom  (Nu.  20^*^).  The  endeavour  to 
solve  it  by  the  hypothesis  that  part  of  the  Israelites  remained 
in  Kadesh,  while  the  rest  wandered  in  the  wilderness  with 
Moses  (Schultz  and  others),  as  Dillm.  observes,  is  inconsistent 
with  the  text  of  Dt.;  in  the  Hebrew  the  pronouns  are  unex- 
pressed, so  that  there  is  no  antithesis  between  _j'^  of  i'^'^  and 


we  of  2^  (cf.  29^^  ( 
Dt.  2i»       . 


29-12     , 

213 

2"l>       . 

^18.  24a 


"^''j  quoted  on  p.  31). 

.  .  (Resumption  of  i*".) 

.  .  (Nu.  21'*  DUN  ]-i.s*  nx  nno'?  fjiD  q'  1^^.) 

.  .  *  *  * 

.  .  Cf.  Nu.  21". 


Cf.  Nu.  21I". 

Nu.  32^^^^  nnn  h'2  an  ny. 

Cf.  Nu.  21I3  (the  Arnon). 


II.  l-8^  How.  the  Israelites,  having  turned  back  into  the 
wilderness,  and  having  spent  much  time  in  circling  about 
Mount  Se'ir,  were  at  length  directed  to  turn  Northwards,  so 
as  to  skirt  the  Eastern  border  of  Edom. — As  Jehovah  spake  mifo 
?ne]  i^'^  Nu.  14-^ — A//d  ive  compassed  the  mountains  of  Se  ir 
(i-)  viany  days\  cf.  Nu.  21*  (JE)  "  .  .  .  by  the  way  to  the  Red 
Sea,  to  compass  the  land  of  Edom "  (viz.  after  permission  to 
pass  through  the  Edomite  territory  had  been  refused).  There 
the  expression  is  applied  in  its  natural  sense  to  the  final 
passage  of  the  Israelites  round  the  S.  of  Edom  ;  in  Dt.  it  is 
applied  differently  to  their  wanderings  during  37-38  years — • 
for  v.'^-^*   show   that   this    is    what    the    "many   days"   must 

3 


34  DEUTERONOMY 

embrace — about  the  W.  and  SW.  borders  of  Edom  (of.  Wellli. 
Coiiip.  p.  200).  (The  supposition  that  the  journey  into  the 
wilderness,  2"*,  includes  the  37-38  years,  and  that  the  circuit  of 
Mount  Se'ir,  2^^\  is  the  same  final  stag-e  that  is  referred  to  in 
Nu.  21^,  is  hardly  probable;  for  then  the  longer  period  would 
be  passed  by  without  any  hint  of  its  duration,  while  the  few 
months  at  its  beginning"  and  end  would  each  be  characterized 
as  "many  days,"  i^*'  2^) — 3.  Tuniyou  north'HHirds\  the  Israel- 
ites must  be  imag-ined  by  this  time  to  have  made  their  way 
along  the  SW.  and  S.  border  of  Edom,  as  far  as  the  SE.  end 
of  the  'Arabah,  so  that  a  turn  northwards  would  at  once  lead 
them  along-  the  E.  border  of  Edom  in  the  direction  of  Moab. 
— 4-7.  The  Israelites,  in  crossing-  the  Eastern  frontier  of 
the  Edomites,  were  not  to  molest  them  in  any  way.  The 
passag-e  stands  in  no  connexion  with  Nu.  2o"-i,  which  narrates 
the  application  made  by  Israel  from  Kadesh,  on  the  Western 
border  of  Edom,  for  permission  to  pass  tJiroitgh  the  Edomite 
territory,  which  was  refused.  That  incident  belongs  to  an 
earlier  stage  of  the  Israelites'  wanderings,  and  is  not  noticed  in 
Dt.— 4.  Yow  brethren^  cf.  23'^(')  Am.  i^  Ob.  lO- 12  Mai.  i2.— 
Which  dwell  in  Scir]  i'-.  —  Will  be  afraid  of  yoii\  the  intentions 
of  the  Israelites  being  imperfectly  known  :  cf.  Nu.  2o^^'20. — So 
fake  ffood Jiccd {-]}A}:)  DmrDCJl)]  on  4^^. — 5.  h^-\  e|3  "|"nD]  cf.  ii^^  Jos. 
i^. — 6.  Ye  shall  purchase  food,  cS-c.]  the  same  spirit  had  been 
shown  by  the  Israelites  previously  (Nu.  20^''^-  ^^) ;  but  it  had 
failed  to  evoke  a  favourable  response  on  the  part  of  Edom. — 
7.  They  are  able  to  treat  Edom  on  these  terms,  inasmuch  as 
God  has  abundantly  blessed  them,  and  even  in  the  wilderness 

II.  3.  d:"?  3n]  i^. — d:;'?  '!:2]  i''. — 4.  onnv]  are  passing, — are  on  the  point  to 
pass.  The  ptcp.  expresses  the  ininiinent  future  (the  so-called  fut, 
instans),  as  frequently,  esp.  in  this  book:  cf.  jnj  is  g-ivingf,  i-^-^  2^  3'-* 
4'- 8  ^16  ^c_  (£)r^  §  i^^,  -j)_ — Suja]  through,  not  by  (Sv,  or  nx  v.'^) :  3  naj;  as 
Nu.  20"*  '3  n^yn  n"?  thou  shalt  not  pass  fhroiigh  me  {i.e.  through  my 
territory),  21"  i  S.  g"*  &c. — 5.  03  n:nn  '?«]  mj  (Piel),  with  jiTC,  is  io  excite 
strife  (Pr.  15^*);  hence  in  the  Hithp.,  with  3,  to  excite  ow^^^//"  against, 
engage  in  strife  tvith,  provoke:  cf.  v."- ^^- ^  2  K.  14'"  fig.  (see  RV.  inarg.). 
— ^'4'y^  an  uncommon  word,  mostly  confined  to  D  and  D'^  (y.^- ^* '-• '^- ''^ 
3-"  Jos.  i^^  12®-''):  only  besides  Jud.  21"  Jer.  32^  Ps.  6i®  2  Ch.  20".  The 
usual  synon.  is  n^nj,  or  (in  P)  njnx. — 6.  cnxc]  idiom,  with  verbs  of  buying  : 
Gn.  1"]'^  Jos.  24^^  &c. — 7.  'T]  used  as  an  indcclin.  adv.  "now,  already,  forty 


n.  3-8  35 

permitted  them  to  lack  nothing-. — Ifatli  blessed  ihee^  the  bless- 
ings of  God,  as  resting-  upon  His  people,  or  promised  to  it,  is 
frequently  emphasized  in  Dt.  (ii^  7^^  12"  iq.-^- -'J  i^^.  e.  10.  i4.  is 
1510. 15  2^21  241^  28^- 1-  30I6,  cf.  26'"^)  ;  it  is  here  affirmed,  even 
for  the  years  spent  in  the  wilderness. — The  work  of  tJiy  haiid^ 
thy  undertakings,  enterprises, — a  common  Deut.  expression 
(with  "bless,"  as  here,  1429  16^'^  24^^  28^2 ;  also  30'').  Usually,  ' 
as  the  context  of  the  passag-es  quoted  shows,  it  has  reference 
to  the  operations  of  agriculture  (cf.  Is.  65-"-  Hag-.  2'"  Job 
i^*'),  but  it  is  also  used  more  g-enerally  (Hag-.  2^^  Ps.  90'"), 
and  even  in  a  bad  sense  (see  on  4-''  31-'').  (Differently,  of  the 
works  of  God,  Ps.  ig2  28'^  <iJ.) — I/cifh  knoivu  Ihv  liHilking,  <2rT.] 
i.e.  hath  taken  notice  of  it,  concerned  Himself  about  it :  cf.  the 
same  verb  in  Gn.  39'^  Ps.  i''  31'^  Pr.  2723. 

8^.  Accordingly,  the  Israelites  passed  by  from  the  vicinity  of 
iP^'9)  their  brethren  the  children  of  'Esau,  aivay  from  the  'way  of 
the  'Arabah,  aiiniy  from  Elath  and  from' Ezion-Geber,  towards 
the  wilderness  of  Moab.  The  'Arabah  is  here,  of  course,  the 
modern  Wady-el-'Arabah  (p.  3),  S.  of  the  Dead  Sea;  and  the 
"  way  of  the 'Arabah  "  is  no  doubt  the  road  leading  through 
it — still  the  route  from  'Akabah  to  Hebron  {BR.  i.  198;  cf. 
Hull,  Mount  Seir,  pp.  75,  79,  &c.),  the  part  here  particularly 
meant  being  its  S,  end,  where,  starting  from  'Akabah 
on  the  Red  Sea,  it  would  (probably)  pass  shortly  afterwards 
by  'Ezion-Geber.  The  Israelites,  turning  off  from  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  'Akabah,  in  a  North-easterly  direction,  would 
naturally  leave  this  "  way  of  the 'Arabah,"  as  well  as  Elath 
and  'Ezion-Geber,  behind  them.  The  precise  site  of  'Ezion- 
Geber  is  uncertain ;  but  it  must  have  Iain  on  the  Red  Sea, 
very  near  (ns)  to  Elath  (i  K.  92'',  cf.  22^^) :  upon  the  supposi- 
tion that  the  "mud  flats,"  which  now  appear  to  constitute 
the  lower  end  of  the  Wady-el-'Arabah  {DB.'^  i.  854^'),  were 
formerly  covered  by  the  sea,  it  was  identified  by  Robinson  (i. 
169  f.),  not  improbably,  with 'Ain-el-Ghudyan,   some   15  miles 

years":  so  8-"^  Gn.  27^  &c.  {Lex.  ni  4h). — 8.  t\^z]  from  beside,  from 
proximity  to,  Jos.  22'  Jcr.  9'. — ncnSs]  accus.,  defining^  the  mantier  in  which 
the  action  of  n:m  takes  place  :  "excite  not  thyself  against  them  as  regards 
(or  in)  battle"  (G-K.  §  118.  5).     So  v.^. 


36  DEUTERONOMY 

N.  of  the  present  extremity  of  the  Gulf.  Elath,  called  by  the 
Greeks  and  Romans  AlXuva,  Ac/ufia,  is  frequently  mentioned 
by  classical  writers:  it  is  the  modern 'Akabah  (Rob.  i.  171). 
The  Israelites,  after  leaving-  Elath,  may  have  ascended  by  the 
larg-e  and  steep  Wady-el-Ithm  (Rob.  i.  174;  Palmer,  Desert  0/ 
the  Exodus,  p.  523),  which  runs  through  the  mountains  in  a 
NE.  direction,  and  forms  the  main  passage  from  'Akabah  to 
the  Eastern  desert ;  they  would  then  join  the  road,  correspond- 
ing to  the  route  of  the  modern  Syrian  IlaJ  (pilgrimage)  from 
Damascus  to  Mecca,  at  Ma'an,  a  little  E.  of  Petra,  and  so 
would  be  on  the  way  to  their  destination  in  the  steppes  of 
Moab, 

8^-15.  How  the  Israelites,  upon  approaching  the  Moabite 
territory,  were  warned  not  to  encroach  upon  it,  and  how  they 
reached  the  torrent  of  Zered. — 8^.  The  way  to  the  •wilderness  of 
Moah\  i.e.  to  the  great  rolling  plains  of  grass  or  scrub 
(Tristram,  Land  of  Moab,  pp.  148,  169),  stretching  out 
''before"— /.t'.  to  the  East  of— "IMoab"  (Nu.  21II)  Midbar, 
"wilderness," — properly  a  driving-place  (for  cattle), — denotes 
often  an  expanse  of  uncultivated  pasture-ground,  not  neces- 
sarily a  desert. — 9.  Tlie  children  of  Lot]  Gn.  ig^^  Ps.  83^. — '  Ar\ 
v,i8.29  Nu.  2ii5-28  (cf.  22^0)  Is.  15I.  The  capital  city  of  Moab, 
situate  on  its  N.  or  NE.  border  (cf.  v.^**),  in  the  valley  of 
the  Arnon.  Its  exact  site  is  uncertain  :  for  a  conjecture,  see  on 
V.36.  'Ar  is  perhaps  specified  here,  as  being  the  point  at 
which  the  Israelites  would  approach  most  closely  the  Moabite 
territory  on  their  left  (Dillm.) :  comp.  on  v.^^. 

It  is  sometimes  wrongly  idenlified  with  Rabbah  (probably  through  a 
confusion  arising  from  the  fact  that  'Afi'ovoXi;,  the  name  given  by  Jerome  to 
'Ar,  is  given  to  Rabbah  by  Eusebius).  Rabbah,  however,  which  lies 
almost  in  the  centre  of  Moab,  some  10  miles  S.  of  the  Arnon,  does  not 
answer  to  the  Biblical  description  of  'Ar  as  situate  on  the  "border"  of 
Moab,  and  (cf.  Nu.  22^^)  on  the  Arnon  (see  Dietrich,  in  Merx'  Archiv,  i. 
1869,  p.  325  ff.,  Delitzsch  on  Is.  15^  Dillm.  on  Nu.  21I*,  and  HWB."^  s.v.). 

10-12.  An  antiquarian  notice,  relating  to  the  previous 
occupants  of  the  lands  of  Moab  and  Edom. — 10.  The  Eniini 
dwelt  therein  aforetime]  cf.  v.^^  Gn.  145!,  where  the  Emim  are 
mentioned  as  dwelling  in  Shaveh-Kiriathaim,  i.e.  (probably) 
the  plain  of  Kiriathaim,  a  city  5-6  miles  N.  of  the  Arnon  (Xu. 


II.  8-14  37 

323"  Jos.  13^^).  The  territory  of  Moab  once  extended  N.  of 
the  Arnon  (Nu.  21-'') ;  and  the  Emim  must  have  been  the  pre- 
historic population  of  this  region,  reputed  to  have  been  a 
powerful  race,  of  g-iant  stature,  who  were  afterwards  expelled 
by  the  immigrant  Moabites,  as  the  Horites  were  expelled  from 
Edom  and  the  Canaanites  from  Palestine. — As  the  ^Anakwi\ 
cited  as  the  most  familiar  example  of  a  giant  race  (i-^). — 11. 
They  also,  like  the  'Anakim,  are  counted  as  Rephawi\  i.e.  the 
Emim  were  popularly  spoken  of  as  "  Rephaim " ;  but  the 
Moabites  gave  them  the  special  name  of  "Emim."  The 
Rephaim  were  a  giant  aboriginal  race,  inhabiting  parts  of 
Palestine,  from  w^hom  (presumably)  the  names  of  certain 
localities  were  derived,  and  whose  descendants — or  reputed 
descendants — are  alluded  to  in  historical  times. 

They  are  named  beside  the  Perizzites,  Gn.  15-"  Jos.  17'^  (the  pre- 
cise region  here  meant  is,  however,  uncertain):  the  "vale  (pji?)  of 
Rephaim,"  near  Jerusalem,  is  mentioned  Jos.  15*  18'"  2  S.  5'^.  22 
23'^  Is.  17';  2  S.  2 1  •*'•'''•-<'• --'  various  doughty  warriors  of  Gath  are 
described  as  "children  of  the  Rapha "  (Nsn.i  'tV'),  or  as  "born  to  the 
Rapha  "  ("  the  Rapha  "  being  meant  collectively  =  "  the  Rephaim  ") ;  here 
and  v.-"  they  are  said  to  have  dwelt  once  in  the  territory  E.  of  the  Dead 
Sea,  occupied  afterwards  by  the  Moabites  and  the  'Ammonites  :  3"  (cf.  '•*) 
Jos.  12*  13'-  'Og,  king  of  Bashan,  is  described  as  "of  the  remnant  of  the 
Rephaim  "  (c'xsin  nn'D) ;  and  Gn.  14'  the  Rephaim  in  'Ashteroth-Karnaim 
are  stated  to  have  been  smitten  by  Chedorla'omer.  From  these  notices, 
it  would  seem  that  the  Rephaim  were  specially  associated  with  the  region 
E.  of  Jordan,  though  traces  of  their  former  presence  were  also  to  be  found 
here  and  there  in  Canaan  as  well. 

12.  And  in  Se'ir  divclt  the  Horites  aforetime,  &'c.\  the 
Horites  were  the  primitive  population  of  the  hill-country  of 
Se'ir,  but  were  dispossessed  by  the  descendants  of  'Esau.  The 
note,  though  attached  to  the  similar  remark  about  the  Moab- 
ites, is  really  intended  as  an  antiquarian  illustration  of  v.^. 
The  Horites  are  mentioned  besides  v.--  Gn.  \^^'  2'^-^'^^. 

11.  \iiL'~-\  are  counted  :  tlie  impf.  with  a  frequentative  force,  of  a  custom  : 
cf.  v.^  Gn.  10"  22'^  li??!  it  is  said  {i.e.  it  is  commonly  said),  Ex.  13^'  iS" 
&c.  (Dr.  §  33rt  ;  G-K.  §  107.  2).— en  f,N]  so  v.^  (n'.t  f|N) :  cf.  15",  and  (poet.) 
22»'20. 28_  Except  in  the  sense  of  ho7v  viiich  viore  (or  less),  IN  is  very  rare 
in  ordinary  prose  (□:  being  the  usual  syn.  ;  cf.  3-") :  v.  Lex. — 12.  Dicn"]  the 
impf.  is  unusual,  but  hardly  (Dillm.)  "impossible":  cf.  2  S.  15''  i  K.  7*'' 
20*^  2  K,  13'-"  (Dr.  §§  27  y,  85  71.).     Lit.  "proceeded  to  possess  them." 


38 


DEUTERONOMY 


The  name  lh  means  probably  cave-dweller,  Troglodyte  (from  "^n  hole, 
Arab,  haivr,  cave:  lor  another  view,  see  Sayce,  Monuments,  p.  204);  and 
hij^h  up  hi  the  rocks  (cf.  Ob.^"*),  both  those  forming  the  amphitheatre  in 
which  Petra  lies,  and  those  lining-  the  defiles  by  which  it  is  approached, 
there  are  still  to  be  seen  innumerable  caves  and  g^rottoes,  hewn  in  the  soft 
sandstone  strata,  the  form  and  arrang-ements  of  which  show  that  in  most 
cases  they  were  orig^inally  intended  for  habitations  {DB?  s.v.  Edomites). 
Jerome  (Comnt.  on  Ob.")  attests  the  habit  of  living  in  caves  as  prevalent  in 
I'Alom  in  his  day.  The  custom,  originated  by  the  primitive  inhabitants  of 
Edom,  was  suited  no  doubt  to  the  physical  character  and  climate  ("  propter 
nimios  calores  solis,"  Jerome)  of  the  countrj-,  and  was  accordingly  adhered 
to  by  those  who  succeeded  them.  For  a  description  of  the  remarkable  situa- 
tion and  antiquities  of  Petra,  the  ancient  capital  of  Edom  (the  Heb.  Sela', 
Jud.  i»«  2  K.  14''  Is.  16'),  see  Rob.  BR.  ii.  128  ff.  ;  .S".  &  P.  p.  87  ff.  ;  Bad. 
p.  183  ff.  ;  Palmer,  Desert  of  the  Ex.  p.  429  ff.  ;  or  liuH,  Mount  Seir,  p.  85  fF. 

As  Israel  did  wito  the  land  of  his  possession^  the  words  could 
clearly  not  have  been  penned  until  after  the  Israelites  had 
taken  possession  of  Canaan.  They  cannot  be  referred  (Keil 
al.)  to  the  occupation  of  the  trans-Jordanic  territory  by  the 
2^  tribes  (Nu.  32);  for  the  subject  of  the  verb  is  "Israel," 
without  cjualilication  or  restriction,  so  that  the  limitation 
sug-g^ested  is  not  admissible. 

13.  Now  rise  iip,  and  gel  yon  over  the  torrent  Zcred\  the 
verse  connects  directly  with  v.^.  The  torrent  Zered  is  named 
also  in  the  fragment  of  E's  itinerary  preserved  in  Nu.  2I1*""-,  as 
marking  the  station  of  the  Israelites  immediately  before  their 
passage  of  the  Arnon.  It  has  been  often  identified  with  the 
Wady-el-Ahsa,  which  runs  from  the  SE.  into  the  S.  end  ol  the 
Dead  Sea  (Wetzstein  in  Del.  Gen.^  p.  567  f.  ;  Tristram,  Moab, 
p.  49  f.) ;  but  inasmuch  as  this  must  ha\e  formed  the  S.  border 
of  Moab  on  the  side  of  Edom,  and  'lye-'abarim,  the  station 
prior  to  the  torrent  Zered,  is  described  in  Nu.  21^^  as  being  in 
the  wilderness  on  the  E.  of  Moab,  some  Wady  further  to  the 
N  appears  to  be  denoted  by  it, — either  the  Sail  Sa'ideh  (Kn.), 
the  principal  confluent  of  the  Arnon  from  the  SE.  (Fischer 
and  Guthe's  Map),  or  more  probably,  perhaps,  the  Wady 
Kerak  (Ges.  Hitz.  Keil,  Di.) — in  the  upper  part  of  its  course 
called  the  Wady-el-Franji — a  deep  and  narrow  gorge  (Tristram, 
pp.  65-69)  running  past  Kerak  in  a  NW.  direction  into  the 
Dead  Sea.  Arrived  at  this  spot,  the  Israelites  are  directed  to 
cross  the  Wady — with  the  implication,  probably  (cf.  v.^^f.),  that 


11.  I3-I8  39 

they  are  to  advance  straii^ht  forwards,  without  trespassing'  on 
the  Moabite  territory  upon  llieir  left.  —  Torrent  \>^T)\  "brook" 
is  not  an  adequate  rendering- ;  but  ?nj  has,  in  fact,  no  proper 
EngHsh  equivalent.  The  term  which  really  corresponds  is 
the  Arabic  WCidv,  so  frequently  occurring  in  descriptions  of 
travel  in  Palestine.  ^riJ  "signifies  the  hollow  or  valley  of  a 
mountain-torrent,  which,  while  in  rainy  seasons  it  may  fill  the 
whole  width  of  the  depression,  in  summer  is  reduced  to  a  mere 
brook,  or  thread  of  water,  and  is  often  entirely  dry  "  (S.  (jf  P. 
App.  §  38).  N^aJial  denotes  indifferently  the  "torrent"  or 
the  "torrent-valley":  thus  i  K.  17^  Elijah  hides  "in"  the 
"torrent-valley"  of  Kerith,  and  v.'^  drinks  of  the  "torrent" 
(the  word  in  both  verses  being  the  same). — 14.  The  journey 
from  Kadesh-barnea'  to  the  torrent  Zered  had  been  protracted 
for  38  years,  until  all  the  generation  which  had  rebelled  at 
Kadesh  had  passed  away.  The  oath,  as  i^s  Nu.  i4'-i-"-^  (JE). — 
Until  all  the  generation,  (even)  the  men  of  war,  were  consumed^ 
cf.  v.i<5.35Nu.  32I3  (JE)  Jos.  56  (D2).  By  the  addition  "the 
men  of  war"  the  terms  of  the  sentence  are  limited  somewhat 
more  distinctly  than  in  i^^  jsj^^  14-1-23  to  the  adult  males: 
comp.  the  still  more  precise  limitation  of  P,  Nu.  14^^  32I1 
(middle  clause)  "from  20  years  old  and  upwards." — 15.  More- 
over Jehovah's  hand  7oas  against  them,  &c.]  cf.  Ex.  9'^  Jud.  2^^ 
I  S.  5^  7^^  12^^.  Not  natural  causes  only,  but  the  special 
action  of  God's  hand  as  well,  co-operated  to  accomplish  their 
destruction  (cf.  Nu.  iG^i*"-  21^  253-5  in  JE).  —  To  discomfit  them 
{^1^^^)  from  the  midst  of  the  camp\  or  ront  them  in  confusion  : 
Ex.'142-t  2327  Dt.  7-^  I  S.  710  Ps.  18^5  (»). 

16-25.  How  the  Israelites,  upon  finding  themselves  in  front 
of  the  'Ammonites,  were  commanded  not  to  molest  them,  but 
to  cross  the  Arnon,  and  pass  on  to  the  territory  of  Sihon. — To 
these  verses  nothing  corresponds  in  the  narrative  of  Numbers. 
— 18.  To  pass  by  the  border  of  Moab,  (even)  'Ar\  it  would  seem, 
then,  that  'Ar  lay  in  the  NE.  corner  of  Moab,  near  the  route 

15.  csn-ny]  31^- 2"  Jos.  8"^  10-"  Jer.  24'",  isn'Ty  i  K.  i4io(notall  in  the  same 
application). — 16.  nioV  .  .  .  inn]  lit.  "had  ended  .  .  .  in  respect  0/ dying- "  = 
had  finished  dying-  (cf.  Nu.  17-^  Jos.  3"  al.) :  constr.  as  i^\ — 18.  "ini"]  the 
ptcp.,  as  V.'' ;  cf.  3-1  i^^--  6^  &c.,  9^-'. 


40  DEUTERONOMY 

along'  which  the  Israehtes  would  pass. — 19.  In  front  of  i^vo)  the 
children  of  'Amnion]  the  'Ammonites  occupied  the  territory 
between  the  Arnon  on  the  S.  and  the  Jabbok  on  the  N.,  on 
the  I^ast  of  the  district  which  was  allotted  afterw-ards  to 
Reuben  and  Gad,  but  which,  at  the  time  of  the  Exodus,  formed 
the  dominion  of  Sihon  king  of  the  Amorites  (cf.  Xu.  21^*  [see 
Dillm.]  Jud.  11^'  [where  the  addition  unto  Jordan  expresses  the 
false  clami  preferred  by  the  'Ammonites  against  Jephthah]). 
The  Israelites,  upon  reaching  the  Arnon,  would  thus  have 
the  land  of  the  'Ammonites  immediately  in  front  of  them  : 
they  were  not,  however,  to  trespass  upon  it,  but,  leaving-  it 
on  their  rig^ht,  to  pass  on  through  the  territory  of  Sihon,  king 
of  Heshbon. 

20-23.  An  antiquarian  notice  (cf.  v.^'^'^^j^  respecting  the 
former  occupants  of  the  'Ammonite  territory.  This  also,  like 
the  land  of  Moab  (v.^i),  had  once  been  inhabited  by  Rephaim, 
who  were  called,  however,  by  the  'Ammonites  Zamzununhn. 
Of  the  Zamzummim  (G  Zoxo/jl/xli',  cod.  F.  Zofj.fxeiv)  nothing  is 
known  beyond  what  is  here  stated,  viz.  that  they  were  reputed 
to  have  been  a  g^iant  race,  dispossessed  by  the  'Ammonites  : 
they  have  been  supposed  to  be  the  same  as  the  "  Zuzim  in 
Ham,"  who  are  mentioned  (Gn.  14^)  between  the  "  Rephaim  in 
'Ashteroth-Karnaim  "  and  the  "  Emim  in  Shaveh-Kiriathaim," 
and  who  therefore,  apparently,  had  their  home  in  a  corre- 
sponding locality.     For  the  expressions  in  v. 20-22^  (^f^  y^io-u^ 

The  names  Rephaim,  Emim,  and  Zamzummim  are  all  somewhat 
curious,  and  provoke  speculation  as  to  their  possible  ori^'in  and  sijj;-nifi- 
cancc.  Rephaim  is  also  the  lleb.  (Is.  14'  «/.)  and  Phoenician  {C/S.  I.  i.  3") 
name  for  the  shades,  or  ^/tosfs  of  the  departed  ;  .i?"X  is  a  Heb.  word  mean- 
ing terror;  the  Arab,  aamsamali  is  a  distant,  confused  sound ;  sisim  is  the 
loin  or  faint  sound  of  the  Jinn,  heard  bj'^  night  in  the  deserts  (Lane,  Arab. 
Lex.  1248-49).  Prof.  W.  R.  Smith  writes  (.MS.  note):  "Antioch  and  the 
country  about  it  also  claimed  to  have  been  inhabited  of  old  by  giants 
(Malalas,  ed.  Bonn,  p.  202).  The  giant-legends  no  doubt  arose  in  part 
from  the  contemplation  of  ancient  ruins  of  great  works  and  supposed 
gigantic  tombs ;  but  I  think  that  Schwally,  Das  Lehen  nach  don  Tode  (iSgz), 
p.  64 f.,  is  not  wrong  in  supposing  a  connexion  between  cxsi  ghosts,  and 
D'Nen  extinct  giants,  and  also  in  connecting  C'cx  with  ns'x  terror.  So  again 
Zamzummim  are  doubtless,  as  he  says,  7vhisperers,  viurniurers;  and  the 
name  might  have  been  illustrated  b}'  him  from  the  Arabic  'azlf,  the  eerie 
sound  of  the  Jinn  in  the  wilderness  (Wellh.   Reste  Arab.  Heidentumes, 


p.  136).     I  take  it  that  the  old  giants  were  still  thought  to  haunt  the  ruins 
and  deserts  of  East  Canaan." 

21.  Destroyed  them  from  before  thetn'\  cf.  Jos.  24^  Am.  2^^ 
(where  the  same  phrase  is  used  of  the  Amorites  destroyed 
before  Israel). — Even  vnto  this  da\'\  cf.  on  3^^.— 23.  A  further 
ilhistration  of  the  manner  in  which,  under  God,  an  immigrant 
race  might  expel  the  previous  possessors  of  a  country.  The 
* A-ovim  are  mentioned  elsewhere  only  Jos.  13^"^  (beside  the 
Philistines) ;  Caphtor,  i.e.  Crete, — or  (Ebers,  Sayce,  Races,  p. 
53  :  see  on  Gn.  lo^^)  the  coast-land  of  the  Delta, — was  the 
home  of  the  Philistines  (Am.  9"  Jer.  47^).  The  verse  thus  states 
that  the  'Avvim,  the  original  occupants  of  SW.  Palestine,  were 
expelled  from  their  homes  by  Philistine  immigrants  from 
Caphtor. 

24.  Rise  ye  itp,  take  your  journey,  and  pass  over  the  torrent 
Arnon]  the  continuation,  after  the  parenthesis,  of  v.^^,  as  v.^^ 
of  v.^.  The  Israelites,  standing  on  the  S.  bank  of  the  Arnon, 
were  thereupon  commanded  to  cross  it,  and  received  permis- 
sion to  commence  hostilities  with  the  Amorites,  who  occupied 
the  territory  between  the  'Ammonites  and  the  Jordan.  The 
Amorites,  unlike  Edom,  Moab,  and'Ammon,  were  not  allied  by 
blood  with  the  Israelites.  The  Southern  part  of  the  Amorite 
territory,  according  to  Nu.  21-*^',  had  formerly  been  in  the 
occupation  of  the  Moabites,  but  Sihon  wrested  it  from  them, 
and  forced  them  to  withdraw  S.  of  the  Arnon. — 25.  This  day] 
the  day,  viz.  on  which  the  Arnon  is  crossed,  and  the  territory 
to  be  conquered  entered. — To  put  the  fear  of  thee  and  the 
dread  of  thee]  cf.  ii~->. — That  are  under  the  "mhole  heaven] 
a  rhetorical   hyperbole  (4^^  Job  37^  41') »     ''"*  ^^^^  ^^'   iS^"*"^*^ 

23.  'ji  D'2B"n  D'lym]  the  casus  pendens,  as  7'^  14^  Gn.  28^'  Is.  9^  &c. 
(G-K.  §  143;  Dr.  §  197.  i).— 24.  ?y9  I'sifj]  the  daghesh  in  D  is  "euphonic," 
being  probably  designed  to  secure  the  distinct  articulation  of  the  con- 
sonant:  cf.  Gn.  19-  Ex.  12^1  5NV  50'i?.  I  S.  15^  n^  nn,  Jer.  49'"  Hos.  8'". 
On  this  and  similar  exceptional  uses  of  daghesh  forte,  see  further  Baer, 
Preface  to  Liber  Proverhiorum,  p.  xiv,  G-K.  §  20.  2fl(2)R.,  Delitzsch  on 
Ps.  94'-;  most  fully  Konig,  i.  p.  54  ff. — 25.  ':3  ^j;]  H""*  Ex.  20-*"'. — •\z-vi\=so 
that,  as  41"-*'  6^  al.  {JLex.  ncN  8  b). — -ycc  jU'Ct:"]  the  same  idiom,  Gn.  29'^ 
Nu.  14"  Na.  3'*  a/. — 'f'yl]  from  "^^n  (with  tone  milra',  on  account  of  the  i 
consec),  to  be  in  anguish  (used  often  of  a  woman  in  travail), — a  strong 
word,  rare  in  prose  (i  S.  31^) ;  with  '223,  as  Jer.  5'--  Ps.  96*  ah,  cf.  Is.  23*. 


,28b 


,:i:!b 


4i  DEUTERONOMY 

23-'^  only  the  Canaanites,  or  other  neighbours  of  Israel,  are 
mentioned. 

26-37.  Refusal  of  Sihon  to  permit  Israel  to  pass  through 
his  land.  His  defeat ;  and  the  seizure  of  his  territory  by  the 
Israelites. 

Dt.  a-*"*  ....  Nu.  21-^  laah  '-c.x.t  -jSn  pn'o  "?«  d'dnVd  S.s-i:;"  nS[j"i. 

2*''*  ....  Nu.  21^^*  i'?!  "I'ron  imn  .  .  .  mDai  mii-a  hdj  n"?  li-iNa  mDi'x. 
2'''^''  ....  (Nu.  20'^  '?iN.'Diyi  I'D'  na:  n"?.) 

.  (Nu.  20'^''  n-i25,'N  ''jana  nan  j'x  px) 

.  Nu.  21'^^  1*73:3  nay  "^NiB"  nx  jn-s  jn:  n'^i. 

.  (Nu.  21^''  'V"nx  nan'jo'?  loy  '7:1  ni.t  cn.s-ip'7  jra.i  -^d  jv  x-i'i.) 

.    Nu.   2l23b  ns,T. 

.  (Nu.  21^^*  iDy  '7D  n.xi  V33  nxi  inx  i3'i  [of 'Og-].) 
2-'^*  ....  Nu.  21^^"  n^nTi  D'-ivi  '73  nx  '7.s-ib"  np'1. 

2-'«-"'     .    .    .    Cf.   Nu.   2I^--^'-. 

26  And T scut  messengers,  &^c.^  Nu.  21-^. — From  the  wilder- 
ness of  Ke(/eniot/i\  Kedcmoth  is  mentioned  as  belong-ing-  to 
Reuben,  and  as  a  Levitical  city  (Jos.  13^^;  i  Ch.  6^^('^)).  The 
precise  site  is  unknown;  but  from  a  comparison  of  Nu.  21^1 
it  seems  probable  that  it  lay  somewhere  on  or  near  the  upper 
course  of  the  Arnon,  perhaps  on  the  N.  edge  of  the  "wilder- 
ness "  on  the  East  of  Moab  (Nu.  21 11,  cf.  Dt.  2^^) :  had  it  been 
much  to  the  West  of  the  position  here  indicated,  it  would  have 
been  within  the  territory  of  Moab,  which  the  Israelites  did  not 
enter.  Heslibon  is  frequently  mentioned  as  the  capital  of 
Sihon  (Nu.  2i26-34  j,j(j^  jjig  &c.) :  it  was  situate  on  a  low  hill 
rising  out  of  the  elevated  table-land  (3^^)  about  16  miles  E.  of 
the  Jordan,  where  its  ruins  (of  the  Roman  period)  are  still 
visible.  Though  assigned  by  the  Israelites  to  Reuben  (Jos. 
13^^),  it  was  afterwards  occupied  by  the  Moabites  (who  re- 
gained their  territory  N.  of  the  Arnon),  and  is  alluded  to  as 
being  in  their  possession  (Is.  15^  i6^-^  Jer.  48-).  Comp. 
Tristram,  Land  of  Israel,  p.  528  f.;    more  fully.  Survey  of  E. 

26.  QiW  'nan]  appended  loosely,  as  an  apposition  jeara  runa-iv,  to  D'3X7D. — 
27  29.  'Ji  i'?x  .  .  .  maj'iX]  the  first  person  sing-ular,  the  nation  being-  conceived 
as  a  unity,  and  the  words  being-  spoken  accordingly  in  the  name  of  the  people 
as  a  whole.  So  frequently,  as  Ex.  i4'-®  17*  Nu.  20"*' '"''  21--  Jos.  9'  17'^ 
&c.  :  in  the  prophets,  Is.  i2»  25^  26"  Jer.  lo'^-^o  &c.  :  cf.  L.O.T.  p.  366 f. 
In  the  Englisli  version  the  Hebrew  idiom  is  sometimes  concealed,  by  the 
plural  being  substituted  {e.^.  Ex.  14'-^').     The  2nd  and  3rd  persons  singular 


It.  26-30  43 

Palestine,  pp.  104-9. — ^'  -^'"^  )nc  pass  tliroitgli  thy  Ia?id]  exactly 
as  Nu.  21--''. — In  the  7oar,  in  the  way,  will  I  go\  varied  from 
Nu.  2i22i>  (in  the  Iving's  way  will  we  go). — I  will  not  turn  cither 
to  the  right  hand  or  to  the  lefi\  from  Nu.  20^'^,  in  the  application 
to  Edom,  with  ~iiDS  /  w///  turn,  the  word  used  elsewhere  in  the 
same  phrase  by  D  (5-''),  for  nt33  ijoe  will  incline. — 28.  Thou  shall 
sell  VIC  food,  &c.\  cf.  v.*^. — Only  let  me  pass  through  on  my  fect\ 
as  Nu.  20^^  (in  the  application  to  Edoni). — 29.  As  the  children 
of  'Esau  .  .  .  and  the  Moabitcs  .  .  .  did  i/nto  me]  it  is  not  dis- 
tinctly stated  in  v.^"^  whether  the  Edomites  acceded  to  the 
request  of  the  Israelites,  thoug-h  there  is  nothing"  to  suggest 
that  they  did  not  do  so.  The  statement  here  is  not  incom- 
patible with  what  is  related  Nu.  2o^^"-i :  though  the  Edomites 
may  have  opposed  the  proposal  of  the  Israelites,  when  on 
their  JJ^estern  border,  to  pass  through  their  territory,  they  may 
not  have  regarded  them  with  the  same  unfriendliness,  or  have 
been  unwilling  to  assist  them,  while  journeying  Northwards, 
away  from  them,  on  their  Eastern  border.  The  Moabites,  in 
23^0),  are  censured  for  ?iot  having  "met  Israel  with  bread  or 
water  on  the  way " :  the  expression  used,  however,  suggests 
that  the  Moabites  were  not  forward  in  ofiFering  them  food  in  a 
friendly  spirit  (cf.  Is.  2ii'*),  and  is  not  necessarily  inconsistent 
with  their  having  sold  it  to  them,  perhaps  under  compulsion, 
in  return  for  money  payment. — 30.  But  Sihon,  S-'c]  varied 
from  Nu.  21^3  (see  the  Table). — As  at  this  day  {^)J).  D^'?)]  i-e.  as 
is  now  the  case.  The  phrase  is  mostly  used  for  the  purpose 
of  calling  attention  to  the  fulfilment  of  a  promise  (or  threat)  in 

are  used  analogously. — 27.  1"?^  l"na  imn]  the  repetition  expresses  emphasis, 
" /«  the  ivay  (and  nowhere  else)  will  I  go":  comp.  16'-"  \  S.  2"'  (Ew. 
§  313*;  G-K.  §  133.  3-'). — 28.  TiVd.xi]  the  tone  is  miTel,  with  1  consec,  on 
account  of  the  disj.  ace.  (Dr.  §  104). — 30.  u  unnj'n]  "  to  let  us  pass  through 
him,"  i.e.  through  his  dominion  :  cf.  Nu.  20'®  '3  l^i'n  n'?. — inn  riN  T\v^r<\ 
the  usual  phrase  is  a'?  r\z-^7\,  Ex.  'f  (P),  13'^  (JE),  Ps.  95*  Pr.  28'''. — fSK] 
133*?  nx]  3*?  j'ax  has  usually  a  good  sense,  to  strengthen  tJie  heart— to 
encourage  :  as  here,  only  15''  2  Ch.  36'-'.  On  ]  (not  consec.)  used  to  connect 
synonyms,  see  Dr.  §  132. — nin  dv3]  as  (at)  this  day.  So  4-"*  •*  8'^  10^^  29-^  Gn. 
5>  I  S.  22*'->''  I  K.  3«  82^  (  =  2  Ch.  6'5)  fii  Jer.  11=^  25I8  3220  ^^s.as  ^^n.  9^ 
(from  Ezr.  9")  '^  (from  Jer.  32"")  i  Ch.  28'^t :  in  the  form  nm  Dvn3  Dt.  6'-^ 
Jcr.  44--  Ezr.  9'''^  Neh.  9""  (Jer.  32'-'<'),  and  (differently)  Gn.  39''+.  In  Jer. 
25"*  it  is  not  expressed  by  G,  and  must,  as  the  context  shows,  be  a  gloss, 
inserted  after  the  fulfilment  of  the  prophecy :  sec,  against  Grafs  view  of 


44  DEUTERONOMY 

the  event :  as  the  occurrences  (see  below)  show,  it  g'ives  ex- 
pression to  a  thought  which  is  particularly  common  in  Dt., 
and  in  writers  reflecting"  the  Deuteronomic  point  of  view :  the 
prayers  in  i  K.  8,  Ezr.  Neh.  Dan.  are  all  moulded  largely  in 
the  Dcut.  phraseology. — 31.  Behold,  I  have  begun,  <£r"c.]  with 
Sihon's  refusal  to  accede  to  Israel's  request,  Jehovah  has 
already  "begun"  the  execution  of  His  purpose,  and  Israel 
is  now  free  to  invade  his  territory. — Deliver  up  before\  coinp. 
on  i^. — Begin,  possess]  '^'"J  ^nn^  as  \.^^,  but  strengthened  by  the 
addition  of  iviX  DX  riCi?. — 32.  And  SiJion  came  forth  to  meet  us, 
he  and  all  his  people,  for  battle  unfoJa]mz\  Nu.  21^3.  The  phras- 
ing, however,  agrees  with  that  used  Nu.  2i''^'' of '(9^.  Jahaz 
is  often  mentioned  as  a  city  in  the  territory  N.  of  the  Arnon, 
belonging  to  Reuben  (Jos,  13IS,  beside  Dibon,  Beth-ba'al-me'on, 
and  Kedemoth),  or  as  in  the  possession  of  the  Moabites  (Is.  15* 
Jer.  48'''*:  cf.  the  Moabite  stone,  1.  18-21),  situated  (Jer.  48'-')  on 
the  "  Mishor,"  or  high  table-land  (310),  and  (Nu.  212-)  in  the 
direction  ot  the  "wilderness,"  i.e.  the  open  plains  on  the  East 
(2'^'').  Euseb.  [Oiioin.  ed.  Lag.  p.  264)  states  that  it  was 
shown  between  Dibon  and  Medabali — a  situation  which  satisfies 
the  conditions  of  the  narrative,  according  to  which  Sihon 
sallied  forth  from  his  capital,  Heshbon,  to  meet  the  advancing 
Israelites.  The  site  has  not,  however,  been  recovered. — 33. 
And  we  smote  Jiini,  ami  his  sons,  and  all  his  people]  as  Nu. 
2i-i5a  (of 'Oo-),  "And  they  smote  him,  and  his  sons,  and  all  his 
people."*  The  expression  used  of  Sihon's  defeat  in  Nu.  21-*  is 
different;  and  neither  there  nor  in  Jud.  ii-i  is  any  mention 
made  of  the  slaughter  of  Sihon's  sons. — 34.  And  7ve  took  all  his 
cities  at  that  time  (i^)]  cf.  Nu.  21 -■"'*, — And  we  devoted,  ^c]  or 

the  meaning'  of  the  expression,  Kiicnen,  Ondcr::ock,  ii.  §  56.  i. — 34.  T'i' 
D'np]  city  of  men,  i.e.  a  city  so  far  as  it  consisted  of  men,  nearly := 
city  male-population.  So  3",  and  (thoug-h  not  so  pointed  by  the  Massorites) 
Jud.  20^'^,  where  it  is  opposed  to  cattle  and  property  generall}'  (cf.  here 
v.^^  3''). — D'nn]  chiefly  poetical,  the  only  prose-phrases  being-  cno  Ty, 
■IS??  'no  Gn.  34-'"  (J)  Dt.  4-^  Jer.  44-*  "Ps.  105'-  (=1  Ch.  i6'9)t,  and 
Bt'p  'na  Dt.  26^  28''-'t.     The  word  is  also  preserved  in  the  ancient  pr. 

•  If  the  view  stated  on  3^"''  be  adopted,  the  phrasing  of  v.^'  (which 
corresponds  to  that  of  3"')  will  of  course  be  original  in  Dt.,  and  the  relation 
of  2-"''  to  Nu.  21^^  will  be  reversed. 


n.  31-36  45 

treated  as  hcirni  (011  7-),  the  inhabitants  beings  slain,  and  the 
cattle  and  property  retained  as  spoil.  This  fact  is  not  men- 
tioned in  Nu.  21.  The  observance  of  the  hcrem,  in  the  con- 
quests of  the  Israelites,  is  often  noted  specially  by  D  and  D^ 
(see  ib.). — Every  city  of  fuen]  see  below. — Le/l  no  siifvivor\ 
inEJ'  TXt'n  is  a  phrase  esp.  used  by  Deut.  writers  3^  ( —  Nu. 
2i35:  see  on  3^-^)  Jos.  ^^-  iqSs.  3o.  33. 37.  so.  40  ^s  (aH  D^)  2  K. 
lo^^f. — 36.  FroTii  'Arder,  ■whidi  is  on  the  edge  oj  the  torrent- 
valley  of  Arnon\  the  same  description  in  312  4^8  Jqs.  12-  139.11; 
2  K.  10^3  (without  nsr) :  'Aro'er,  alone,  also  Nu.  32^*^  Jud.  11-^ 
2  S.  245  (see  3L)  Jer.  4819  i  Ch.  5S  (on  Is.  172  see  Dillm.),  and 
on  the  INIoabite  stone,  line  26  (as  built  by  Mesha'). 

The  Anion,  which  formed  the  N.  border  of  Moab  (Nu.  21'^),  now  the 
Wadj-  Mojib,  is  a  renuirkablj'  clearly-defined  boundary  line.  The  country 
N.  and  S.  of  it  is  a  far-reaching  plain  :  it  is  suddenly  broken  by  a  deep  rift, 
with  precipitous  sides, — at  a  point  some  10  miles  E.  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
about  3  miles  broad  and  2000  feet  deep  ;  at  the  bottom  of  this  valley  the 
Anion  flows,  amid  rich  tropical  vegetation, — for  the  air  at  such  a  great 
depth  has  a  genial  warmth  ;  at  the  point  where  it  enters  the  Dead  Sea, 
the  current  has  a  width  of  some  80  feet,  and  is  4  feet  in  depth  (Tristram, 
Hloab,  pp.  125--130).  A  desolate  heap  of  ruins,  'Ara'ir,  on  the  N.  edge  of 
this  ravine,  "just  overhanging  the  brow,"  and  about  a  mile  from  the  stream 
{ib.  pp.  129-131),  marks  the  site  of  the  ancient  'Aro'er. 

The  city  -which  is  in  the  torrent  (or  torrent-valley)]  so  Jos. 
139- 16  2  S.  245  (read  with  3L  :  "and  they  began  from  'Aro'er,  and 
from  [iP^  for  iP^]  the  city  that  is  in  the  middle  of  the  torrent- 
valley,  towards  Gad,  and  on  to  Ja'zer"), — each  time  immedi- 
ately after  'Aro'er.  The  city  meant  is  not  altogether  certain  ; 
but  it  is  a  reasonable  conjecture  that  it  may  be  'Ar  (Knob., 
Dietrich,  in  Meryi  Archiv,  i.  334 ff.,  Keil,  Dillm.).  Nor  is  it 
certain  in  what  part  of  the  course  of  the  Arnon  the  city 
referred  to  lay;  a  site  at  its  confluence  with  the  Lejjum,  where 
there  is  "a  piece  of  pasture  ground,  in  the  midst  of  which  stands 
a  hill  with  ruins  on  it,"  has  been  suggested  (Sir  G.  Grove, 
DB.^  1862,  s.v.  Arnon  ;  Dietrich,  p.  335  f.). — Even  unto  Gilead\ 

names  '?N::'ins  and  nWino.  Otherwise,  it  fell  out  of  use  in  Hebrew.  In 
Ethiopia,  it  is  an  ordinary  word  for  man,  husband  {e.g.  Mark  10'^  Luke 
2^).  Of  course  it  has  no  etym.  connexion  with  n"D,  ns,  cnc. — TTb] 
fugitive,  survivor  (from  a  defeat)  :  Arab.  sJiarada  is  to  take  fright  and  run 
a-ivay  (of  an  animal).  — 35.  1:1^  "T13]  3^  20"  Jos.  8---^  11";  V,  as  i'^.— 36. 
.T3iC']    only    here    in    prose;    and    only    once    besides    at    all    in    Qal, 


46  DEUTERONOMY 

Sihon's  territory  was  bounded  on  the  N.  by  the  J^bbok  (Nu. 
2i2*  Jos.  12-),  which  separated  the  N.  "half"  of  Gile'ad 
from  the  S.  "half"  (on  3'").  The  limit  assigned  is  therefore 
a  vague  one :  it  cannot  be  said  definitely  that  either  the  S. 
half  (inclusively)  or  the  N.  half  (exclusively)  is  in  the  writer's 
mind. — 37.  Only  the  land  of  the  'Ammonites  they  did  not 
encroach  upon  (v.^*^),  even  the  whole  side  of  the  torrent  of 
Jabbok,  and  the  cities  of  the  hill-country — i.e.  the  region  lying 
along  the  upper  course  of  the  Jabbok  (the  Wady  Zerka)  on 
the  East,  and  the  neighbouring  hill-country  inhabited  by  the 
'Ammonites.  The  country  taken  by  the  Israelites  from  the 
Amorites,  and  occupied  afterwards  by  Reuben  and  Gad,  lay 
wholly  to  the  West  of  this.  Cf.  Nu.  212^  ("And  Israel 
possessed  the  land  of  Sihon,  from  Arnon  to  Jabbok,  even  [sc. 
eastwards]  unto  the  children  of  'Ammon  ") ;  Jud.  ii^-.  In 
Dt.  3^^  Jos.  12^  the  Jabbok  is  called  the  "border  of  the 
children  of 'Ammon "  :  in  the  upper  part  of  its  course,  the 
Jabbok  runs  S.  to  N.  in  a  semicircle,  passing  Rabbath- 
'Ammon ;  and  the  'Ammonite  territory,  according  to  these 
passages,  lay  to  the  East  of  this. 

With  the  description  of  the  territory  tal-:cn  by  tlic  IsraeHlcs,  and  of  its 
Hmits,  in  2''*''"  3'*-  ■'"•  '^"^^  ^^^'*-*  should  be  compared  tiiose  in  Jos.  13, — viz.  a. 
(g-enerally)  v.*'^-  (supplying,  in  v.*  at  the  beg-innintif,  after  (5  {For  the  half- 
tribe  0/  Manasseh,  a?td]  with  it  the  Reubenites,  &c.);  b.  (Reuben)  v.  ""'-'* 
(to  Heshbon)  -^'^  \  c.  (Gad)  v.-'"-'' ;  d.  (half  of  Manasseh)  v.^""''.  Cf.  also 
Jos.  12''''.  The  passagfcs  quoted  appear  all  to  belong'  to  D-  (or  to  a  Deut. 
hand) ;  many  of  the  expressions  used  are  similar  to  those  occurring  here 
in  Dt. 

III.  1-7.  Defeat  of  'Og,  the  king  of  Bashan,  and  conquest  of 
his  territory. 

Dt.  3'"^  ....  Nu.  21**"^^  (the  entire  verses). 

3-'*'   ....  Nu.  21*^*1^17  -h  TKB-.T  'n^3  nv  iDj;  Sd  nxi  ryi  nxi  inx  idi. 
3^"'  .  .  .  .  Cf.  Nu.  21=^5''  (viiN  nx  WTl). 

1-3.  V.1--  agrees  verbally  with  Nu.  21^3-34 — t^g  Q^\y  differ- 
ence being  the  substitution  of  the  first  person  for  the  third. 

Job  s". — 37.  t]  fig.  =s/fl'^:  cf.  Nu.  13-'  Jirn  t  Sy ;  Jud.  ii'-^  nrx  cny.T 
jmx  'T  "jy.  — 'ji  nc'N  "^di]  and  all  that  J.  commanded  us  {sc.  not  to  approach) ; 
cf.  4^.  But  G  [xctSori)  expresses  'j1  nrN-'^ps  according  to  all  that  J. 
commatided  us,  which  may  be  the  true  reading. 


II.  37— in.  I  47 

V,^  also  agrees  in  substance  with  Nii.  21^^^,  the  characteristic 
phrase  in  sb  -|>tj'  -|^  t-xl'TI  Thl  1]!  being-  common  to  both. 

The  prima  facie  view  of  the  three  verses  in  Dt.  would  be  th.-it  they  were 
based  upon  the  passage  in  Numbers.  Several  of  the  expressions  common 
to  the  two  passages  arc,  however,  Deuteronomic  (see  the  notes),  while 
they  are  alien  to  the  general  style  of  JE's  narrative  in  Numbers  :  it  is 
remarkable  also  that  in  Nu.  22",  while  the  conquest  of  Sihon  (Nu.  21^'"-'')  is 
referred  to,  that  of  'Og  is  unnoticed  ;  hence  Dillm.  may  be  right  in  suppos- 
ing that  the  passage  belonged  originally  to  Dt.,  and  that  Nu.  21'''*''"''  is  an 
insertion,  based  upon  Dt.  3'""^  (or  in  v.-'^''  upon  Dt.  2'''*''),  and  introduced 
into  the  text  of  Numbers  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  what  seemed  to  be 
an  omission.     So  also  Bacon,  Triple  Tradition  of  the  Exodus  (\%c)\),  p.  211. 

1.  And  ivc  iurucd  (las')) J  cf.  1 7.24.40  ^^-^-^.—By  the  way  to 
Basluni^'wi.  the  Heb.  usually  with  the  article,  "the  Bashan," 
— not  improbably  (see  Wetzstein  in  Del.  Hiob,'^  pp.    556-558) 

corresponding"  to  iJuL',  and  signifying  properly  soft  and  fertile 
ground.  From  the  notices  contained  in  the  OT.,  it  appears 
that  Bashan  embraced  the  region  l}ing  N.  and  NE.  of  "Gile'ad" 
(see  on  v.^*^),  and  bounded  on  the  S.  by  the  Jarmuk,  and  a  line 
passing  through  Edre'i  to  Salchah,  on  the  W.  by  Geshur  and 
Ma'acah,  on  the  N.  stretching  out  towards  Hermon  (cf.  Jos. 
12^^- '^),  and  on  the  E.  extending  as  far  as  the  great  range  of 
extinct  volcanoes  called  the  Jebel  Hauran  {i.e.  mountain  of  the 
Hauran),  about  40  miles  WSW.  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  From 
the  fact  that  Salchah  (v.^*^)  is  mentioned  as  a  frontier  city  of 
Bashan,  it  seems  that  the  eastern  and  southern  declivities  of 
Jebel  Hauran  were  not  included  in  it  (cf.  Wetzstein,  Hauran^ 
pp.  39-42,  83-86;  Guthe,  ZDPV.  1890,  p.  230 ff.). 

Bashan  was  noted  in  antiquity  for  its  rich  pastures  and  its  extensive 
forests  of  oak,  especially  abundant  on  the  W.  slopes  of  Jebel  Hauran 
(comp.  the  allusions  to  its  pastures  Mic.  7^*  Jer.  50'^,  to  its  herds  of  cattle 
Dt.  32^*  Ps.  22'^  Ez.  39^8  ^p^_  ^1^  tQ  its  oaks  Is.  2^^  Zech.  11^  Ez.  27**,  cf. 
Is.  33"  Nah.  I*).  With  the  exception  of  the  Lcja  (see  on  v.*'^),  the  soil  of 
the  corresponding-  region  is  described  still  as  being-  singularly  fertile — the 
Hauran  has  been  called  the  granary  of  Damascus  ;  and  its  oak  forests  are 
frequently  alluded  to  by  travellers  (J.  L.  Porter,  Five  Years  in  Damascus, 
chap.  xi.  ed.  2,  pp.  186,  190,  200,  202;  chap.  xii.  pp.  218,  227;  chap.  xiii. 
pp.  260,  261,  &c.  ;  Tristram,  Moab,  pp.  448,  453,  &c.). 

III.  1.  'viik]  to  Edre'i,  after  the  verb  of  motion  Ns'i ;  not  ^^  at  Edre'i" 
(RV.),  except  as  an  accommodation  to  English  idiom  (similarly  1  S.  i^ 


48  DEUTERONOMY 

Edrc'i]  on  his  S.  frontier  i^.— 2.  Fear  noi\  i2i-20  322.  jos.  S^ 
10*'  (D-).  Both  this  and  ;S31  are  more  in  the  Deut.  style  than 
in  that   o^ ]E.— Given  into  thy  hand]  v.^   i2T  22^.30  ^24  20^3  21IO 

Ex.    2331    Nu.   2l2-34   Jos.    22i    6^  f  Ql.l.l?,  iq^- 19- 30- 32   i  jS  2l42(44) 

248.  ii_ — Unto  Si/ion]  2^^^-. — 3.  Ao  survivor]  on  2^4, — 4.  At  that 
time]  so  v.^- 12.  2i.  23.  ^f.  on  i^. — 4-5.  Threescore  cities,  all  the 
region  of  Argob,  the  kingdom  of'Og  in  Bashan  :  all  these  (being-) 
fenced  cities,  (with)  high  walls,  gates,  and  bars,  besides  very  many 
cities  of  the  country-folk]  the  "region  of  Argob  "  (^biX  73n)  is 
mentioned  also  v. ^3. 14  j  j^_  ^13  ^»<  ^hg  region  of  Argob,  which  is 
in  Bashan,  even  threescore  great  cities,  (with)  walls  and  brazen 
bars").     What  locality,  however,  is  denoted  by  it  is  uncertain. 

The  Targ-ums  represent  "  Artfob "  by  Njmn,  i.e.  TracJionitis,  now  el- 
Leja,  a  district  about  30  miles  S.  of  Damascus,  and  40  miles  E.  of  the  Sea  of 
Galilee  ;  and  this  identification  has  been  acquiesced  in  by  many  modern 
commentators.     The  Leja  is  a  remarkable  volcanic  formation,  of  irregular 

2  S.  20"  &c.).  Conip.  on  i  S.  2-^. — 2.  'nnj]  the  pf.,  of  an  act  which,  in  the 
intention  of  the  speaker,  is  completed  (G-K.  §  106.  3*  ;  Dr.  g  13). — 3.  'n'^a  ij? 
nnc  "h  -\^-^z-T\\  so  Nu.  2\•'^^  Jos.  8—  10^  11^  2  K.  lo'^  It  is  disputed  whether 
TNC'n  be  (a)  a  perfect  (G-K.  §  53  R.-  ;  W.  R.  '$>m\\\\,  Journ.  of  Phil.  xvi.  72), 
the  subject  being-  the  implicit  Tx^'en  (cf.  on  i  S.  16"*),  or  (b)  the  inf.  const, 
with  anomalous  hireq  (Ols.  §  igi'- ;  Ew.  §  238''  ;  Konig,  p.  276,  cf.  212). 
Against  (a)  is  the  fact  that  'n'?3  is  not  used  elsewhere  with  a  finite  verb  to 
express  a  categorical  neg^ative,  except  in  the  doubtful  passages  Ez.  13^ 
Dan.  n'*  (cf.  Dr.  §  41  Obs.,  and  Lex.  s.v.);  (h)  has  accordingly  pre- 
sumption in  its  favour.  The  hireq  in  the  inf.  is  however  very  much  opposed 
to  analogy  (comp.  on  7'-^) ;  and  it  may  be  legitimately  doubted  whether 
the  Massorites  have  preserved  truly  the  original  pronunciation,  and 
whether  TNv'n  should  not  be  read. — 4.  3:"in]  the  supposition  that  this 
signifies  stony  is  a  mere  conjecture,  based  upon  the  questionable  assumption 
that  the  root  33T  is  cog-nate  with  CJn.  a:"iN  would  be  more  naturally  con- 
nected with  lyy  clods  of  earth,  Job  21^  38'''^  ;  in  which  case  it  would  denote 
a  rich  and  earthy  soil,  rather  than  a  stony  one  (^H^  1  S.  20^"' ^*  G  will 
mean  correspondingly,  not  a  cairn  of  stones,  but  a  mound  of  earth).  ?3n  is 
a  cord  {]os.  2'''),  or  measuring-line  {Am.  7'^  Mic.  2^),  used  fig.  of  a  measured 
portion,  or  aUotme^it  (Jos.  17'*  19"):  there  is  no  reason  whatever  for 
supposing  it  either  to  have  been  specially  adapted  to  denote,  or  to  have 
actuall)-  denoted,  the  rocky  border  of  the  Leja. — 5.  nn3i  D'n'?!  r\r\ii  nam]  in 
loose  appos.  with  mi'a  any  (the  sing-,  having-  a  collective  force) :  cf.  i  K. 
4'^  2  Ch.  8' ;  also,  for  the  combin.  '31  'i,  i  S.  23"  nn3i  cnVn  Tj;  Ez.  38" 
Job  38'"  Jer.  49''^  2  Ch.  14". — -nsn]  countryman  {co\\.  =  count ry-f oik),  i  S.  6'^ 
Est.  g'^t;  cf.  niT-)9o/«?«  country-districts,  Ez.  38"  Zech.  2^  Est.  g^f.  Ez. 
38"  shows  how  the  nin^n  'is;  were  opposed  to  cities  protected  by  w'alJs 
and  barred  gates. 


III.  4-5  49 

oval  shape,  about  22  miles  from  N.  to  S.,  and  14  miles  from  W.  to  E.,  the 
rug'gfed  surface  of  which  consists  of  innumerable  rocks  or  boulders  of 
black  basalt,  intermingled  with  fissures  and  crevices  in  every  direction 
{DB.  s.v.  Argob).  In  point  of  fact  it  owes  its  origin  (Wetzstcin,  Hauran, 
p.  25f.)  to  streams  of  lava  emitted  from  the  volcanoes — the  "conical 
peaks"  of  which  (Porter,  Damascus,  pp.  183,  1S6,  190,  227,  &c.)  are  alluded 
to  in  Ps.  68'^'-  (see  RV.;w.) — forming  the  range  of  Jebel  Hauran,  a  little 
SW.  of  the  Leja.  The  surface  of  the  Leja  is  elevated  some  20-30  feet 
above  the  surrounding  plain,  and  "its  border  is  as  clearly  defined  as  a 
rocky  coast,  which  it  very  much  resembles  "  (Porter,  p.  282).  The  Leja 
contains  the  remains  of  several  ancient  cities  ;  and  the  labyrinthine  gullies 
and  ravines,  with  lofty  overhanging  rocks,  form  a  natural  fortress, 
which  a  small  body  of  defenders  can  hold  against  even  a  determined 
invader  (hence  the  name  Leja,  i.e.  laja'ah,  refuge,  retreat) :  in  1838,  6000 
Druses  defended  it  successfully  against  Ibrahim  Pasha,  who  lost  20,000 
men  in  the  attempt  to  force  it.  The  natural  border  of  the  Leja,  just 
referred  to,  is  regarded,  by  those  who  identify  it  with  the  ancient  Argob, 
as  being  denoted  bj'  the  term  7^n  (i.e.  cord,  or  boundary-line) ;  and 
"Argob"  itself  has  been  supposed  to  signify  stony.  The  identification  is 
however  extremely  doubtful.  Not  only  (see  p.  48)  is  its  philological  basis 
highly  questionable  ;  but,  though  the  apparent  identification  of  Argob  in 
V.'*-  ^'^  with  the  entire  kingdom  of  Bashan  ought  not  perhaps  to  be  pressed 
(the  terms  of  the  descri])tion  being  rhetorical  rather  than  scientific,  and  in 
I  K.  4^''  the  region  being  mentioned  as  a  district  in  Biishan),  in  v.'*  it  is 
described  as  extending,  like  Bashan  itself  in  Jos.  I'r',  as  far  W.  as  Geshur 
and  Ma'acah,  which  must  have  been  considerably  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  Leja.  Moreover,  as  Wetzstein  remarks  (p.  83),  the  physical  character 
of  the  Leja,  while  presenting  formidable  obstacles  to  an  assailant,  could 
have  had  little  to  attract  a  people  in  need  of  rich  pasture  for  its  flocks  and 
herds. 

Nor  does  this  identification  derive  any  support  from  the  notice  of  the 
"threescore  cities,"  with  "high  walls,  gates,  and  bars,"  belonging  to  the 
region  of  Argob  (Dt.  3'  1  K.  4'^).  The  remains  of  ancient  cities  are  by  no 
means  confined  to  the  Leja  :  indeed,  they  are  much  more  numerous  on  the 
slopes  of  the  Jebel  Hauran  itself  and  in  the  country  to  the  S.  and  E.  of  it, 
— the  latter  forming  no  part  of  the  ancient  Bashan  :  according  to  Wetzstein 
(p.  42),  "the  E.  and  S.  slopes  of  the  Jebel  Hauran  contain  some  300 
deserted  cities  and  villages."  (Comp.  the  notice  in  i  Ch.  2^^  of  the  60 
dependent  towns  of  Kenath  [Nu.  32*-],  i.e.  Kanawat,  on  the  W.  declivity 
of  the  Jebel  Hauran,  Porter,  pp.  204-216.)  The  dwellings  in  these  deserted 
cities  are  of  a  remarkable  character  (see  Wetzstein,  pp.  44-62).  Some  are 
the  habitations  of  Troglodjtes,  being  caverns  hollowed  out  in  the  rock, 
and  so  arranged  within  as  to  form  two,  three,  or  more  chambers  (for  cattle, 
stores,  &c.) :  others  are  for  purposes  of  concealment  in  warfare,  being  pits 
sunk  in  the  earth,  with  shafts,  invisible  from  above,  leading  horizontally 
into  subterranean  chambers — a  large  underground  residence  at  Edre'i  of 
this  kind  was  explored  by  Wetzstein  (p.  47) ;  others  consist  of  dwelling- 
houses,  built  solidly  of  massive  blocks  ot  basalt,  with  heavy  doors  of  the 
same  material,  moving  on  pivots,  the  cities  themselves  being  protected  by 

4 


50  DEUTERONOMY 

walls  and  lofty  towers,  and  in  such  jj;^ood  preservation  that  it  is  difficult  for 
the  traveller  not  to  believe  that  they  must  still  be  inhabited  (p.  49). 
(Comp.  the  descriptions  by  Porter  of  the  ruins  of  Burak,  p.  164  f., 
Sauwarah,  p.  169,  Bathaniyeh,  p.  184  f.,  Shuka,  p.  188 1.,  Shuhba,  pp.  194- 
196,  Kanawat,  pp.  204-215,  Suweideh,  pp.  220-226,  BosrS,  pp.  231-239, 
Salchad,  pp.  248-250,  &c.)  To  what  extent,  however,  these  remains  are 
those  of  the  ancient  cities  of  'Og^,  must  be  considered  doubtful.  As 
Wetzstein  points  out  (p.  103),  the  architecture,  the  sculptures,  and  the 
Greek  inscriptions  (which  are  origitutl,  and  not  later  additions  to  the  stones 
on  which  they  are  found)  show  that  in  the  majority  of  cases  these  trans- 
Jordanic  towns  arose  in  post-Christian  times  :  but  in  some  instances  the 
remains  are  more  ancient ;  the  Troglodyte  dwellings  are  of  remote 
antiquity;  the  ruins  of  Hibikke  (p.  48 f.)  are  also  ancient;  and  very  old 
building  materials  have  probably  been  preserved  in  such  cities  as  Bosra 
and  Salchad.  On  the  whole  it  may  be  concluded  that  among  the  numerous 
remains  of  villages  and  cities  in  the  Hauran  are  some  which  may,  at  least 
in  part,  be  reasonably  referred  to  the  ancient  kingdom  of  'Og,  though  it  is 
difficult  to  determine  definitely  which  these  are,  and  there  are  no  sufficient 
grounds  for  limiting  them  to  those  contained  in  the  Leja. 

The  precise  locality  denoted  by  the  "region  of  Argob"  can 
thus  be  determined  only  by  conjecture.  Wetzstein  concluded 
(p.  82)  in  favour  of  the  district  between  Jordan  and  the  Zumleh 
range,  about  15  miles  to  the  East ;  Dillmann  thinks  it  may  have 
lain  more  to  the  E.  than  this,  between  Gerasa  Edre'i  and  'Ash- 
taroth  on  the  W.,  and  Jebel  Hauran  on  the  E.;  Guthe  {ZDPV. 
1890,  p.  237  f.)  places  it  on  the  E.  of  the  present  Jolan  (cf. 
v.^'*,  where  Geshur  and  Ma'acah  are  mentioned  as  forming  its 
W.  border),  between  Edre'i  and  Nawa. 

"Whether  the  name  Argob  be  connected  with'E^ya,  a  village  15  miles 
W.  of  Gerasa,  which  the  Onomasticoji  (ed.  Lagarde,  pp.  88  f.,  216)  identifies 
with  " hfyo^,  or  with  the  'Pa>-a/3a  of  Josephus  {Ant.  xiii.  15.  5),  or  with  the 
modern  Rajib,  a  place  on  the  Wady  Rajib,  which  enters  the  Jordan 
between  W.  Zerka  and  W.  'Ajlun,  cannot  be  determined  "  (Dillm.). 

For  further  particulars  regarding  the  Leja,  the  Hauran  range,  and 
surrounding  neighbourhood,  see  Burckhardt,  Travels  in  Syria  (1822), 
p.  51  ff.  ;  Porter,  Damascus,  chaps,  xi.-xiv.  ;  Cyril  C.  Graham,  "  Explora- 
tions in  the  Desert  East  of  the  Hauran,  and  in  the  ancient  Land  of 
Bashan,"  in  ihe  Journal  of  the  Royal  Geogr.  Soc.  1858,  p.  226  ff.  ;  more 
briefly,  in  the  Cambridge  Essays,  1858,  pp.  155-162  ;  Burton  and  Drake, 
Unexplored  Syria  (1871),  i.  159-196;  and  especially  J.  G.  Wetzstein  (for 
many  years  Prussian  Consul  at  Damascus),  Reisebericht  iiber  Hauran  nnd 
die  Trachonen  (1S60).  Porter  hardly  did  more  than  skirt  the  E.  and  W. 
sides  of  the  Leja,  visiting  only  a  few  towns  quite  on  the  border ; 
Burckhardt  and  Wetzstein  explored  the  interior  more  fully,  the  latter  in 
particular  reaching  Dama  (p.  25  f.),  the  highest  point  of  the  Leja,  whence 


.  3'-'° 

.  .  .  Cf. 

312-13 

.  .  .  Cf. 

3^^ 

.  .  .  Nu 

3'' 

.  .  .   Xu 

3l8b 

.  .  .  .   Nu 

3l9a 

.  .  .  Nu 

3iaa 

.  .  .  .  Nu 

321-29 

...  * 

III.  6-10  51 

Us  g^eolog'ical  formation  became  at  once  apparent  to  him.  Graham  also 
penetrated  as  far  as  Dfima,  but  his  narrative  {Jotirnal,  p.  260)  is  brief. 
Comp.  the  description  of  Trachonitis  (=:the  Lcja)  in  Josephus,  Ant.  xv.  i, 
and  Strabo  xvi.  2  (cf.  Wetzstein,  pp.  36-38).  The  best  and  most  recent 
map  of  the  district  is  that  published  in  the  ZDPV.  Heft  4,  1890,  on  the 
basis  of  Dr.  A.  Stiibel's  observations  and  measurements  in  1882,  accom- 
panied by  copious  bibliographical  and  topographical  notes,  by  Guthe  and 
others,  pp.  225-302.     See  also  Noldeke,  ZDMG.  1875,  p.  419  ff. 

6-7.  And  we  devoted  them,    &c.\  the  cities  of  'Og-  were 
treated  in  the  same  manner  as  those  of  Sihon  (2^^-35). 
Cf.  Nu.  2 1 -■*--=•  =^5  (""'). 

32^^- 
Nu.  32'*^  TN'  nin  [nriN  Nnp'i  n.Tnin  nx  id^'i  -,"?n  nc^D  p  tn'i. 

32-1  ni.T  'js'?  pT.T  nx  p'jn  "jd  dd^  nnyi. 

2,2-^  ni''?jn  nya  db'  v.t  i^nnna  "731  i::pD  ira':  ustj. 

32^  iJ  'n"?!  jaiNT  'jn"?  n'n  m  n:pDi. 

*  * 

8-13.  Particulars  respecting  the  country  taken  from  Sihon 
(2^2-36)  and  'Og  (3^"'),  and  its  allotment  to  the  tribes*  of 
Reuben,  Gad,  and  the  half-tribe  of  Manasseh. — 8.  Beyond 
Jordan\  on  i^. — From  the  torrent-valley  of  Arnon  unto  Mount 
Hermon\  the  same  limits  that  are  specified  Jos.  12^''. — 9. 
The  Zidonians  call  Hermon  Sirion ;  and  the  Amoritcs  call  it 
Senir\  a  parenthetic  notice,  like  those  in  2^^-  ^o.  The  name 
Sirion  (FT^)  for  Hermon  occurs  also  poetically  in  Ps.  29*"' : 
Senir  p'^f )  is  found  Ez.  27^  Song-  48  i  Ch.  5^3 ;  from  the  last 
two  passages  (where  it  is  named  beside  Hermon)  it  appears 
that  it  must  have  been  the  designation  of  a  particular  part  of 
the  Hermon-range,  probably  the  part  N.  of  Damascus  between 
Ba'albek  and  Homs  [Emesa],  known  to  the  Arabs  by  the 
same  name,  j^x^  (Abulfeda,  Tab.  Syrice,  p.  68,  quoted  by 
Ges.  ;  Marazid  (Juynb.),  ii.  61,  iii.  5,  quoted  by  Knob.  ;  Ibn 
Haukal,  ed.  de  Goeje,  p.  114,  quoted  by  Dillm.).  The  name 
Senir  was  also  known  to  the  Assyrians  [KAT.^  p.  159),  if  not 
to  the  Egyptians  as  well  (Sayce,  RPr-  vi.  41,  Monuments, 
p.  341).     For  a  fourth  name  of  Hermon  (li^^J;^'),  see  ^^^. — 10.  Ah 

6.  D-i-n]  Ew.  §  280",  G-K.  §  113.  2;  cf.  9-1  13^''  27^— d^dd  tj;]  2^.— 
9.  iNip']  the  impf.  as  2". — "icxn]  with  a  collective  force,  such  as  is  peculiarly 
frequent  with  gentile  adjectives,  or  patronymics  {e.g.  v.'"'  ^''),  and  hence 
joined  with  a  pi.  verb.     The  pi.  D'noN  or  nnnx  does  not  occur. 


5  2  DEUTERONOMY 

the  cities  of  the  fahle-laiui]  RV,  plain  or  pluin-couutn',  with 
marg.  Or,  table-htnd.  The  term  "^i""??  means  smooth  or  level 
land.,  and  is  sometimes  used  generally  (Is.  40^  42^''),  or  in  a 
figurative  application  (Ps.  26'-  27II) ;  but  when  provided  with 
the  art.,  and  used  in  connexion  with  the  East  of  Jordan,  it 
has  a  special  geographical  sense,  and  denotes  the  elevated 
plateau,  or  table-land,  on  which  the  territory  of  Moab  (or 
Reuben)  lay  ;  cf.  4^3  (of  Bezer)  Jos.  13^- 1"- 1^.  21  jgr.  488-  21. 

"The  uplands  of  Moab  consist  of  a  rolling-  plateau,  about  3200  feet 
above  the  sea-level  \i.e.  4500  feet  above  the  Dead  Sea],  the  western  edg^e 
being-  cut  up  into  deep  valleys,  and  descending-  by  a  series  of  sloping  hills, 
at  ang-les  of  45  and  50  degrees,  into  the  Dead  Sea.  These  uplands  are 
naturally  divided  into  two  districts  by  the  great  chasm  of  Wady  Mojib, 
the  Arnon  of  Scripture  ;  of  these  the  northern  portion  is  called  by  the 
modern  Arabs  El  Belga  [spelt  Belka,  but  pronounced  by  the  Bedawin, 
Belga],  and  extends  as  far  north  as  the  mountains  of  Gilead  ;  while  the 
southern  part  is  known  as  El  Kerek,  and  reaches  southward  to  the  Wady 
of  that  name  "  (Palmer,  Desert  of  the  Exodus,  p.  472).  "  The  uplands  are 
very  fertile  and  productive,  and  although  the  soil  is  badly  tended  by  the 
few  and  scattered  Arab  tribes  who  inhabit  it,  large  tracts  of  pasture-land 
and  extensive  corn-fields  meet  the  eye  at  every  turn.  Ruined  villages  and 
towns,  broken  walls  that  once  enclosed  gardens  and  vineyards,  remains  of 
ancient  roads — everything-  in  Moab  tells  of  the  immense  wealth  and 
population  which  that  country  must  have  once  enjoyed"  {ib.  p.  473 f.; 
comp.  Sir.  G.  Grove,  DB.^  s.v.  MoAn). 

And  all  Gile'ad]  Gile'ad  was  the  rough  and  rugged,  yet 
picturesque,  hill-country,  bounded  on  the  W.  by  the  Jordan, 
on  the  N.  by  the  deep  glen  of  the  Jarmuk  (Hieromax),  on  the 
S.  by  the  valley  of  Heshbon,  on  the  E.  melting  away  gradually 
into  the  high  plateau  of  Arabia.  It  is  divided  naturally  into 
two  parts  by  the  Jabbok,  the  N.  part  corresponding  generally 
to  the  modern  Jebel  'Ajliin,  and  the  S.  part  to  the  northern 
half  of  cl-Bcl}^a  (which  extends  from  the  Arnon  to  the  Jabbok). 
The  two  halves  of  Gile'ad  are  sometimes  spoken  of  separately 
in  the  OT. ;  cf.  v.12  Jos.  122-5  (the  S.  half),  Jos.  1331  (the  N. 
half);  and  the  term  "Gile'ad"  itself  may  be  used,  according 
to  the  context,  to  designate  one  of  these  halves  alone,  to  the 
exclusion  of  the  other. — And  all  Bashan\  on  v.^  Here  Salchah 
and  Edrc'i  are  indicated  as  two  points  marking  its  southern 
frontier.  Salchah  is  named  besides  Jos.  12-^,  and  (as  a  border 
city  of  Bashan)  13^1  i  Ch.  5I1.     It  is  usually  identified  with  the 


ni.  "  53 

place  called  ^^!5V  by  the  Nabata^ans,  in  an  Inscription  of  a.d. 
66  (Do  \'oi^ue,  Svn'c  Ccnfralc,  p.  107,  cf.  p.  1 1 1  f.),  and  by  the 
modLMii  Arabs,  Jo^  ^  by  the  Arabic  geographers.  Salchad 
is  situated  on  what  must  have  been  the  extreme  SE.  corner  of 
Bashan,  on  an  eminence  forming  one  of  the  southernmost 
heights  of  the  Jebel  Hauran.  It  occupies  a  commanding 
position,  and  is  well  adapted  to  form  a  frontier  fortress.  The 
ruins  include  a  castle,  situated  on  the  top  of  a  conical  hill, 
the  crater  of  an  extinct  volcano,  from  300  to  400  feet  above 
the  city  (Porter,  Damascus,  pp.  248-253).  On  Edre'i,  see  on 
I*.  The  view  (Knob.,  Keil,  Porter,  p.  271  f.)  that  here  a 
different  Edre'i  is  intended,  the  ^cra' of  the  Arabic  geographers, 
is  not  a  probable  one,  being  opposed  by  philological  as  well  as 
other  considerations  ;  and  it  is  now  generally  abandoned. — 
11.  For  only  ' Og\  the  king  of  Bashan,  7vas  left  of  the  rcnmanl 
of  the  Rcphain{\  the  verse  states  the  reason  why  the  Israelites 
were  able  (v.^*^)  to  take  possession  of  Bashan  and  the  country 
just  named  :  after  the  defeat  of  'Og,  none  of  his  race  remained 
to  contest  with  them  the  possession  of  his  domain. — Of  the 
re}n}ia?it  of  the  Rephami\]os.  12'*  13^^,  also  of  'Og :  cf.  on  2^1. 
In  proof  of 'Og's  giant  stature,  the  Writer  appeals  to  his  bny, 
still  to  be  seen  in  Rabbah  the  capital  city  of  the  'Ammonites. 
Whether  by  this  term  is  meant  a  bed  or  asa/'cophag-ns,  is  disputed. 

Elsewhere  in  Hebrew  bin  means  always  a  couch  :  in  Aram,  it  sigfnifies 
also  a  S/V/'(Luke  'f^  S  ;  Levy,  NHWB.  p.  703) ;  and  as  izz'-a,  usually  bed,  is 
used  likewise  of  a  resting'-place  in  a  tomb  (2  Ch.  16'''),  it  is  thoug-ht  by 
many  that  bny  may  have  been  similarly  applied,  and  that  it  denotes  here  a 
sarcophagus  (J.  D.  Mich.,  Knob.,  Riehm,  HWB.^  p.  1109,  Dillm.,  Oettli). 
|nN'  {ark  or  chesl)  is  however  the  word  which  is  so  used  in  Heb.  (Gn.  50-''), 
as  in  Phoenician  {CIS.  I.  i.  3--  •'•  ^) ;  so  also  the  Aram,  xnx  {CIS.  II.  i.  ii  i  ; 
De  Voguii,  Syrie  Cenirale,  p.  102,  in  the  inscription  on  a  sarcophaj3;us  of 
black  basalt  found  at  Bosra),  so  that  the  supposed  meaning-  of  biv  is  little 
more  than  conjectural.  At  the  same  time,  it  is  true  that  ancient  sarcophagi  of 
black  basalt  are  found  in  great  numbers  in  the  country  E.  of  Jordan, — Knob, 
refers  to  Seetzen,  Reisen  (1854),  i.  360  f.,  364,  368  f.  ;  Burckhardt,  .S^'r/rt 
(1822),  pp.  269,  271  ;  Buckingham,  Travels  in  Palestine  {iS>2i),  pp.  359,  411, 
416  f.  (nearly  200  perfect  ones),  &c., — and  are  often  used  now  as  drinking- 
troughs  :  they  are  sometimes  of  large  size, — Robinson,  for  instance  (ii.  456), 
saw  a  large  one  near  Tyre,  12  feet  long  by  6  feet  broad  and  high,  with  a 

11.  r\hn  a  scribe's  error  for  kSh. 


54  DEUTERONOMY 

massive  lid,  commonly  known  as  the  "  Tomb  of  Hiram.'  Thus  it  is  not 
impossible  that  the  giant  relic  shown  at  Rabbah  was  a  sarcophagus  ; 
though,  as  this  meaning  of  iy-\i!  is  uncertain,  it  is  better  to  suppose  that 
what  was  really  a  sarcophagus  was  popularly  called  a  "  bed." 

By  I'rofi  is  meant  probably  the  black  basalt  of  the  country, 
which  actually  contains  a  proportion  of  iron  (about  20  per 
cent.),  and,  as  Pliny  remarked,  has  the  colour  and  hardness 
of  iron. — T//c  cubit  of  a  mnn\  i.e.  an  ordinary  cubit,  of  full 
measure  (cf.  Is.  8^  Rev.  21^").  Rabbaii,  the  capital  city  of  the 
'Ammonites,  afterward  called  Philadelphia,  now  'Amman,  is 
mentioned  Jos.  1325  2  S.  ii^  (i  Ch.  20^)  1226.27.20  lysvjer.  492.3 
Ez.  2i25(-'0)  255  Am.  i^"*:  it  lay  on  the  upper  course  of  the 
Jabbok,  about  25  miles  NE.  of  the  upper  end  of  the  Dead  Sea: 
for  a  fuller  description  of  its  site,  see  Bad.  p.  196  ff.  ;  Survey 
of  Eastern  Palestine,  pp.  19-64. — 12-13.  The  land  thus  con- 
quered was  afterwards  assigned  by  Moses  to  the  2\  tribes. — 
From  ' Aro'er,  which  is  by  the  torrent-valley  of  Arno7t  (2-'''),  and 
half  the  hill-country  of  Gilcad  {i.e.  the  half  S.  of  the  Jabbok, 
cf.  on  v.^"),  and  the  cities  thereof,  being  allotted  to  the  Reubenites 
and  to  the  Gadites ;  the  rest  of  Gilead  {i.e.  the  half  N.  of  the 
Jabbok),  and  all  Bashan,  to  the  half-ti-ibe  of  Manasseh,  (even) 
all  the  region  of  tlie  Argob, — the  last  words  being  epexegetical 
of  "  all  Bashan  "  (cf.  on  v.'*). — All  that  BasJian  is  called  a  land 
of  the  Rephaini\  i.e.  the  kingdom  of  'Og,  just  mentioned,  is 
considered  a  land  where  Rephaim  (2^^-  20)  once  dwelt ;  a  notice 
analogous  to  those  in  z^^-  20.     On  the  rendering,  see  below. 

14-17.  A  supplementary  notice  of  the  territory  allotted  to 
the  half-tribe  of  Manasseh,  Reuben,  and  Gad. — These  verses 
repeat  (in  part)  what  has  been  said  before,  in  a  manner  which 

13.  r\m'cr\\  with  the  article,  as  Jos.  i^^  412  136  137  iS^  22"- »•>»•"•  2if. 
The  article  with  the  name  of  a  tribe  (not  its  gentile  adjective)  is  very 
unusual :  '331X1.1,  n:n,  &c.  are  said  regularly,  but  not  i3i.\nn,  njn.  'iV?  is 
used  similarly  {e.g.  Ex.  61"  Ps.  135-°) ;  but  this  is  to  be  regarded  as  a 
patronymic  (for  "iSti).  '"i'l'^'i^  occurs  only  c.  4''^  29^  2  K.  10^  i  Ch.  26''-. — 
Nnp'  Ninn  jt^'^n  ^dS]  the  Massorites,  by  placing  the  chief  break  after  the 
afJinah  at  It^'^n,  imply  the  rend,  of  RV.  But  Ninn  without  a  preceding 
subst.  is  unparalleled  :  tlie  aiJinah  must  be  placed  at  ajn.xn,  and  the  zaqef 
at  Nin.i,  "all  tliat  Bashafi  is  called,"  &c.  (RV.w.).  h  Nip:  "  there  is  called 
to  .  .  ."  =  ".  .  .  is  called,"  as  regularly  (Gn.  2^  2  S.  iS"*  Is.  1-*'  &c.  ;  cf. 
h  iN-ip'  v.»). 


III.  12-14  55 

appears  to  show  that  they  are  not  an  orig-inal  part  of  the  text 
of  Dt.,  but  have  been  inserted  by  a  later  hand,  partly  (v.^'*'^) 
for  the  purpose  of  harmonizing  it  with  statements  in  the  Book 
of  Numbers  and  elsewhere,  partly  (v.^'^''-)  to  supplement  it  with 
fuller  particulars. — 14.  fair  the  son  of  Manasseh  took  all  the 
region  of  Argoh  unto  the  border  of  the  Geshuritcs  and  the 
Mdacathites;  and  called  them,  {even)  Bashan,  Havvoth-jair  unto 
this  day]  it  has  just  been  said  that  the  Israelites  under  Moses 
conquered  the  territory  here  specified  (v.^"^),  and  that  Moses 
had  g-iven  it  to  the  half-tribe  of  Manasseh  (v.^^).  The  state- 
ment about  Jair,  therefore,  to  say  the  least,  is  in  an  unsuitable 
place.  It  is  based  evidently  upon  Nu.  32*1  "And  Jair,  the 
son  of  Manasseh,  went  and  took  their  tent-villages  (the  tent- 
villages  of  the  Amorites  in  Gile'ad,  named  in  v.^^),  and  called 
them  Havvoth-jair."  Whereas,  however,  there,  as  in  i  K.  4!^ 
(where  they  are  expressly  distinguished  from  the  60  cities  of 
the  Argob) — to  say  nothing  of  Jud.  lo* — the  "Havvoth-jair" 
are  stated  to  have  been  in  Gilead,  they  are  here  localized  in 
Bashan.  The  intention  of  v.^^  appears  to  have  been  to 
harmonize  v.^^  (which  mentions  Bashan)  with  Nu.  3239-41 
(which  is  silent  as  to  Bashan)  by  the  assumption  that  the 
district  stated  in  Nu.  32^1  to  have  been  conquered  by  Jair  was 
in  Bashan.  This  incorrect  localization  of  Jair's  conquest  in 
Bashan,  instead  of  in  Gile'ad,  is  followed  by  D-^  in  Jos.  13'*^. 

That  the  verse  represents  an  attempt  to  harmonize,  appears  further 
from  the  terms  in  which  it  is  expressed,  "  and  called  them,  (even)  Bashan, 
Havvoth-jair:"  the  pronoun  "them"  has  no  antecedent,  and  is  explained 
very  awkwardly  by  "Bashan";  in  Nu.32"  "them"  has  its  proper  antecedent, 
"their  tent-villag-es,"  occurring-  just  before:  it  seems  therefore  that  the 
clause,  in  being-  transferred  here,  has  been  accommodated  to  its  present 
position  by  this  addition  ;  the  result  being-  that  just  stated,  viz.  that  what 

14.  ^riv  h]!]  ^v  here  is  on  the  model  of ,  after:  Gn.  48''  Ex.  28-^  2  S.  18'^ 
I  K.  16-^. — jcnn  nx]  epexeg.  of  dhn.  There  are  parallels  for  the  con- 
struction, though  it  is  not  genuinely  idiomatic  in  Hebrew  (as  it  is  in 
Aramaic) :  e.fc-  Lev.  6^  Nu.  32^  Jos.  i-'»  ("pNitJ"  'ji"?  not  in  ffi),  Jud.  21''  Jcr. 
4i3  (.-r'jn:  nx  not  in  G),  48*^  51^®  i  Ch.  4'*2  ;  see  also  on  i  S.  21'^  (and  p.  291  f.). 
Here,  however,  the  sg.  \vir\  after  the  pi.  cnix  renders  it  peculiarly  harsli ; 
and  probably  (as  in  some  of  the  other  instances)  the  explicit  object  ([B'^.thn) 
is  not  original,  but  has  been  added  as  a  gloss  on  the  pronoun  :  cf.  the  note 
above. 


56  DEUTERONOMY 

referred  properly  to  a  conquest  made  by  Jair  in  GUe'ad,  is  applied 
incorrectly  to  one  made  by  him  in  Bashan.  Keil  harmonizes  the  passag-es 
by  taking^  "Gile'ad"  in  Nu.  32'"'  i  Ch.  2'--'  in  the  wider  sense  of  the  trans- 
Jordanic  territory  generally  (and  so  as  including  Bashan),  and  by  identify- 
ing' the  60  strong'  cities  of  the  Argob  mentioned  in  v.'',  with  the  23  "  cities  " 
of  Jair,  and  the  37  (?)  "daughters"  {i.e.  dependent  towns)  of  Kcn4th  (in 
the  Hauran-range),  mentioned  in  i  Ch.  2^^'*,  the  colonization  of  which  by 
Nobah  is  narrated  Nu.  32''-.  This  view  saves  the  accuracy  of  one  passage 
at  the  expense  of  another;  for  not  only  is  the  wider  sense  of  "Gile'ad" 
improbable  in  a  geographical  description,  but  whereas  Nu.  32^^  expressly 
says  that  Kenath  and  its  dependent  towns  were  called  by  the  name  of 
Nobah,  this  argument  implies  that  they  were  called  by  the  name  of  Jair. 

In  the  expression  "Jair,  the  son  of  Manasseh,"  son  is  used 
in  the  sense  of  descendant'.  Jair,  even  if  he  lived  in  the  Mosaic 
age,  could  not  be  literally  a  "  son  "  of  Manasseh.  In  i  Ch.  2-'''- 
he  is  made  the  great-grandson  of  Manasseh's  son  Machir,  the 
"  father  of  Gile'ad  "  (cf.  Jos.  17^) :  and  it  is  further  stated  that 
he  had  23  cities  in  Gile'ad,  which  are  apparently  identified  (v.^^) 
with  the  "tent-villages  of  Jair." 

In  Jud.  10'"^  mention  is  made  of  Jair,  a  Gile'adite,  one  of  the  Judges, 
whose  thirty  sons  had  thirty  cities,  "  which  are  called  the  tent-villages  of 
Jair  unto  this  day,  in  the  land  of  Gile'ad."  Though  the  notices  of  the 
"  tent-villages  of  Jair  "  are  not  all  perfectly  clear  or  consistent,  it  is  evident, 
in  view  of  the  amount  of  resemblance  between  them,  that  the  same  group 
of  villag-es  is  throughout  referred  to.  Nor  is  it  open  to  reasonable  doubt 
that  it  is  one  and  the  same  Jair  after  whom  they  are  named,  and  who  was 
localized  by  one  tradition  in  the  age  of  Moses,  and  by  another  (Jud.  lo-*'^) 
in  the  age  of  the  Judges  :  had  the  author  of  Jud.  lo''  intended  to  imply 
(Kcil)  that  the  old  name  of  Havvoth-jair  was  merely  revived  in  the  days 
of  Jair  the  judg'e,  he  surely  would  have  indicated  this  more  distinctly  than 
he  has  done. 

Unto  the  border  of  the  Gcshiirites  and  the  I\[a  acat1iites\ 
named  also  as  forming  the  (Western)  border  of  Bashan  Jos. 
joS  i-jti  (both  D-).  Geshur  and  Ma'acah  were  two  Aramaean 
tribes  (Gn.  22-^;  2  S.  15'';  i  Ch.  19''),  which  continued  to  be  ruled 
by  independent  kings  in  David's  time  (2  S.  3^  lo'^  I3''''''-  ^^ ;  comp. 
Jos.  13^'^):  I  Ch.  2-^  Geshur  and  Aram  are  mentioned  as  having 
taken  the  "tent-villages"  of  Jair  from  the  Israelites.  Their 
territory  appears  to  have  been  on  the  W.  of  Bashan,  between 
Gile'ad  and  Hermon,  so  that  it  will  nearly  have  corresponded 
to  the  present  /y/^/w :  in  Fischer  and  Guthe's  Map  of  Palestine 
(Leipzig,  i8go)  Geshur  is  placed  immediately  on  the  E.  of  the 


III.  15-17  57 

Seaof  Gennesareth,  and  Ma'acah  to  the  N.  of  Geshur  (cf.  Guthe, 
ZDPV.  1890,  p.  233). — The  tent-villages  of  Jair\  Nu.  '^2^^  (cited 
on  p.  55)  Jos.  13^^''  Jud.  10^   I  K.  4^^  I  Ch.  2-''\.     The  precise 

meaning  of  riin  is  uncertain.     s.\^  means  a  collection  of  tefits 

near  together  (Lane) ;  and  upon  the  assumption  that  H^in  is 
connected  with  this  word,  it  is  usually  rendered  tent-villages. 
The  term  occurs  only  in  this  expression. — Unto  this  day]  2^2 

108   Il4  293  W  346    (also   Jos.    49  59  625  y26  828.29  g27   13I3    j^U    jgCS 

1610  223  239  Jud.  i2i-  2G  624  iq*  1519  i8i2  igSO  ^/.).  The  expres- 
sion, as  used  in  this  and  similar  passages,  implies  a  much 
longer  interval  of  time  from  the  event  recorded  than  a  few 
months  (i^  comp.  with  Nu.  33^^). — 15.  And  nnto  Machir  I  gave 
Gilead]  Nu.  3240.  The  "  Gile'ad  "  meant  is  the  Northern  half 
(on  v.i<>).  The  verse  must  be,  like  v.^*,  an  insertion  in  the 
original  narrative:  as  Dillm.  remarks,  "the  same  narrator 
who  in  V.  12-13  represents  Moses  as  giving  half-  Gilead  to 
Reuben  and  Gad,  and  the  rest  of  Gilead  to  half-Manasseh, 
cannot  immediately  afterwards  have  said  that  he  gave  Gile'ad 
(absolutely)  to  Machir,  whether  by  Machir  be  meant  the  whole 
of  Manasseh  (Nu.  262^),  or  only  a  part  of  it  (Jos.  17^-2)." 

16-17.  These  verses  repeat  the  substance  of  v.^^  with  closer 
definitions. — To  the  Retihenites  and  the  Gadites  M.oses  gave  from 
Gile'ad,  i.e.  from  Northern  Gile'ad  (exclusively),  even  nnto  the 
torrent  of  Arnon.,  the  middle  of  the  torrent-valley  (being)  also  a 
border  {i.e.  the  stream  itself  forming  the  dividing  line),  and 
unto  fabbok  the  torrent,  the  border  of  the  children  of  'Amnion, 
i.e.  to  the  upper  part  of  the  Jabbok,  where  circling  round  (on 
237)  it  formed  the  W.  border  of  the  'Ammonites,  and  the 
'Ardbah,  with  the  foi'dan  as  a  border,  i.e.  the  Eastern  half  of 
the  Ghor  (i^),  as  far  as  the  Jordan, />(?;«  Kinnereth  unto  the 
Sea  of  the  'Ardbah,  the  Salt  Sea,  under  the  slopes  of  Pisgah,  i.e. 
along  its  whole  course,  from  Kinnereth,  the  city  (Jos.  ii2  19^^'') 
which  gave  its  name  to  the  Sea  of  Kinnereth  (Nu.  34^^),  better 
known  as  the  Lake  of  Gennesareth,  to  the  North  end  of  the 

16.  Si3Ji]  cf.  V."  Nu.  34"  Jos.  13-3-27  1^12.47^  ^  peculiar  use  of  1,  appar- 
ently =  a/  the  same  time  (zugleich),  also  {Lex.  lid). — hnirt  pn']  the  same 
unusual  order  Jos.  12^  (in  the  same  phrase).  May  v.^'^"'''  have  been  inserted 
here  on  the  basis  of  Jos.  12--^? — 17.  jnTni]  the  1  introduces  a  circ.  clause 


58  DEUTERONOMY 

Dead  Sea,  where  it  is  overlooked  by  Pisgah,  eastward,  i.e.  on 
the  Eastern  side  of  the  Jordan.  Kinndreth  (spelt  sometimes 
Kinaroth  or  Kiiicroih)  was  called  by  the  later  Jews  Ycwqn-ap 
(i  Mace.  11^"^  a l.)  or  revvr;o-aper  (Mt.  14'^  rt/.) :  it  lay  probably 
in  the  fertile  and  beautiful  plain  of  Tewrjo-ap  (cf.  i  K,  15-*^),  on 
the  NW.  of  the  lake,  described  by  Josephus  {B./.  iii.  10.  8),  now 
el-Ghuwcr. — T/ie  Sea  of  the  'Anibah,  the  Salt  Sea'\  the  Biblical 
names  of  what  is  now  known  as  the  Dead  Sea :  for  the  former, 
see  4^9  2  K.  1425;  for  the  latter.  Gen.  14^  Nu.  34^-^2  Jqs.  152.5 
18'^;  the  two  in  combination,  as  here,  Jos.  3^^  12^.  (For  a 
third  name,  see  ii^^.)  The  name  "  Dead  Sea"  is  not  a  Jewish 
appellation ;  it  appears  to  have  been  first  used  by  the  classical 
authors  of  1-2  cent.  a.d.  (cf.  DB.^  iii.  ii'jT^b). — The  slopes  0/ 
Pisgah  (i^span  niTJ'N)]  the  same  expression  4'*9  Jos.  \2^  13^''; 
n^t^•^5^  absolutely  Jos.  ic*"  12^:  comp.  "'5f'^^  Nu.  2i^^t.  On 
the  rendering-,  see  below.  The  term  is  applied  specially  to 
the  slopes  of  Pisgah  overlooking  the  Dead  Sea. — Pisgah  (in 
Heb.  always  with  the  art.  '^3??'?  :  see  below),  with  "  slopes,"  as 
here,  449  Jos.  122  13201 ;  the  "  top  of  Pisgah  "  Nu.  2120  23I*  Dt. 
3^^  34^t.     The  name,  as   a  g^eographical  term,  has  not  sur- 

(Dr.  §  157-9), — "  the  Jordan  being  at  the  same  time  a  border." — r\'ix^tx\  nnc-x] 
there  is  no  derivation  for  nt'x  in  Heb.  ;  but  nrx  to  pour  out  (a  liquid),  is 
common  in  Aramaic  ;  in  JT  also  xn'J'f  !<  (i  K.  'f-^'  10'^)  are  supports  (the  axle- 
tree  of  a  wheel,  or  the  stay  of  a  throne).  Upon  the  assumption  that  the 
root  is  nsi'X  to  pour,  the  word  is  generally  explained  as  meaning'  a  place 
•where  -zvater  is  poured  down,  i.e.  either  a  declivity  or  sloping  side  of  a 
mountain  (Ew.  Kn.  Ke.  Di.),  or  the  bottom,  foot  of  a  mountain  (Ges.  :  cf. 
Ar.  safh,  id.,  from  sa/aha,  io pour).  U  (in  Dt.)  radices.  By  others  the  word 
has  been  held  to  signify  torrents  ;  and  the  reference  has  been  supposed  to 
be  to  the  'Ayilii  UliisCi,  or  "springs  of  Moses,"  a  series  of  cascades,  burst- 
ing out  of  the  limestone  rock  in  the  ravine  forming  the  northern  boundary 
of  Mt.  Neba  (Conder,  HetJi  and  Moses j'^  p.  131  f.  ;  Survey  of  E.  Palestine, 
p.  89  f.  ;  Wilson,  DB.-  s.%'.\  The  former  explanation  is  preferable  ;  in  an 
enumeration  like  those  of  Jos.  10^"  12*,  cascades,  however  picturesque,  are 
less  likely  to  have  been  specified  than  natural  features  of  a  more  general 
kind.  As  between  the  two  renderings  of  slope  and  foot,  Dillm.  remarks 
that  the  terms  of  Nu.  21^^  (notice  IVr'^)  favour  the  former. — njasn]  the  art. 
shows  that  the  appellative  sense  of  the  word  was  still  felt.  In  the  Aram, 
of  the  Jerus.  Targums,  JD3  is  to  cleave,  and  njd=3  is  a  cleft  piece  {e.g.  Gn. 
15^*) :  the  ridge  may  have  been  called  tJie  cloven  on  account  of  the  natural 
features  by  which  it  was  marked  (G  in  3'-'''  Nu.  2i-^  23^^  (to?)  XiXa^ivfjuivov, 
4^*  trit  Xa.\%vTni :  elsewhere  ictaya). 


III.  iS-22  59 

vived ;  but  it  is  plain  that  it  must  have  denoted  some  part  of 
the  rang^e  of  hills  to  which  Nebo  (32*^)  belonged,  and  which, 
broken  by  numerous  wadys,  slopes  down  into  the  Southern 
part  of  the  'Arabah,  E.  and  NE.  of  the  Dead  Sea  (cf.  on  34^). 
18-22.  How  Moses  had,  at  the  same  time,  bound  the  2| 
trans-Jordanic  tribes  to  assist  their  brethren  in  the  conquest 
of  Canaan,  and  had  also  encouraged  Joshua  in  view  of  the 
office  devolving  upon  him. — 18.  /  commanded  you]  "you"  is 
said  here  inexactly  for  "the  2^  tribes  amongst  you." — Ai that 
time]  vJ. —  Ve  shall  pass  over  armed,  &-'c.]  see  Nu.  321^  20b. 21. 
2»5f-  (JE), 28-32  (p) ;  also  Jos.  i^*  4^2  (both  D2).— 19.  Only  your 
wives,  &€.]  Nu.  3210.  iTb.24. 26  (JE) ;  Jos.  i^^'^.—Much  cattle] 
Nu.  22^-—WMch  I  have  given  you]  v.i2f- :  Nu.  32i«- 17. 24. 34-38. 39. 
•*i-^-. — 20.  Until  Jehovah  give  rest  unto]  the  same  expression, 
1210  25^9  Jos.  ii3. 15  21^2  22*  23I  (all  D").— ^t'.iw/^ /orr/«w]  of 
the  territory  W.  of  Jordan,  the  standpoint  of  the  speaker  being 
maintained,  as  v.25.  Comp.  the  Introd.  §  4. — 21-22.  Moses 
bids  Joshua  take  courage  for  the  future  (cf.  the  direction  given 
in  i^^)  by  the  thought  of  Israel's  recent  successes.  This  en- 
couragement of  Joshua  is  not  mentioned  in  Nu.  32. — 21.  Thine 
eyes  are  those  that  saw  (HNhn  ^'j;];)]  cf.  4^  ii''. — 22.  Ye  shall  not 
fear  them]  cf.  v.2:  the  Writer's  thought  passes  from  Joshua  to 
the  people  generally. — That  fighteth  for  you]  i^". — Dillm.  feels 
a  difficulty  in  regard  to  v. 21-22  on  the  ground  that  they  unduly 
anticipate  v. 28  3i7. 23.  but — at  least  if  i^s  be  allowed  to  belong 
to  the  original  text  of  Dt. — they  do  but  exemplify  how  the 
injunction  there  given  might  have  been  carried  out,  when  a 
suitable   occasion   arose ;    and  v. 28   the  formal    institution  of 

18.  n3j'n  D'lii'^n]  on  the  constr.  of  D'si'rn  (an  implicit  accus.),  see  Dr. 
§  161.  2,  3;  G-K.  118.  5:  cf.  /f  ff  Ex.  13I8  Is.  33I.— 19.  Doapo]  for  D3>ipD 
(Gn.  47'^  «/.) :  the  form  may  be  either  sg-.  (the  ^beingf  contr.  from  the  orig'. 
-ai  of  njps),  for  the  usual  D3;pc(cf.  Is.  30-^  T^po  with  a  sg.  verb),  or  pi.  (cf. 
the  pi.  verb,  i  Ch.  5^) ;  G-K.  §  93.  3  R.*  The  term  being  a  collective  one, 
the  former  view  is  the  more  probable. — 20.  Dnntyi  ,  .  .  iti'i'i]  pff.  with  i 
consec.  in  contin.  of  n>r  nt^'N  ny :  Dr.  §  115  {s.v.  if)-— 21.  niNin  yvvX 
emphatic  :  "  thine  eyes  have  seen  "  (RV.)  would  correspond  to  the  ordinary 
-•yv  INT  (49  7'9  al.) :  cf.  4=^117:  similarly  S^s  20^  Is.  14-''  al.  (Dr.  §  135.  7).— 
22.  cdS  cn^:n  Nin  DO-nVx  '']  "J.  your  God,  he  is  the  one  that  fighteth  for 
you"  :  cn'?:n  with  the  art.,  as  niKin  v.-^.  On  the  emph.  Nin,  v.  Dr.  §  199, 
Lex.  s.v. :  cf.  9^  31"'  '^ ;  4'''  (D'n'?.xn  Nin  m.T) ;  lo'-*  (in'^n:  Kin  ni,T)  18^ ;  12-^  (ni.t  dh.t 


6o  DEUTERONOMY 

Joshua  is  enjoined,  to  which  a  renewed  command  for  his 
encouragement  is  not  more  than  naturally  attached. 

23-29.  Moses'  entreaty  to  be  permitted  to  enter  Canaan 
refused  by  Jehovah.  He  is  directed  to  institute  Joshua  formally 
as  his  successor. — This  supplication  of  Moses  is  mentioned 
only  here. — Ai  tliat  iime\  i.e.  immediately  after  the  successes 
against  Sihon  and 'Og :  sov.'^-^i. — 24.  O  Lord  Jehovah  ('HN 
nin')]9'^'^;  not  very  common  in  the  historical  books  (Gn.  15--^ 
Jos.  y^Jud.  6'^-2  i6'^s  2  S.  7I8. 10. 19. 20.  28. 29  I  K.  22'-'  W^) ;  more 
frequent  in  the  prophets,  especially  Amos  and  Ezekiel. — Thou 
(emph.)  hasi  begun  to  show  thy  servant  thy  greatness,  (Srr.]  the 
ground  of  Moses'  petition  :  he  has  been  permitted  to  see  the 
beginning  of  Jehovah's  mighty  acts  on  behalf  of  His  people; 
may  he  not  also,  in  view  of  Jehovah's  power,  be  allowed  to 
witness  their  continuation  ?—.5('^7/;/]  2-^- 25.  3i^ — Thy  greatness 
(1^"'?)]  5-^  9^"  I  •i-'^'—And  thy  mighty  hand]  621  78  920  3412^  cf.  Jos. 
424  (02) ;  comp.  in  JE  Ex.  31"  6^  13^  32I1  Nu.  2020  (of  Edom) : 
see  also  on  42*, —  W/iat  god  is  there,  <r^V.]  Ex.  15^^  (the  Song). 
— 25.  Tiie  good  land\  \-'-\ — Beyond  Jo rdan\  v. 20. — This  goodly 
mountai){\  rather  hill-country,  the  reference  being  generally  to 
the  elevated  land,  of  which  the  territory  W.  of  Jordan  largely 
consists  (i"-  20). — 26.  But  Jehovah  7vas  enraged  with  me  for  yotir 
sakes  (ddjVo!?)]  see  on  \''~  (n^S^:!) ;  and  cf.  421  (QDnai  ^y). — 
Was  enraged  (~i3yn''l)]  the  word  is  an  uncommon  one,  and 
stronger  even  than  the  f]:xnn  of  \'^'^  421,  expressing  properly,  it 
seems,  the  idea  oi going  beyond  due  bounds  :  Ps.  7821-  5»-  62  3^39 
Pr.  14^*^  (see  Delitzsch)  202  261^!.  Cf.  the  cognate  subst. 
n-jny,  used  often  of  God  (Hos.  510  Is.  9^8(10)  &c.)._27.  Moses 
may  only  view  the  Promised  Land  from  afar.  This  permission 
is  not  mentioned  in  JE.  To  judge,  howev'er,  from  the  notice 
in  34^-*  (JE)  of  Moses  having  acted  in  accordance  with  it,  it 
may  well  have  been  contained  in  the  original  narrative  of  JE, 
before  this  was  curtailed  in  parts  in  the  process  of  combination 

rsjn).— J3-rifi!i]  G-K.  §  29.  4  (Dr.  §  103), and  §  54.  3  R.^— 24.  •\v\a\=  sijtce 
{Lex.  1C-K,  8c). — ?iDii3i]  defect,  for  Ti'nma::  cf.  ?I3"ii  (Ex.  33'^  Jos.  i*), 
?l^nx  (Jud.  19"). — 28.  lai'n'i]  SchrSder  and  Di.  conjecture  that  the  un- 
common word  may  have  been  su_uf_erested  to  the  writer  by  his  use  of  mnvK 
v.-\ — l"?  3"i]  on  I®. — f]piFi"'7N]  /i/il't'/,  on  account  of  ha:  cf.  2^  Tsn-'^N,  Ex. 
23^  2  S.  17^8  (Dr.  §  70)'.— nana]  2  =  about  {6^  ii^^  i  S.  19^) :  Lex.  n^T  4  c. 


III.  23-29  61 

w  ilh  P. — Go  ?ip  itulo  the  top  of  Pisga1i\  on  34^ — Z//7  up  thine 
crcs,  (S-T.]  cf.  Gen.  131*  (JE). — This  Jordai{\  31^  Jos.  i'^-^^  4^2 
Gn.  32^1. — 28.  But  conunand  i^^)  Joshua\  i.e.  commission  him, 
appoint  him  to  his  office:  n^V,  as  Is.  10^;  i  S.  13^'*  2t^-'^  ^RV. 
"  appoint ").  The  formal  execution  of  the  present  direction  is 
not  narrated  in  Dt.  (unless  3i"'^-,  where  Moses  "encourages" 
Joshua,  be  intended  as  such) :  in  31^^-  ^^  (which  belong-s,  more- 
over, to  JE)  it  is  Jehovah,  not  Moses,  who  "  appoints  "  him  to 
his  office. — Encourage  him  (i^^),  aiid  strengthen  hin{\  cf.  31'^ 
"  Be  courageous  and  strong"  (addressed  by  Moses  to  Joshua) ; 
also  31--^  Jos.  iG.  7.  9.  IS  jq25  (all  D2). — Cause  to  inherii\zi.  (of 
Joshua)  i^^  31"  Jos.  i";  also  c.  I2''*'  19^  2i^^  32^  (the  Song). 

In  P,  Nu.  27'-'^^  is  parallel  to  v.-'^  here,  and  Nu.  27^^"-^  to  v.'-'^  The  two 
narratives  are,  however,  in  the  case  of  each  incident,  very  differently  con- 
ceived ;  and  it  is  manifest  that  the  one  in  Dt.  is  written  without  reference 
to  that  of  Nu.,  the  only  word  of  any  note  common  to  both  being' 
"command"  (v.'^  Nu.  2f^-'%  P  also— at  least  if  Dt.  3i8.-^i. -js.  js  bg 
interpreted,  in  what  seems  to  be  their  intended  sense,  as  describing'  a 
scries  of  events  in  chronological  sequence — assigns  both  incidents  to  a 
different  occasion,  placing'  them,  viz.  before  Nu.  32  (which  corresponds  to 
yi-.'-ju  Jie,-e)^  instead  of  after  it.  It  is  true,  in  view  of  the  somewhat  vague 
expression  at  that  time  in  v.--*,  v.-''"-*  might  (in  spite  of  the  tense  pnnNi ;  see 
phil.  n.  on  1")  be  referred  not  unreasonably  to  an  occasion  a  month  or  two 
earlier  (i-*  comp.  with  Nu.  20"-'-^  32)^^)  than  v.^*"-'-^.  But  considering  tlie 
relation  which  prevails  in  other  cases  between  the  narrative  of  P  and  those 
of  Dt.  and  JE,  a  difference  both  in  representation  and  occasion  is  not 
improbable.     Comp.  on  31^'*. 

29.  And  ive  abode  in  the  ravine  in  front  of  \p'\'o)  Beth-Pe'or\ 

the    verse    closes    the    retrospect    which    began   with    i",    and 

specifies,  more  closely  than  had  been  done  in  i^,  the  spot  which 

the  Israelites  had  now  reached,  and  at  which  the  discourses  of 

Dt.  were  delivered  (cf.  4"*'"').      On  "ravine"  (^'."3),  see  S.  &  P. 

App.  §  2.     The   "ravine"  intended  can  hardly  be  the  broad 

Jordan-valley  (p.  3) :   it  must  rather  have  been  one  of  the  glens 

or  defiles  of  the 'Abarim-range  (32'''').     Exactly  the  same  terms 

are  used  in   34*'  to   describe  the  locality  of  Moses'  grave. — 

Beth-Peor]  44^  34^  Jos.  1320,  cf.  Nu.  2328. 

The  site  is  uncertain.  Euseb.  {Onom,  p.  233)  states  that  ^-Jipoyop  [on 
7  =  y,  see  below]  was  near  mount  ^oyop,  opposite  to  Jericho,  6  miles  above 

28.  Nin  '3]  Lex.  Kin  la  (Jud.  14'  &c.). — 29.  nij'^]  <&  ^oyop:  cf.  rofi>vir,x, 
Ta-^a,  l-ai  (  ='j;n),  r«//3«x  (  =^3'v),  &c.  (see  on  i  S.  16-''). 


62  DEUTERONOMY 

Livias  (  =  Tell-el-Rameh  :  Survey  of  East.  Pal.  p.  238)  ;  and  mount  *iyvf 
{Onom.  p.  213)  is  placed  opposite  to  Jericho,  on  the  road  leading'  up  from 
Livias  to  Heshbon.  If  these  statements  are  correct,  Pe'or  will  have  been 
one  of  the  summits  of  the  'Abarim  rangfe,  very  near  to  the  Wady  Hesban. 
Conder  {PEFSt.  1882,  p.  85  f. ;  cf.  Heth  and  Afoab,^  p.  146  f.)  suggests  a 
site  further  to  the  south,  viz.  the  crest  of  a  hill  above  'Ain-el-.Minyeh,  8  miles 
SVV.  of  Nebo,  commanding  an  extensive  view  of  the  lower  valley  of  the 
Jordan  (cf  Nu.  23-^  24-  25').  But  Jos.  13'**,  and  Nu.  23'-*  compared  with 
v.^'',  both  favour  a  site  nearer  Pisgah  ;  and  Nu.  25''''  makes  it  probable 
that  Pe'or  was  more  readily  accessible  from  the  plain  of  ShiUini  (the  Ghor 
es-Seiscban)  than  'Ain-el-Minyeh  would  be.     Cf.  on  34". 

(2.)  IV.  1-40.  Second  part  of  Moses'  first  discourse. — 
Exhortation  to  Israel,  as  the  condition  of  its  prosperity  and 
national  greatness,  not  to  forg-et  the  great  truths  impressed 
upon  it  at  Horeb,  especially  the  spirituality  of  Jehovah,  and 
His  sole  and  exclusive  Godhead. 

1-8.  Exhortation  to  Israel  to  observe  diligently  the  law 
now  about  to  be  set  before  it,  as  the  condition  of  its  greatness 
and  wisdom  in  the  eyes  of  the  world. — 1.  And  now]  intro- 
ducing the  practical  conclusion  which  the  Writer  desires  to  be 
drawn  from  the  preceding  retrospect :  Israel,  having  been 
brought  by  Jehovah  through  the  wilderness  to  the  borders  of 
the  Promised  Land  (1^-3^^),  must  now,  on  its  part,  respond  to 
the  duties  laid  upon  it,  if  success  and  happiness  are  to  attend 
it  in  its  future  home. — Statutes  and  judgments^  the  same  com- 
bination (occasionally  with  testimonies  or  C07nmandments  pre- 
fixed), V.5-  8-  !*•  45  5I.  28(31)  gl.  20  7II  n32  ,  3!  2(i^^-  17  (also,  with  mpH 

for  D^pn,  811  11^  30^*')>  as  well  as  sometimes  in  other  books, 
especially  those  dependent  on  Dt.,  as  i  K.  8^8  9*  2  K.  ly^", 
and  (with  mpn  for  D"'pn)  i  K.  2^  ii^s.  It  is  found  also  (with 
mpn)  in  H  and  Ez.,  but   usually  otherwise   construed:   Lev. 

j84.  5.  20   ig37  2o22  25I8  2615-  43  Ez.    56-  7  ii20   ig^  &C. 

The  idea  in  ^n  is  properly  that  of  a  statute,  fixed  by  being-  engraven 
(ppn :  Ez.  23^*  Is.  49^"  Job  19-^ ;  Is.  10'),  or  inscribed,  on  some  durable 
surface  ;  the  idea  in  artyo  is  ihaXoi  a.  Judicial  decision,  made  authoritatively 
once,  and  constituting  a  rule,  or  precedent,  applicable  to  other  similar 
cases  in  the  future  (cf.  Ex.  21';  Baentsch,  Das  Bundcsbiic/i,  1892,  pp.  29- 
34).  "Judgments"  being  thus  a  term  denoting  primarily  the  provisions 
of  the  civil  and  criminal  law,  "  statutes  "  may  be  taken  to  refer  more  par- 
ticularly to  positive  institutions  or  enactments,  whether  moral,  ceremonial, 
or  civil  (for  instance,  7''^;  c.  12;  c.  14;  c.  16;  c.  17;  &c.). 


IV.   1-3  6^ 

Israel]  as  a  vocative ;  comp.  on  5^. —  Teach  p^?'?)]  lit.  am 
teaching,  viz.  in  the  present  series  of  discourses.  For  the 
term,  cf.  v.^- lo- 1^  5-S(3i)  6^  ii^^ — That  ye  may  live,  &€.]  life, 
coupled  with  the  secure  possession  of  the  Promised  Land,  is 
constantly  held  out  in  Dt.  as  the  reward  for  obedience  to  God's 
commandments:  cf.  5^0  6^*  306- i5-i9  3247a,  esp.  81  1620 ;  also  440 
6-  1 1^1  25^5  3247b. —  Which  Jehovah,  the  God  of  your  fathers,  is 
giving yo2i\  on  i^^-  -**. — 2.  Ye  shall  not  add  unto  the  word  which 
I  am  commanding  you,  neither  shall  ye  diminish  from  it]  so  13' 
(i2^2j;  cf.  Jer.  26^  Prov.  30*^  Rev.  22i8'"-.  The  faithful  observ- 
ance of  a  body  of  precepts  implies,  on  the  one  hand,  that 
nothing"  is  added  to  it,  such  as  might  for  instance  possess 
inferior  authority,  or  have  the  effect  of  weakening-  or  neutral- 
izing any  cf  the  provisions  contained  in  it ;  and,  on  the  other, 
that  nothing  is  taken  from  it  for  the  purpose  of  accommodating 
it  to  the  wilfulness,  or  infirmity,  of  human  nature. — A??t  com- 
manding] so  v.^o  6"  7^1  8^^  10^^  and  often. — 3-4.  In  proof  of  the 
assertion  that  obedience  brings  with  it  life,  the  Writer  appeals 
to  Israel's  recent  experience  at  Ba'al-Pe'or. — 3.  Your  eyes  are 
those  that  saw]  3^1. — In  Ba'al-Peor]  Nu.  25^'^  (JE).  On  the 
rendering  see  below  ;  and  cf.  Hos.  9^''. — That  went  after  Baal 
of  Pe'or]  named  besides  Nu.  25^-  ^  (hence  Ps.  106-^) ;  cf.  Nu. 
25^5  31^*^  Jos.  22^'i'  (all  P).  As  there  was  a  mountain  named 
Pe'or  (Nu.  232s),  and  a  locality  Beth-Pe'or  (on  320),  Ba'al  of 
Pe'or  was  no  doubt  the  Ba'al  worshipped  on  Pe'or  with 
local  rites. 

Ba'als  with  local  or  other  special  attributes  (cf.  the  pi.  "theBa'als,"  i  S.  7* 
Hos.  2^')  are  often  mentioned,  both  on  Phoenician  inscriptions  (Ba'al  of 
Zidon,  Ba'al  of  Lebanon,  Ba'al  of  Tarsus,  Ba'al  of  heaven,  [Dn  hyi  the  solar 
Ba'al,  &c. :  vid.  on  i  S.  7^ ;  W.  R.  Smith,  Rel.  Setn.  i.  93)  and  in  the  OT. 
(as  Ba'al-zebub=:  Ba'al  of  flies,  nna  hl!2  Jud.  8^  9^),  sometimes  even  forming- 
names  of  places  (as  Ba'al-Gad  =  Ba'al  of  fortune,  Ba'al-Zephon,  Ba'al-Me'on, 
Ba'al-Tamar).  Ba'al  of  Pe'or  appears  to  have  been  a  deity  worshipped  by 
the  Moabites  (cf.  Nu.  25^"^) :  but  of  the  special  attributes  belonging  to  him, 

lY.  1.  cnK3i .  .  .  vnn  jvo"?]  Dr.  §  115  {s.v.  ii'cS) ;  G-K.  §  112.  3c,  a. — onE'-i'i] 
G-K.  §  44.  2  R.- — 3.  niya  h^zn]  "hi"  rather  than  "  because  o/B."  (the  cases 
Lex,  3  111.5  being  hardly  parallel) :  "did  because  of"  would  have  been 
rather  'J?n  ncy  (Jer.  7'-  9"  a/.).  Hos.  9'"  the  syntax  shows  that  myrj  h]!2 
(after  a  verb  of  motion)  must  be  likewise  the  name  of  a  locality. — B"j<n  ^3] 
a  casus  pendetts :  cf.  on  2^,  and  G-K.  §  116.  5  R.^  Dr.  §  121  n. 


64  DKUTKKUNOMV 

or  the  nature  of  tlic  rites  observed  in  liis  honour,  nothing'  is  really  known. 
It  is  possible  that  he  was  a  god  of  fruitfulness  and  fertility,  though  the 
terms  of  Nu.  25''''  are  hardly  such  as  to  authorize  the  definite  conclu- 
sion that  the  whoredom  with  the  daughters  of  Moab  was  connected  with 
his  rites  (v.-  "For,"  RV.,  should  be  simply  "And").  The  Christian 
Fathers  and  Jewish  Rabbis  have  both  much  to  say  respecting  the  repuls- 
ive character  of  his  worship  (see  the  passages  collected  by  Selden,  De  Dis 
Syrits,  i.  5) ;  their  statements,  however,  do  not  appear  to  rest  upon  independ- 
ent tradition,  but  are  based  upon  questionable  etymologies  of  the  name 
Pe'or,  or  uncertain  inferences  either  from  the  text  of  Nu.  25'''^-  or  from  ffi's 
rendering  IteXeit^j;  for  ids:  Nu.  25'.  The  idea  that  Ba'al  of  Pe'or  was  the 
Priapus  of  Moab  is  thus  very  insufficiently  established  (so  Selden).  The 
derivation  of  "ii>'3  is  unknown  :  in  Hebrew,  "lys  means  fo  open  ivide  (of  the 
mouth,  Is.  5'^  Job  16'"  29^'  Ps.  iig'^^f) ;  tryB  in  Syriac  is  a  hollow  or  cavern 
of  the  earth  (Heb.  li-^—'ovai);  and  the  place  iivs  may  have  received  its 
name  from  some  circumstance  connected  with  its  position  or  geographical 
character  (note  "iiVS'i  B'ki,  with  the  art.,  Nu.  2^-^).  See  further  Kautzsch 
und  Socin,  Die  Aechtheit  der  Moab.  Alterthibner  gcprilft  (1876),  pp.  71-75  ; 
Baethgen,  Sem.  Rel.-gesch.  p.  14  f.  ;  Dillm.  on  Nu.  25^. 

4.  But  ye  that  did  cleave,  cSr'c.]  the  duty  of  "  cleaving- "  to 
God,  in  loyal  and  close  devotion,  is  elsewhere  insisted  on  in 
Dt.  :  io2o  \\^  i3''0)3o20;  hence  in  D^Jos.  225  238;  cf.  2  K.  i8'' 
(of  devotion  to  idolatry,  ib.  3'^). — 5-6.  The  statutes  which 
Moses  has  taught  the  people  have  God  as  their  author :  hence, 
if  they  are  followed  obediently,  the  heathen  themselves  will  be 
constrained  to  confess  that  Israel  is  a  nation  of  sing^ular  insig^ht 
and  wisdom. — 5.  ^96'^  ('IXi)]  jS. — I  have  taught  you,  <2rT.]  the 
systematic  "exposition"  (i""')  of  the  body  of  law  contained  in 
Dt.  was  not  the  beginning-  of  INIoses'  legislative  work  ;  already 
at  Horeb  he  had  received  "statutes  and  judgments,"  which, 
during  the  years  that  had  since  elapsed,  he  had,  as  occasion 
arose,  impressed  upon  his  people  (cf.  v.^'*,  and  on  528(31)). — 
Whither  ye  are  going  in  to  possess  it]  7^  nio.  29  2321(20)  2821-63 
301",  cf.  1229.— 6.  Observe  and  do]  712  16^2  2324(23)  048  2616  2813, 
cf.  29'^('')  Jos.  23^  (D2) ;  the  more  usual  expression  in  Dt.  is 
"  observe  to  do  "  ;  see  Intr.  §  5. — For  that  isyoiirivisdoni,  &c.] 
obedience  to  such  laws  will  be  public  evidence  of  your  wisdom 
in  the  eyes  of  the  world. —  JMiich  shall  hear  0/ all  these  statutes, 
and  say.  Surely  this  great  nation  is  a  ivisc  and  understanding 
people  !]  the  sight  of  Israel's  national  greatness  will  attract  the 
attention  of  heathen  nations,  and  combined  with  a  knowledge 
of  the  laws  to  which  it  is  due,  will  evoke  their  admiration  of 


IV.  4-9  65 

the  wisdom  which  has  secured  Israel's  cheerful  obedience  to 
them. — 7-8.  Israel's  wisdom  in  obeying-  its  laws,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  admiration  of  the  nations,  are  further  justified 
by  two  additional  considerations:  (i)  no  other  great  nation 
has  so  nearly  risen  to  the  relig^ious  ideal  of  humanity,  no  other 
nation  has  the  consciousness  which  Israel  enjoys,  of  having  its 
God  ever  nigh  at  hand,  and  ready  to  succour  it ;  (2)  no  other 
great  nation  possesses  a  body  of  law  in  itself  so  rigliicous^  i.e. 
so  conformable  to  the  requirements  of  justice  and  right,  and 
consequently  so  adapted  to  command  the  admiration  of  man- 
kind at  larg-e,  as  Israel  has. — 7.  That  hath  gods  (or  God)  so  nigh 
unto  it,  &€.]  the  Heb.  is  ambiguous:  but  the  rendering ^(yfl(y 
appears  to  be  the  most  probable :  comp.  below. — Nigh  unto 
it\  cf.  Ps.  34'''  145^^. — 8.  All  this  la7ti\  on  i^. — Set  be/ore  you 
[uy^iD  jn^)]  i.e.  offer  for  your  acceptance  or  choice;  so  1120.32 
oqI-  IS-  I'J :  in  a  different  sense  from  i^. — 8.  To-day^  of  the  day 
on  which  the  Deut.  legislation  is  expounded :  so  v."*^  5^  6'^'  7^^ 
8^-11  iis,  and  often. 

9-24.  The  primary  and  fundamental  principle  of  the  entire 
law,  viz.  the  spirituality  of  Jehovah  and  His  transcendence 
above  all  created  objects;  and  the  correlative  duty  of  resisting- 
steadily  every  temptation  to  idolatry. — 9-12.  The  spirituality 
of  Jehovah. — 9.  Oiily'\  the  restrictive  particle  introduces  with 
emphasis  the  particular  precept  of  the  law  on  which  the  legis- 
lator desires  to  lay  especial  stress. — Take  heed  to  thyself] 
C^P'ipu'v)]  a  favourite  Deuteronomic  expression,   v.^^  6^^  gii 

I  1 10   12I3.  19.  30  1^9  (cf.    24S);    comp.    *lX?p    D™^"?!  2^^    4I5   Jos.    23" 

(D-),     So  in  JE,  in  a  similar  connexion,  Ex.  34^2  (also,  thoug^h 

7.  D'3ip]  cnSx,  construed  willi  a  plur.  adj.  (or  verb)  may  (i)  be  a  true 
numerical  plural,  signifying-  gods  (G'^*  and  often) ;  or  (2)  may  (chiefly  in 
the  mouth  of,  or  in  conversation  with,  heathen)  be  a  vague  designation 
of  supernatural  beings — whether  the  true  God  be  meant  by  the  speaker  or 
not  (as  Gen.  20^"  Ex.  32^  \v.  Dillm.]  i  S.  4*  i  K.  19^^  Ew.  §  318* ;  G-K.  §  145. 
3  R.);  or  (3)  may  denote  Jehovah,  the  pi.  being  a  "plural  of  majesty" 
(G-K.  §  124.  ic  R.),  as  5-^  (2  and  3  are  both  rare).  There  is  nothing  to 
suggest  the  use  of  the  plur.  of  majesty  here  ;  hence  (the  reference  being  to 
heathen  nations)  ^oa'^  is  probably  the  correct  rendering  (though,  naturally, 
the  proximity  to  a  nation  of  a  deity  other  than  Jehovah  would,  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Writer,  have  had  no  significance,  or  indeed  reality). — uxip  h'2i\  ^2 
with  the  inf.  is  rare :  i  K.  8'-  (Deut.)  t'jk  CN-np  '7D3  ;  (^en.  30^'  i  Ch.  23-". 


66  DEUTERONOMY 

less  characteristically,  Gn,  24"  3124.29  jr^.  lo^^  19^^)- — Keep  thy 
soul\  pathetically  for  keep  thyself,  with  the  implication  of 
avoiding  some  personal  danger  or  misfortune:  cf.  Pr.  13^  16^''^ 
igi*^  where  the  VJ'Sp  ip'^,  "  he  that  keepeth  his  soul,"  is  opposed 
to  one  who  incurs  ruin  or  even  death.  —  Which  thine  eyes  sa'w\ 
the  same  emphatic  expression  y'''  10-^  29^. — Depart  from  thy 
}icari\  i.e.  vanish  from  thy  mind  and  memory.  The  heart,  in 
Hebrew  psychology,  is  the  seat  of  intelligence  (on  v.^*^) ;  here, 
in  particular,  of  intelligent  memory. — All  the  days  of  thy  lifc\ 
6-^  16^  17^^. — And  make  them  knoivn  nnto  thy  children,  (frT.]  cf. 
67.20f.  1 1 19  3246.  also  Ex.  i22Gf.  138.14  Jqs.  421?  .—IQ.  The  day 
that  thou  stoodest,  <5r'c.]  in  loose  apposition  to  the  thi)igs,  v.^: 
the  memory  of  that  eventful  occasion  is  to  be  kept  alive 
through  successive  generations. — That  they  may  learm  to  fear 
me]  comp.  Ex.  19^  20^0  (JE) :  for  the  phrase,  cf.  14^3  1719  31^^. 
— All  the  days,  &c.]  12^  31^^- — And  that  tliey  may  teach  their 
children]  viz.  to  fear  me  likewise. — 11.  And  ye  ca7ne  near,  cr'c.] 
Ex.  19^"^. — And  the  mountain  burned  loith  fire,  ^fc]  Ex.  19^^ 
2oi8.2ib  (E).  cf.  20^^^^-  (P).— 12.  And  fehovah  spake]  Ex.  ig^^ 
2oi- 19  ;  also  Dt.  5''-. — Out  of  the  midst  of  the  fire]  the  same 
fact  is  emphasized,  in  the  same  words,  v. ^s- 33.  36  ^4.  21.  23  ^lo 
10*. — Ye  saw  no  form,  save  (that  there  was)  a  voice]  the  stress 
lies  on  the  fact  that,  though  God  revealed  Himself  by  the 
sound  of  words,  no  form,  no  material,  or  even  quasi-material, 
figure  was  seen :  there  was  nothing  to  suggest  a  material 
presence  of  the  Almighty.  7\y\'DT\  (see  below)  \sfortn,  semblance, 
shape,  even  one  of  the  most  impalpable  kind.  Men  of  spiritual 
mind,  who  are  under  no  temptation  to  conceive,  or  represent, 

10.  new  Dv]  on  i^^ — p-ioS'  it^'x]  see  on  v.'*". — jnc'?'  on^n  nxi]  the  change  of 
order  introduces  variety,  and  forms  a  more  forcible  termination  to  the 
sentence  than  the  plain  c.Tja  nx  n?^i :  cf.  Lev.  2^^^^  26^-. — 11.  D'ccn  3"?  iv] 
3'?  heart,  fig-,  for  centre,  midst:  Ex.  15^  Ez.  27-''  2  S.  iS^'*. — ^3"ij;i  Jjy  "cn] 
"(with)  darkness,  cloud,"  &c.  Implicit  accusatives,  defining-  the  manner, 
or  attendant  circumstances,  of  the  mountain's  burning  :  cf.  Evv.  §  300°,  Ges. 
§  118.  s"'. — 12.  D"NT  cjrx  .  .  .  D-yDc  Dnx]  the  participles  represent  the  scene 
as  contitiidng,  and  depict  it  more  graphically  and  vividly  than  the  mere 
perfects  would  have  done  (Dr.  §  135.  i). — njian]  form,  semblance,  iTios, 
species  (the  root  is  preserved  apparently  in  the  Arab,  m&na,  mentitus  fuit, 
Eth.  viena,  dolo  uti,  prop,  falsam  speciem  prae  se  ferre) ;  as  here,  v.^® ; 
Job  4^®  of  a  nocturnal  apparition,  whose  presence  could  be  felt,  but  whose 


IV.  IO-I3  67 

the  Deity  as  material,  may  enjoy  (Nu.  12^),  or  hope  to  enjoy 
(Ps.  17^^),  the  privilege  of  beholdiny;  Jehovah's  "form":  but 
no  "form"  was  seen  by  the  Israelites  at  Horeb ;  there  was 
nothing-,  therefore,  as  is  drawn  out  more  fully  v.^''"-,  to  justify 
them  in  constructing-  a  material  representation  of  the  Godhead. 
13-14.  A  brief  notice  of  the  commands  then  laid  upon 
the  people  by  Jehovah.  These  verses,  speaking-  strictly,  are 
of  the  nature  of  a  digression  :  for  the  subject  of  this  part  of 
the  chapter  is  not  the  sitbsiancc,  but  the  mode,  of  the  revelation 
at  Horeb. — 13.  His  cove)iant\  the  most  formal  and,  so  to  say, 
ofiicial  expression  of  the  gracious  relation  subsisting  between 
Jehovah  and  His  people  Israel. 

The  term  is  borrowed  from  the  popular  language.  The  maintenance 
of  friendly  relations  between  nations,  or  individuals,  is  guaranteed  by  the 
establishment  of  a  solemn  compact,  or  agreement  between  them,  called 
technically  a  covenant  (Gn.  21^-  i  S.  iS^*-  20*  i  K.  20**).  The  conclusion 
of  a  covenant,  at  least  on  important  occasions,  was  accompanied  by 
religious  ceremonies  :  a  sacrificial  feast  was  held  (Gn.  26-*- ""  3i^«-5-i) ;  and 
"^  calf  or  other  animal  having  been  slain,  and  its  divided  parts  placed 
opposite  to  each  other,  the  contracting  parties  passed  between  them, 
invoking  upon  themselves,  in  case  either  should  violate  the  terms  of  the 
agreement,  a  fate  similar  to  that  of  the  slaughtered  victim  (Gn.  i^s-n-"; 
Jer.  34^^'" :  cf.  //.  iii.  298) :  hence  the  idiom,  common  to  Hebrew  with  the 
classical  languages,  to  cut  or  strike  a  covenant  (nna  ms  ;  'o(x.ia,  ts^vs/v  ;  icere 
fa:dus).  The  terms,  or  conditions,  on  the  basis  of  which  the  covenant  is 
concluded,  consist  naturally  of  mutual  promises  and  obligations  :  these 
are  called  in  Ex.  24^  34-'''  "the  words  of  the  covenant,"  the  document 
reciting  them  being  "the  book  of  the  covenant,"  Ex.  24''.  The  theocratic 
application  of  the  term  is  found  first  in  JE  (Ex.  19^*  24''-*;  cf.  34'"--''), 
where  the  thought  is  expressed  that  if  Israel,  on  its  part,  observes  the 
conditions  laid  down  in  the  terms  of  the  covenant,  Jehovah,  on  His  part, 
will  bestow  certain  specified  blessings  (Ex.  \(^'^-^ ;  23--'"^^)  upon  it.  This 
theological  sense  is  rare  in  early  writers  (Hos.  G  8' :    never  in  Amos  or 

contour  could  not  be  distinctly  descried  (inxno  tdk  n"?-))  ;  Nu.  12^  (ni.T  njioni 
B'a'),  of  the  intangible,  yet  quasi-sensual  manifestation  of  the  Godhead 
vouchsafed  to  Moses,  as  contrasted  with  the  less  distinct  manifestation  by 
the  vision,  or  the  dream  (v.®),  which  might  need  interpretation  (cf.  nn'nn  n"? 
v.^),  granted  to  other  prophets ;  Ps.  17^-^  ("injiDn  j"pn3  nvati-x)  of  the 
immaterial,  yet  real  and  objectively  perceptible,  presence  of  Jehovah,  to 
which  the  Psalmist  aspires  to  be  admitted  (||  i':3  ninx).  In  Dt.  4IC.  2:;.  20  ^ 
(=  Ex.  20'')  'n  denotes  that  in  which  the  copy  of  an  object  resembles  the 
original,  i.e.  \t9,  shape,  Jigure\. — 12.  "n'711]  i  K.  3^8 :  v.  Lex. — 13.  d'J2N  mm'?] 
the  same  double  plural  51'  g^-"-"  lo^-^  (=  Ex.  34^- ■'^)  i  K.  8''  Ex.  34-"^:  v. 
G-K.  §  124.  2b. 


68  DEUTERONOMY 

Isaiah);  but  it  is  prominent  in  Dt.  and  writers  influenced  by  it  (D-  in 
Jos.;  compilers  of  Judges  and  King's;  Jeremiah);  it  occurs  also  not 
unfrequently  in  later  prophets  {e.g:  Ezek.  and  II  Isaiah);  and  it  is  used 
characteristically  in  several  special  applications  by  P.  In  references  to 
the  covenant,  the  stress  may  naturally  lie,  according  to  the  context  and 
the  purpose  of  the  writer,  either  on  the  Divine  promise,  or  the  human 
obligation,  of  which  it  is  the  guarantee.  In  JE  Jehovah  concludes  a 
solemn  covenant  with  Abraham  (Gn,  is'"),  promising  his  descendants  the 
possession  of  Canaan.  The  covenant  most  frequently  referred  to  in  the 
OT.  is,  however,  that  concluded  with  Israel  at  Sinai  (Ex.  2^-^  34^'''^). 
The  terms  of  this  covenant,  in  so  far  as  they  are  obligatory  upon  Israel,  are 
embodied  most  succinctly  in  the  Decalogue,  which  is  acconliiigly  in  the 
present  passage  (and  jjerhaps  already  in  Ex.  34-^)  identified  with  it ;  the 
stones  on  which  the  Decalogue  was  engraved  are  "the  tables  of  the 
covenant "  (Dt.  9"'  i^*  '^  i  K.  8"  G) ;  and  the  ark  which  contained  them  is 
"  the  ark  of  Jehovah's  covenant,"  10"  (see  note),  cf.  i  K.  8'-'  (Deut.). 

The  other  references  in  Dt,  to  the  covenant  of  Horcb  are:  (as  imposing 
obligations  upon  Israel)  4^  ^-'^  (followed  by  the  Decalogue)  17-  29"^ 
^jiB.  20^  cf.  33";  (as  involving  on  Jehovah's  \>i^vX.  the  observance  of  His 
promise)  7^;  in  4''^  7'-  8^^  the  covenant  with  Abraham  (Gn.  15'*),  extended, 
on  the  basis  of  Gn.  22'*''-  26'*'*  &c.,  to  the  other  patriarchs,  is  appealed  to 
as  a  guarantee  of  God's  faithfulness.  In  29'"* ''•  ^-* '^' -*  the  legislation  of 
Dt.  is  made  the  basis  of  a  covenant,  entered  into  by  Jehovah  with  Israel 
in  the  land  of  Moab,  a  renewal,  as  it  were,  of  that  concluded  at  Horcb. 
The  particular  duty  on  which  the  observance  or  neglect  of  the  covenant  is 
in  Dt.  principally  made  to  turn,  is  (in  accordance  with  what  is  a  primary 
aim  of  the  book)  loyalty  to  Jehovah,  as  opposed  to  all  false  gods  (notice 
the  context  of  the  passages  cited).  Later  prophets  and  historical  writers 
(esp.  those  influenced  by  Dt.)  often  recall  Israel  to  the  duty  of  observing 
the  covenant,  and  declare  the  consequences  of  neglecting  it ;  as  Jos.  7"*  ^* 
23i«  Jud.  2-»  I  K.  11"  i9'o-  '•*  2  K.  1715.35.38  1812  232.'3.2i  (the  basis  of  Josiah's 
reformation),  Jer.  ii-'i"  22^  gjSJb  ■j^isf.  (ggg  j)j.^  15'");  as  a  motive  of  God's 
favour  or  clemency,  i  K.  8-*  2  K.  I3-''  Jer.  14^^.  And  in  pictures  of  the 
ideal,  or  Messianic,  future,  the  establishment  of  a  new  covenant  bet<veen 
Jehovah  and  His  people  is  promised,  Jer.  3121-33  ^a'**'  50''  Ez.  i6'^"''-  34'-^  37-® 
Is.  54^"  55^  59-'  61*  (cf.  42"  49*).  In  the  Priests'  Code,  the  idea  of  the 
covenant  is  extended,  and  it  is  applied  to  many  particular  institutions  of 
the  theocracy ;  but  a  further  discussion  of  this  subject  would  be  out  of 
place  here,  and  it  must  suffice  to  refer  to  Schultz,  OT.  Theology,  p.  401  fT. 
(E.T.  ii.  I  ff.) ;  and  J.  J.  P.  Valeton's  elaborate  study  on  the  usage  of  n'"i3 
in  different  parts  of  the  OT.,  ZATW.  1892,  pp.  1  fF.,  224 ff.,  1893,  p.  245  ff. 

(Even)  the  ten  'mords\  i.e.  the  "  Decalogue"  (Ex.  2&^).  So 
10'*,  and  (perhaps)  Ex.  34-^^. — Upon  two  tables  of  sione\  Ex.  2412 
2ji8b.  j,f^  £)j._  gio  jq4_ — \^  jIjj^  jfig  (emph.)  did  Jehovah  com- 
mand, &c.\  Moses  was  commissioned  further  at  the  same  time 

14.  TiNi]  and  me  (emph.),  opp.  to  you,  v.^'.     Cf.  for  the  position  cddni 
V'^  (opp.  to  the  nations,  v.''*),  6'^  Lev.  n^"^  (opp.  to  i^ina  niiN  hz),  26-^  Ez. 


IV.   14-17  69 

to  instruct  the  people  in  the  laws  which  were  to  regulate  their 
life  in  Canaan:  cf.  v.^  i^^  ^28 (si)^  'pj-jg  reference,  it  seems,  is 
partly  to  the  body  of  law  comprised  in  the  "Book  of  the 
Covenant,"  Ex.  20^2-23^3  (cf.  Ex.  2^.^-''^-^),  partly  (above,  v.'') 
to  the  laws  constituting-  the  code  of  Dt. —  Whither  ye  are  going- 
over  to  possess  //]  6^  1 1^-  ^^ :  cf.  on  v.-'"'. 

15-19.  Let  Israel,  then,  take  to  heart  the  lesson  of 
Horeb,  and  resist  strenuously  the  temptation  to  worship  any 
material  or  created  object,  in  particular  either  {a)  any  repre- 
sentation of  the  human  or  animal  form,  or  {6)  the  host  of 
heaven. — 15.  Take  good  heed,  t/icii,  to  yourselves  (nxD  Dmo:;'J'i 
DD\~I*C'D:7)]  so  Jos.  23'^!  (D^) :  comp.  on  v.^. — For  ye  sa7v  no 
vianner  of  form,  C^fc.^  resumption  of  v.^^  (after  the  digression 
of  v.^''-^^),  as  the  foundation  of  the  following  exhortation. — 
16.  Lest  ye  deal  corruptly  (nnnL""n)]  v.25  3120;  cf.  n^s^'  912  (from 
Ex.  32'^). — A  graven  image,  (even)  a  form  of- — i.e.  constituted 
-by^ — any  statue  (^PP)]  '^!r°  Ez.  S^-  ^  2  Ch.  33^!  :  in  Phoenician 
(see  below)  =  (ti'Spta?,  statue. — The  liketiess  (n^p^ri)  of  male  or 
femalc\  with  allusion  to  male  and  female  deities.  n''33ri  model 
or  likeness  (lit.  construction^  from  nj3  to  builit),  as  Ps.  loG'^o,  and 
esp.  Ez.  8^". — 17-18.  Tlie  likeness  of  any  beast  that  is  in  the 
earth,  &-"c.]  the  prohibition  is  worded  as  generally  as  possible  : 
no  representation  of  beast,  bird,  reptile,  or  fish  is  to  be  made 
for  purposes  of  worship  (comp.  Ez.  8^**). 

j2i3b  23I0  nniNi  (opp.  to  .-rnu^i  n-an) ;  cf.  on  1^^.— 15.  cnic:;':i]  the  pf.  with  the 
•wa-u)  consec.  with  the  force  of  an  iniper.,  "take  heed,  then,"  "so  take 
heed"  (Dr.  §  iigS),  as  often  in  this  book,  e.g.  7"  8^  iqI^. is  nS  -jo^o^ — ng-n]  a 
rel.  clause,  with  HuN  unexpressed,  after  Dva-  (in  the  st.  c.) ;  so  Ex.  6'-*  Lev. 
^^  Nu.  3I  2  S.  22^  (  =  Ps.  i8'),  cf.  Hos.  I-  {.  .  .  nil  n^n^);  G-K.  §  130.  4. 
The  supposition  (Konig-,  i.  191,  212,  309)  that  ~\Z'^_  &c.  are  anomalous  forms 
of  the  inf.  c,  is  not  necessary  or  probable,  in  view  of  passag^es  such  as  Ps. 
90^*  138''  Job  29-,  where  this  explanation  is  evidently  not  admissible.  At 
the  same  time,  as  ora  is  construed  far  more  frequently  with  an  inf.  (Gn.  2* 
5^  Lev.  7I6. :io.  :!8  &c.),  it  is  very  possible  that  the  Mass.  punctuation  is  not 
correct,  and  that  the  original  pronunciation  was  ng'i,  3'lpn,  h^'i^.  Comp. 
on  3^  7^.-16.  cn-e-yi  prrnc'ri  js]  so  v.^"  8'--i^  150  &c.  (Dr.  §  115,  s.v.  p  ;  G-K. 
§  112.  ya.).—'y\  ^rs]  cf.  on  58.— "jos]  in  Phocn.  cf.  CIS.  L  i.  41^  SS-'-^  91^ 
'03  iSo  jri'D^a  jn'  rx  in  ^cd  this  statue,  which  Melckyathon,  king-  of  Kiti 
(Kition,  in  Cyprus),  gave,  93''  "jxn  o'rarn  these  statues  (c'^Cipri);  and  rhoD 
(fern.)  ii2.— 17.  P|:3  mss]  "fowl  of  wing"  :  so  Gn.  7^^  (P)  Ps.  148'":  cf.  (Va) 
r]:D  '73  niSi-  Ez.  17-^  39'''^^- — T^"]  the  inipf.  as  2-", 


70  l)EUTEKONOMV 

On  the  worship  of  annuals,  comp.  Ez.  8'"'' ;  W.  R.  Smith,  "Animal 
Worship  and  Animal  Tribes  among'  the  Arabs  and  in  the  OT.  "  in  the 
Jojirnal  of  Philology,  ix.  (1880),  p.  75  ff.)  and  Kinship  and  Marriage  in 
Early  Arabia  (1885),  chap.  vii.  (on  Totcmism,  and  tribes  named  from 
animals),  with  the  criticisms  of  Xoldeke,  ZDMG.  1886,  pp.  157-169,  and 
Wcllhauscn,  Reste  Arabischen  Ileideti/innes,  p.  I76f. ;  the  same  writer's 
Religion  of  the  Seinifes,  i.  pp.  160,  270  293;  J.  G.  Frazer,  Totcmism  (1887). 

18.  0/  (uiyi]iin<r  that  crccpeih  in  tlic  groun(l\  i.e.  reptiles, 
quadrupeds  beings  denoted  by  nona  (cf.  Gn.  G*"  S''''  i  K.  5I"). 
So  Gn.  1^0  I'lXn  py  t^'pn  ?3,  i26  ^8_ — That  is  in  the  water  under 
the  carth^  so  Ex.  20^  (  =  Dt.  5^).  The  subterranean  waters,  on 
which  the  land  was  supposed  to  rest,  the  source  of  springs 
and  rivers,  are  intended :  Gn.  7^^  Ez.  31'*  Ps.  24^  136". — 19.  The 
sun  and  the  moon  and  the  stars,  (even)  all  the  host  of  hcaven\  cf. 
17''.  Next  to  image-worship,  the  veneration  of  the  host  of 
heaven  is  mentioned  as  that  form  of  idolatry  into  which  the 
Israelite  of  the  Writer's  day  might  most  readily  fall.  It  is 
alluded  to  frequently  in  the  period  of  the  later  kings :  2  K.  17''' 
2i3.5  234.5.12  Zeph.  i5  Jer.  8^  ig^S;  7^844^7;  Ez.  gif'.  "The 
seductive  character  of  this  worship,  the  influence  exerted  upon 
the  ancient  mind  by  the  beauty  of  the  heavenly  bodies,  hy 
their  wonderful  but  inexplicable  movements,  and  by  their 
varied  efi'ects  upon  the  world,  is  picturesquely  indicated  by  the 
phrase  employed  by  the  Writer,  '  Lest  thou  lift  itp  thine  eyes  to 
heaven,  and  see  the  sun,  &c.,  and  be  drawn  away,  and  worship 
them ' :  cf.  Job  3 i2''f-  "  (Dillm.). — Drawn  away  ('^'!!?)]  so  30^"  ;  and 
(actively)  i3'!-ii-h  (5.10.13)  ^  K.  1721  Qre  2  Ch.  21".— /?07£;  down 
[woj'ship)  and  serve]  5^  (  =  Ex.  20'')  30^" ;  (in  inverted  order)  8^^  1 1^'' 
1^3  2g2r,_ —  WJiieli  Jehovah  thy  God hat/i  allotted  to  all  the  peoples] 
viz.  to  be  worshipped  by  them;  cf.  29-'' (-'^)  "other  gods.  .  .  . 
whom  He  had  not  allotted  to  them  (the  Israelites)."  So  Just. 
Mart.  c.  Tryph.  §§  55,  121;  Clem.  Al.  Strom,  vi.  14,  iiof.  ; 
Schultz,  Keil,  Dillm.  &c.  The  God  of  Israel  is  supreme:  He 
assigns  to  every  nation  its  objects  of  worship ;  and  the  venera- 
tion of  the  heavenly  bodies  by  the  nations  (other  than  Israel) 
forms  part  of  His  providential  order  of  the  world.  Natural 
religion,  though  it  may  become  depraved  (Rom.  i-^"),  is  a 
witness  to  some  of  the  deepest  needs  and  instincts  of  humanity  : 
in  default  of  a  purer  and  higher  faith,  the  yearnings  of  mankind 


IV.   1 8-23  71 

after  a  power  higher  than  themselves  find  legitimate  satis- 
faction in  it.  Clem.  Al.  (/.r.)  even  views  the  worship  of  the 
heavenly  bodies  as  granted  to  the  nations  Iva  fxy  Te'Aeor  aOeoi 
yevoyxevoi  reXew?  kol  SLacjiOapwcnv ;  and  as  the  appointed  means  of 
enabling  them  to  rise  ultimately  to  something  better  (o^os  ya/) 

avTYj  SoOeta-a  rois  WveaLV  avaKvij/aL  Trpos  Oeov).  The  explanation 
(U;  Rashi,  al. ;  cf.  Geiger,  Urschrift^  p.  444),  according  to 
which  the  heavenly  bodies  were  "allotted  "  to  the  nations,  to 
minister  to  their  needs  and  comforts,  is  inconsistent  with  the 
context,  besides  being  inapplicable  to  the  parallel  passage 
2g25(26\ — Under  the  whole  heave?i]  2^°. — 20.  But  yon  (emph.) 
hath  Jehovah  taken,  &c.\  Israel,  however,  unlike  the  heathen 
nations,  has  no  share  in  such  deities :  it  has  been  chosen  by 
Jehovah  as  His  peculiar  possession ;  and  it  is  accordingly 
bound  to  render  Him  exclusive  service. — Iron-furnace^  i.e. 
furnace  for  smelting  iron,  fig.  of  a  severe  and  searching  ordeal 
(cf.  ""py  "113  furnace  of  affUctio7i,  Is.  48^^) :  of  Egypt,  as  here, 
I  K.  8-^1  (Deut.)  Jer.  ii^f. — A  people  of  inheritance^  cf.  "to  be 
a  people  of  special  possession,"  7^  14^,  where,  as  here,  the 
special  relation  subsisting  between  Israel  and  Jehovah  is  made 
a  ground  for  Israel's  discarding  all  heathen  rites  and  practices, 
and  reserving  its  exclusive  allegiance  for  Jehovah. — As  at  this 
day\  2^0. — 21.  But  Jehovah  was  angered  with  me,  &fc.\  i^"  [fi-v.^ 
326.  Moses  himself,  however,  had  incurred  Jehovah's  dis- 
pleasure, and  had  been  forbidden  in  consequence  to  enter  the 
Promised  Land,  so  that  he  could  not  participate  fully  in  the 
privileges  of  the  n^^n^  DJ?:  let  Israel,  then,  take  heed,  lest  by 
lapsing  into  idolatry  they  kindle  God's  wrath  against  them, 
and  move  Him  to  withdraw  His  favour. — The  good  land\  i^^. 
- — Which  Jehovah  thy  God  is  giving  to  thee  as  an  inheritance^ 
15*  19^0  20^6  2 1 23  244  2519  26^.-23.  The  exhortation  of  v.^^"'-  is 
reiterated,  after  the  fresh  considerations  advanced  in  v. 20-22^ 

21.  N3  'n'^aSi]  perh.  (in  view  of  nay  just  before)  'Ka  should  be  restored; 
yet  cf.  17^".  Other  isolated  cases  occur  of  the  omission  of  a  sufT.  with 
the  inf.,  where  it  mi.<jht  be  expected,  not  only  where  the  subj.  is  indef. 
(as  I  S.  ii2),  but  also  besides,  as  Gn.  ig-""  24""'  252''  Ex.  \f^^  Jos.  &^  i  K. 
2o'2  Jer.  722  Kt.  27^0  (contrast  ^'')  4i''-^  i  Ch.  211^.— 22.  na  'd:n]  idiom.,  as 
Gn.  48-^  50^-^,  nnx  no  Is.  38^.  The  ptcp.,  as  2*  &c.,  of  the  imminent  future 
(G-K.  §  116.  5c;  Dr.  §  135.  3) :  so  naiy  'jrx  (cf.  Ex.  s^" ;  Gn.  20^  43'^')- 


72  DEUTERONOMY 

— A  graven  image,  (e\en)  i]ic  form  of  anything  ivliicli  /eJiovah 
tliy  God  iiatJi  commanded  tJicc  (not  to  make)]  cf.  v. ^''•25.  riiV 
conunandcd,  in  a  negative  sense,  as  2^"^. — 24.  An  emphatic 
declaration  of  the  ultimate  ground  of  the  preceding  warnings  : 
Jehovah  is  a  devouring  fire,  consuming  and  destroying  those 
who  set  themselves  to  dishonour  Him  or  thwart  His  will  (g"- ; 
cf.  Is.  29''  30-''- ^^  ;  also  Ex.  24^");  He  is  \\\^^\\'\?>&  a  jealous  God, 
who  will  not  endure  that  the  honour  which  is  His  due  should 
be  rendered  to  a  false  god  (cf.  32^1  Is.  42^),  and  who  visits 
those  who  slight  Him  with  the  fire  of  His  vengeance  (cf.  Zcph. 
1 18  f  Ez.  36-'  Ps.  ^g-).— A  Jealous  God  (N3(p  h^),  as  s^  (  =  Ex.  20-') 
61^  Ex.  34»t :  cf.  Xi3^  ^'  Jos.  24!^  Nah.  i^, 

25-31.  Israel,  in  after-times,  if  it  lapses  into  idolatry,  will 
find  itsslf  exiled  from  its  land ;  though  even  then  God's  mercy 
will  not  forsake  His  people,  if  it  turns  to  Him  in  true  peni- 
tence.— 25.  And  ye  be  grown  old  (Qrirj'iJi)  i)i  tiie  land\  the  word 
(which  is  a  rare  one)  implies  "the  loss  of  spiritual  freshness, 
and  the  blunting  of  original  impressions,  produced  by  force  of 
custom,  or  long  residence  in  the  same  spot"  (Dillm.) :  comp. 
the  use  of  the  root.  Lev.  13I1  25^2  26'*'. — A  graven  image,  (even) 
til e  form  of  anything^  v. 2^. — And  do  tliat  which  is  evil  in  the  eyes 
of  fehovah]  9^8  172  3120:  cf.  on  6^^. — To  vex  him  (iD^i'^nS)]  so 
gis  31-20  22i«-2ia  (DJ?3).  Not  "to  provoke  Him  to  anger''  (AV., 
RV.):  D''P'^,  and  the  cognate  substantive  Di,'3  (in  Job  i^'V?), 
express  always  the  idea,  not  of  anger,  but  of  chagrin,  or 
vexation  (Job  5^  6^),  caused  by  some  unmerited  treatment, — 
here,  by  deserting  Jehovah,  after  the  gracious  and  condescend- 
ing regard  which  He  had  manifested  towards  Israel  (v.^o),  in 
favour  of  other  gods.  The  word  is  used  frequently  in  the  same 
connexion  by  Deut.  writers,  as  Jud.  2^^,  and  especially  by  the 
compiler  of  Kings  (i  K.  14^-15  1530  i62-7.  13.26.33  2122  225*  2  K. 
lyii.  17  2i6- 15  22I7  2319-  20)  and  Jeremiah  (yis-  ^"^  S'^  i  ii''  25«-  7  3229- 
80. 32  ^^^.  8^  J  and  occurs  occasionally  besides. — 26.  I  call  heaven 
and  earth  to  witness,  (Sr'c.]  heaven  and  earth,  representing  the 
unchangeable  and  ever-present  fabric  of  the  universe,  are 
solemnly  appealed  to  (30!'-^  31^^)  as  witnesses  of  the  fact  that  the 

24.  Nin  n'?DX  vk  yrha  '"  '3]  contrast  the  different  position  of  Nin  3-  ;  and 
see  on  i^".— 27.  is^D  'na]  constr.  as  D'si^n  ^^. — jnr]  28''^  Gn.  3i-«. 


IV.  24-29  73 

consequences  of  Israel's  disobedience  have  thus  been  foretold  to 
it  (cf.  81'*  3oi''"-).— Pt-rM  quickly]  cf.  7^  ii^~  28-0  Jos.  2316  (D2). 
—  W/iereii7ito,  &-'c.]  31^^  32'^",  cf.  30^^. —  Ye  shall  not  prolong 
days  (d"'C^  pnsn  N^)  vpon  it\  a  favourite  Deuteronomic  expres- 
sion :  v.'*'^  ^30  (33)  J  j9  jy20  22"  30''^  2^'^'^  (rare  besides) :  cf.  that  thy 
aays  may  be  proloiiocd  (l^^''  (j)l3''-iX'*  Ii73^)  ^'^  (  =  Ex.  20^2)  52 
2^-'\. — 27-28.  They  will  be  scattered  among  the  nations, 
and  dwindle  in  numbers  ;  there  also  they  will  sink  deeper  in 
heathenism,  until  they  become  abandoned  entirely  to  the 
worship  of  dumb  idols. — 28.  TJic  work  of  men's  hands]  2  K.  19^^ 
(  =  Is.  371'^  cf.  2  Ch.  32^^)  Ps.  115*  135^^;  similarly  c.  271^  Jer. 
io3  (cnn  n^  r\'C'Vi:>) ;  Hos.  14'' C-^)  Is.  2^  178  Mic.  512(13).  Wood  and 
stone,  as  28-''''- "*  29^'''  Ez.  20-^2 ;  g^g  here,  both  phrases  together, 
2  K.  19I8  (Deut.)  =  Is.  37^^. —  Which  see  not,  and  hear  not,  &-'c.] 
hence  (with  variations)  Ps.  115^"''  i35^^"^'''.  The  same  sarcasm  on 
idols,  made  by  the  hands  of  men,  and  not  even  capable  of  the 
functions  of  animal  life,  also  Hos.  8*^  132  Is.  2^-20  j^s  ^022  Hab. 
^^sTjer.  loi-io.  14-15  (^giir-is)  is.  4^0-20  ^e'^.f-  (cf.  40!"^  4x748-^): 
elsewhere  in  the  Pent,  only  Lev.  2Cr*  (the  C3''hb  ''"iJD). 

29-31.  But  Israel's  alienation  from  its  God  will  not  be 
permanent.  Tribulation  will  work  a  change  in  the  heart  of 
the  nation ;  it  will  turn  sincerely  to  Jehovah,  and  its  penitence 
being  accepted,  will  receive  again  the  tokens  of  His  favour. — 
29.  But  from  thence  ye  "will  seek  Jehovah  thy  God;  and  thou  shall 
£nd  him]  i.e.  experience  again  His  grace  and  help :  cf.  Ps. 
326  Is.  556  65I  I  Ch.  28^^  2  Ch.  152- -1,  and  esp.  Jer.  2<^'^  (where 
the  agreement  is  almost  verbal). — Provided  thou  search  after 
Jiiin  ivith  all  thy  heart,  (jfc]  the  words  express  the  condition 
of  Jehovah's  being  ''found,"  His  being  sought  for,  viz.  not 
from  superficial  or  interested  motives,  such  as  the  desire  to 
escape  from  misfortune,  but  with  a  radical  change  of  heart  (v.^'' 
"return"),  and  the  devotion  of  the  whole  being.  The  phrase 
"with  all  the  heart,  and  with  all  the  soul,"  is  characteristic  of 
Dt.  (see  on  6^),  and  a  genuine  expression  of  the  spirit  which 
animates  the  Writer.  It  denotes  (substantially)  the  entire 
spiritual  being  of  man,  the  "  heart  "  being,  in  the  psychology  of 
the  ancient  Hebrews,  the  organ  of  intellect  (see  Jer.  521  Hos.  7^1 
28.  Notice  the  fourfold  cmpliatic  jr  (i"). 


74  DKUTERONOMY 

RV. /«.;  Job  12^^,  &c.),  and  the  "soul"  being  the  organ  of 
the  desires  or  affections  (on  24^^). — 30.  All  these  things\  i.e.  the 
tribulation  just  referred  to,  and  implied  v.-"'-. — hi  the  latter 
d(iys\  lit.  in  the  end  of  the  days  (D''D"'n  n"'inS3),  an  expression  of 
rather  frequent  occurrence  in  the  prophetical  books,  and 
denoting-  the  final  period  of  the  future  so  far  as  it  falls  within 
the  range  of  the  speaker's  perspective.  The  sense  attaching 
to  it  is  thus  relative,  not  absolute,  varying  with  the  context. 
Here  it  is  used  of  the  period  of  Israel's  return  to  God,  forming 
the  close  of  its  history  so  far  as  contemplated  by  the  writer ; 
3129  it  is  used  of  the  antecedent  period  of  Israel's  rebellion  :  in 
Gn.  49^  of  the  period  of  Israel's  possession  of  Canaan ;  in  Nu. 
24I'*  of  the  period  of  Israel's  future  conquest  of  Moab  and 
Edom  (see  v.^"-^^)  ;  in  Ez.  38^''  of  the  imagined  period  of  Gog's 
attack  upon  restored  Israel ;  in  Dan.  lo^*  of  the  age  of  Antiochus 
Epiphanes.  Elsewhere  it  is  used  of  the  ideal,  or  Messianic 
age,  conceived  as  following  at  the  close  of  the  existing  order  of 
things,  Hos.  3^  Is.  2^  (  =  Mic.  4^);  comp.  Jer.  23-''  (  =  30^^) 
48*'''  49^9  Dan.  2'-'^\. — Return  even  unto  (ly)  Jehovah\  30^  Hos. 
142a)  Am.  4«  Is.  912(13)  1922  al.-,  with  bs  i  S.  f  i  K.  ^•■''•^^al.— 
And  hearken   to  his  voice  (l^lpa  nyrotJ'l)]  so  82"  923   135.19   j^s 

26I4.I7    27IO    28^- 2- 15- 45.  62    3O2-8-10-20;    Gn.    22^8    26'^    Ex.    52    1526 

(^)  195  2321-22  Nu.  1422  (all  JE);  Jos.  56  22^  (Joshua's)  242*: 
elsewhere  chiefly  in  Jer.,  and  other  writers  influenced  by  Dt. 
(not  Is.  or  Ez.). — 31.  For  Jehovah  thy  God  is  a  compassionate 
God]  who  is  ready,  therefore,  to  accept  Israel's  penitence,  pro- 
vided it  be  sincere  (30^).  D^ni  7K,  as  Ex.  34**  (JE). — He  will 
not  let  thee  drop  (1?T.  ^)\  or,  leave  thee  to  sink  down  slack 

30.  1^  TVS]  \  "I?,  ^  i>';  are  both  frequent;  but  this  phrase  recurs  only 
Hos.  s^s"  Is.  25-»  Ps.  18''  (  =  2  S.  22'')  66"  io6«  loy"- i-i^-^s  2  Ch.  15*. 
No  doubt  originally  n^n  was  intended  as  the  infinitive  of  "ly,  and  pro- 
nounced therefore  ts3  (cf.  ^ty  Jer.  5-")  or  Ti?  (cf.  \  3i?,  V  nia?  Hos.  lo^ 
)  3ia^  Dt.  62-»  al.,  \  v-h  Jer.  f  ah,  \  nijs  Neh.  <y^,  ^  Dnl)  Hag-.  i«) ;  but 
as  pointed  (with  the  art.),  it  can  hardly  be  anything-  but  the  subst.  is, 
''p  nsg  being  regarded  as  a  poetical  variation  of  the  more  prosaic  '"TV? 
(cf.  the  late  expressions  Ps.  120^  '^  'ii?"3V3.  Jon.  2^  -h  n-;v'?)- — ix^-oi]  the 
pf.  with  1  consec,  carrying  on  l!?  n^-a  (G-K.  §  112.  3<:»i;  Dr.  §  118). — 
naci  D'O'n  nnnxn]  here  the  1  consec.  introduces  the  pred.,  r\iv^  being  the 
syntactical  equivalent  of  3wn :  Gn.  3^  Ex.  16®  onyin  iy}  at  even — then  ye 
shall  know,  i  K.  13"!  'n.s'  cmnpi  'ninn,  &c.  (G-K.  §  112.  5c;  Dr.  §  1236). 


IV.  30-34  75 

and  feeble  (cf.  of  the  hands,  Jer.  G^-*  al.),  opp.  to  hold  fast  (Job 
27*5  Song  3"*  al.'):  so  31*^-^  Jos.  i^  i  Ch.  28-0. — Nor  forget  the 
covenant  lohich  he  sivnrc,  (SrT.]  see  on  v.^^  and  i^;  and  comp. 
Lev.  26'*'^"^^  (in  the  peroration  of  the  "  Law  of  Holiness  "). 

32-40.  Israel  has  grounds  for  knowing  that  Jehovah  is 
God  alone,  who  will  not  permanently  abandon  His  people 
^^32-36^^  and  who  has  a  claim  upon  Israel  for  its  obedience 
^y_37-40^^ — 32.  /'"br]  introducing"  the  considerations,  tending  to 
show  that  Jehovah  will  not  forget  His  covenant  (v.-^^) :  nothing 
so  marvellous  has  ever  happened  at  any  time,  or  in  any  place, 
since  man  appeared  upon  earth,  as  the  wonders  which  Israel 
has  witnessed  at  Horeb  (v.^^)  and  in  Egypt  (v. ■'■*). — 33.  Did 
ever  people  hear  the  voice  of  GodP]  rather  a  god.  The  point  is 
not  whether  any  other  nation  ever  so  heard  the  voice  of  (the 
true)  God,  but  whether  any  other  god  had  ever  given  such  evi- 
dence of  his  existence  as  Jehovah  had  done.^ — Out  of  the  midst 
of  tlie  firc\  v.^-.- — And  live\  in  accordance  with  the  thought, 
often  expressed,  that  no  man  can  "see  God  and  live"  (523 (-o) 
Gn.  i6i-5  32'''i  Ex.  20^^  33-Mud.  6-^-  1322;  of.  Ex.  f  \(f^).—Z\. 
Or  hath  a  god  attempted  i^'^T)  &-'c.?\  has  a  god  ever  even 
attempted,  or  ventured  (28'''''),  to  come  and  take  to  himself  a 
nation  out  of  the  midst  of  another  nation,  as  Jehovah  has  done 
in  the  case  of  Israel? — Trials  (J^BP)]  or  prov  in gs  {on  ^^^  i.e. 
testings  of  the  character  and  disposition  of  Phara'oh,  effected 
by  the  display  of  Jehovah's  might  (7^^  29"). —  War\  Ex.  1414- 25, 
—  With  signs  and  with  portents\  Ex.  48.  9. 17.  28.  :io  lo^.'i  (nis) ; 
421  y9  1 19. 10  (DLin) ;  both,  as  here,  Ex.  f  Dt.  622  719  26^  292  34I1 
(all  with  allusion  to  the  marvels  wrought  in  Egypt),  132.3 
(as  well  as  in  other  books),  risio  is  a  portent,  an  occurrence 
regarded  merely  as  something  extraordinary  :  nix  is  a  sign,  i.e. 
something,  ordinary  (Ex.  12^^  31^^  Is.  20^  &c.)  or  extraordinary, 
as  the  case  may  be,  regarded  as  significant  of  a  truth  beyond 
itself,  or  impressed  with  a  Divine  purpose. — A  mighty  hand\ 
on   32*. — A   stretched  out  ar}7i\  92^   (with    "great   power,"  as 

32.  Jd"?]  a  syn.  of  Jt?,  used  esp.  in  designations  of  the  terminus  a  quo, 
whether  of  time  or  place :  e.g.  9'  2  S.  'f-  ",  D'CB-n  rii.-pc'?  just  below,  Jud.  20' ; 
Ex.  11^  2  S.  6"*  {Lex.  s.v.  IP,  sub  fin.).— n'n:]  the  nif.,  as  i  K.  i"'  12"^  Jud.  ig''" 
(II  nnxij)  20^  al.,  in  the  sense  oi  cofne  to  pass,  liappen. 


y6  DEUTERONOMY 

2  K.  ly-'"  [compiler]  Jcr.  27"^  32^");  Ex.  G"'  (P  or  II).  The 
combination  with  7nighty  hand,  first  in  Dt.  4'^^  5^^  7^^  ii^  26*; 
and  (derived  hence)  Jer.  3221  (cf.  2.1^)  i  K.  8^2  ( =  2  Ch.  &'2)  Ez. 
2o'i3.  ^i-t  Ps,  136^21^ — j\jni  if^ith  great  terrors  (D^S"iir2)],  i.e.  awe- 
inspiring"  manifestations.  So  26**  34^'-  Ct  renders  opd/xaTa  (as 
though  D^S"!^3),  which  is  weaker,  though  the  reading-  is 
defended  by  Geig-cr,  Urschrift,  p.  339  f. — Before  thine  eyes]  on 
i'"^. — 35.  Thou  (emph.)  wast  made  to  see,  so  as  to  /c/iow  that 
Jehovah,  he  is  God:  there  is  none  else  beside  hi»i\  this  was  the 
ultimate  aim  of  the  wonders  wrought  in  Egypt :  cf.  Ex.  io2. 
The  truth,  that  Jehovah  is  not  only  God,  but  sole  God,  is 
emphasized  again,  v.--^,  cf.  7^  10^'':  see  on  6^. — 36.  Jehovah's 
manifestations  had  been  made  alike  from  heaven  and  upon 
earth,  with  the  intention  of  impressing  vividly  upon  Israel 
the  truth  and  reality  of  His  words.  Out  of  heaven  had  Israel 
heard  the  thunderings  of  God  (Ex.  ig^*"),  that  he  might  discipline 
thee,  i.e.  that  the  people  might  be  brought  to  a  temper  of 
becoming  reverence ;  and  upon  earth  (Ex,  19^^)  had  they  seen 
his  great  fire,  and  heard  his  ivords  out  of  the  midst  of  the  fire, 
embodying  (cf,  v,^*^^')  the  fear  of  Him  in  a  concrete  form,  — 7o 
discipline  thee  {Jp]^'^^)]  comp.  8',  and  the  cognate  subst.  "IDIO  ii2. 

"Instruct"  (RV.)  is  not  an  adequate  rendering-.  T3^  denotes  not 
tlic  instruction  of  the  intellect  (J.''T'^,  ieS),  but  the  discipline  or  education  of 
the  moral  nature  :  the  spectacle  was  one  adapted  to  quell  waywardness 
and  pride,  and  to  generate  in  Israel's  heart  a  temper  of  submissiveness 
and  reverence,  ns!  is  the  word  used  to  denote  the  discipline  with  which 
a  parent  trains  his  child  (S""  Pr.  19'*  29'^) ;  it  is  used  also  of  other  corrective 
dealings,  sometimes  severe  ones,  whether  on  the  part  of  God  or  man 
{e.g.  I  K.  12"- "  Lev.  26'*  Jer.  10-^  30'^  Ps.  6-  39'-'). 

37-40.  And  because  he  loved  thy  fathers,  and  chose,  &c.  .  .  ., 
(3^)  Know  this  day,  and  call  to  mind,  that,  d^r,  .  .  .,  ('")  And 
keep,  (sfc.^  because  is  lit.  in  place  of,  i.e.  in  return  for  (the  fact) 
that  ('3  T\nv\  ;  cf,  2\^^  222^^  28^"),  which  shows  (Dillm.)  that  the 
construction  here  given  is  the  correct  one,  and  that  the 
apodosis  cannot  be  (RV.)  at  chose. — Loved  thy  fathers]  God's 
love  of  the  patriarchs  is  emphasized  again  in  10^^:  comp.  His 

35.  c-n'?N,T  Ni,i  ni.T]  v."''  7'  i  K.  S««  iS""-"':  .vm  as  3-.— 37-39.  ...  '3  nnm 
inyTi]  the  pf.  with  1  consec,  as  2  K.  22^^  Is,  6o^^  and  in  response  to  jy  Is. 
^la.  ^yjo^  -ipy  Ni,,  1^24  &.C.  (Dr.  §  123  y  ;  G-K.  §  112.  5A). 


IV.  35-40  TJ 

love  of  Israel,  7^  (where  see  note)  1^  23".  Neither  is  taught 
elsewhere  in  the  Pent.  Jehovah's  ivgard  for  the  patriarchs  is, 
of  course,  frequently  exemplified  in  the  narratives  of  Genesis 
(both  JE  and  P) ;  comp.  Ex.  3<;.  i.i.  15.  lo  ('' the  God  of  your 
f(i/Itcrs")  32!'^  33I  :  and  it  is  also  referred  to  often  elsewhere  in 
Dt.,  as  the  ground  of  His  care  for  their  descendants  (on  1^); 
but  His  love  of  them  is  mentioned  only  in  the  passages  quoted. 
— Atid  cJiose  /lis  seed  after  ]iiiii\  if  the  text  be  correct,  the 
reference  will  be  specially  to  Abraham.  The  parallel  passage 
10^''  has,  however,  their  and  them,  which  here  also  would 
harmonize  better  with  the  context,  and  which  is  expressed  by  all 
the  ancient  versions. — And  brought  thee  out  with  his pi'escnee 
(V:2T.)]  cf.  Ex.  331-'  ^-hl  V3,  Is.  63^  "and  the  angel  of  his 
presence  (VJD  ix!:'^)]  saved  them";  also,  for  the  general  sense 
of  QV7>  2  S.  17^1  (of  a  human  person). —  With  his  great  power 
'^V^IV^  in33)]  9--^  Neh.  i^O;  Jer.  27^  32^7  (both  of  creation);  Ex. 
32^1  (^nj  n33),  2  K.  i73«:  cf.  Nu.  1413-17. — 38.  To  dispossess 
(c-mnb)  .  .  .  from  before  thee]  9^-5  11^^  iS'-  (cf.  717  g^)  Ex. 
342^  (JE). — Greater  and  mightier  than  thou\  cf.  7!'^"'^  9I  ii23. — 
As  at  this  day'\  2^^.  The  reference  may  be  either  to  the 
territory  East  of  Jordan,  or  (by  an  anachronism)  to  Palestine 
generally:  the  similar  language  of  7I  «»f^  9I  ii23  favours  the 
latter  interpretation. — 39.  The  thought  of  v.-^s  repeated. — And 
call  to  mind]  i.e.  consider,  reflect;  see  below. — He  is  God  in 
heave?!  above,  &c.'\]os,  2^^  (D^)  i  K.  8^3  (Deut.). — Tiy  ps]  Is. 
455.  G.  14. 18.  21.  22  459.  Comp.  on  64.— 40.  That  it  may  be  well 
for  thee  (-[^  3U^^)]  S^".  26(29)  5-  is  1225.  28  227;  cf.  530  (•-■^)  191^  (^  3it31). 
— After  thee]  cf.  on  i^. — Prolong  days  (d"'0''  T'lsn)]  on  v.^^. — 
Forever]  lit.  all  the  days,  a  Heb.  expression  for  continually, 
esp.  frequent  in  Dt.  (526  624  „i  i^^23  jgs  igO  28^^  Jqs.  424  [D2]) ; 
though  found  also  elsewhere,  as  Gen.  43^  44-2  i  S.  i-^  2'^2. 35 
i829  Jer.  3i3G  3239  33I8  3519  al. 

39.  133V  S^  nacMi]  lit.  "  brin.^f  back  to  thy  heart,"  i.e.    recall  to  viind, 
consider:  so  30^  1  K.  8'7  Is.  44''-' 46"^  {^v)  Lam.  3-1.    "  Betliink  themselves 
(AV,  I  K.  S-"^)  is  a  good  paraphrase.— 40.  -\7  3D"  nc-N]  irx,  as  often  (cf.  on 
3^^  u^^),  a  link  relating^  two  sentences  to  each  other;  here  resolvable  into 
90  that:  so  v."  6-'  (cf.  the  1|  \]ir:h  s""  G^%  2^^-'''^  Gn.  11'  «/.  {Lex.  nrx  8  b.). 


78  DEUTERONOMY 


IV.  41   43.    The  Appoint juent  by  Moses  oj  three  Cities 
of  ReftLge  in  the  trans-Jordanic  Territory. 

41-43.  Bezer,  Ramoth,  and  Golan  appointed  as  Cities  of 
Refuge. — The  Deuteronomic  law  respecting-  the  Cities  of  Refuge 
is  contained  in  ig^-^^  (to  the  notes  on  which  the  reader  is 
referred  for  fuller  explanations) ;  and  all  the  characteristic 
expressions  in  v.^^-*-  here  agree  with  those  found  there. 

The  verses  mark  a  pause  in  the  narrative,  and  seem  desig^ned  to 
separate  the  introductory  discourse  i''-4*'  from  c.  5ff.  (Di.  Oe.).  Their 
origin  is  uncertain.  It  is  possible,  no  doubt,  that  they  may  have  formed 
an  orig-inal  part  of  Dt.  (Di.).  In  ig""^',  however,  the  Cities  of  Refuge 
appear  to  be  introduced  for  the  first  time,  as  a  new  institution  :  had  the 
writer  of  19''^'  already  described  the  appointment  of  three  cities  for  the 
same  purpose,  it  is  difficult  not  to  think  that  he  would  have  framed  his 
law  so  as  to  contain  some  allusion  to  the  fact.  It  seems  more  probable, 
therefore  (csp.  if  i'-4*'*  be  not  hy  the  same  hand  as  c.  5-26.  28),  that  4^'"-'^ 
was  added  by  a  later  Deut.  writer  (perhaps  R'^),  who  desiderated  an 
express  notice  in  Dt.  of  the  trans-Jordanic  Cities  of  Refuge,  and,  in 
accordance  with  a  tradition  which  referred  their  appointment  to  Moses, 
supplied  the  omission  by  the  insertion  of  these  verses  (Konig,  Einl.  p.  213  ; 
Oettli,  ad  loc:  comp.  Kuen.  §  7.  17a';  Wellh.  Comp.  207  ;  Westphal,  ii.  83). 
The  phraseology  is  througliout  Deuteronomic  (like  that  of  the  additions 
in  Jos.  20''''' ;  L.O.T.  p.  105),  and  has  no  affinity  with  that  of  P's  law  in 
Nu.  ss"-"'^.  According  to  P,  also  (Jos.  20%  cf.  Nu.  35"'"),  the  Cities  of 
Refuge  on  the  East  of  Jordan,  as  well  as  those  on  the  West,  were 
appointed,  not  by  Moses,  but  hy  Joshua. 

Separated  (i^n^"")]  so  ig^-  7.  The  word  implies  not  so  much 
physical  separation,  as  separation  for  a  particular  purpose  or 
object,  10^  2920(21);  cS..  JPIi.  xi.  p.  219. — Beyond  Jordaii\  on  1^. 
— 42.   That  the  manslaycr  .   .   .   in  time  past]  agreeing  nearly 

41.  h'12'  7K]Dr.§27/5;G-K.§  107.  i^R.!.— 42.  'm.  .  .  d:]  .  .  .  n^m  ncty  oih] 
na^^  d:?  is  corrected,  as  the  sentence  proceeds,  by  the  more  precise  nnx  Sx 
hnn  D'^i•n  [d,  and  this  necessitates  the  repetition  of  the  idea  of  fleeing  :  cih 
is  accordingly  resumed  by  Dji — "That  he  might  flee  thither  .  .  .  ,  and 
{—yea)  that  he  nilght  ^cc  .  .  .  and  live."  The  inf.  d:^,  with  a  final  conj., 
is  continued  by  the  pff".  :'pi  .  .  .  DZ),  with  -waw  consec,  as  regularly  (e.ff. 
Gn.  18-' ;  Dr.  §  118) ;  for  the  resumptive  Di],  cf.  18^  k31,  20^^  n-ni,  29^^  r-CKi 
(Dr.  §  118  n.).  On  : 'ni,  see  G-K.  §  104.  2e. — Th  Kie/  k"?  Kim]  lit.  "and  he 
being  a  not-hater  to  Jiirn  aforetime"  :  so  i9'*'*  Jos.  20';  Nu.  35"-^  3'i.x  n'?  xmi 
iV  (Dr.  §  135.  7  Obs.).  The  ptcp.  with  nh  is  unusual  {ib.  §  162  w.);  and  Njb 
is  best  construed  as  a  subst. — ^^^]  as  7"  19^^  (but  not  ')  Gn.  19*' ^s  26''*'* 
Lev.  18-"^  (against  rhun  some  80  times  in  the  Pent.,  and  rh^  180  times). 


IV.   41-43  79 

verbally  with  ig'^^'-  *^-  ^b. — 43.  Be2er{-\'^2)  in  the  fablc-laiid]  Bezet 
is  mentioned  besides  Jos.  20^  21^^^  [see  RV.  w^.]  (=1  Ch.  6"'^ 
("*')) ;  also  on  the  Moabite  Stone,  1.  27,  as  one  of  the  cities 
rebuilt  by  Mesha' ;  and  i  Mace.  5-''^'"-  (Boo-op).  Its  site  is  un- 
known;  but  being  in  the  "wilderness"  (2^^''),  it  was  probably 
situated  towards  the  eastern  border  of  the  Moabite  table-land 
{T;^fi).—Ratnoth  in  Gilcad]  Jos.  20^  2i^s(36)(=i  ch.  6'>5C0)),  or 
Ramoth  of  Gilead,  i  K.  41^  22^"-  2  K.  8-^  9^*^,  according-  to 
Eusebius  [Ononi.,  ed.  Lag.  p.  2S7)  15  Roman  miles  W.  01 
Philadelphia  (Rabbath  Bne 'Amnion).  It  is  generally  identified 
with  es-Salt  (see  Biid.  p.  287);  but  Dillmann  (on  Gn.  Si""*), 
following  Hitzig  and  Langer  {Aiis/diui,  1S82,  p.  181),  prefers 
a  site  6  miles  to  the  North  of  es-Salt,  at  the  ruins  of  el-JarOd. 
— Golafi]  Jos.  20^  21^"  (  =  1  Ch.  6'^'^(''^)),  named  by  Eusebius 
{Ononi.  p.  242)  as  a  kw/av;  /xeyto-T?;,  but  not  at  present  known. 
Golan  gave  its  name  to  the  province  Gaulanitis,  often  men- 
tioned by  Josephus  (cf.  Schiirer,  N.  Zg.'^  i.  354).  On  the 
modern  district  Jolan  (or  Jaiihln),  see  Biid.  p.  285 ;  and 
Schumacher,  Survey  of  the  Jaitldn,  iJ 


IV.  44-49.   Siiperscription  to  the  Exposition  of  the 
Law,  contained  in  c.  5-26.  28. 

IV.  44-49.  This  superscription  first  (v.^'^f-)  characterizes  the 
substance  of  the  following  discourse ;  it  then  specifies  the 
place  (v.'''''''),  and  (indirectly)  the  time  (v.^'"^"'*^),  at  which  it  was 
delivered. 

More  than  one  difficulty  arises  in  connexion  with  it.  Not  only  does  it 
appear  to  be  superfluous  after  i^"®,  which  is  plainly  intended  to  refer,  not 
to  c.  1-4  only,  but  to  the  Deut.  discourses  generally  (v.®:  "to  expound 
this  law"),  but  even  supposing  that  a  special  superscription  were  deemed 

and  I  Ch.  20^  ('7?<)t-  The  word  is  written  similarly  in  Phcen.  {CIS.  I.  i.  3^^ 
Sk  D'cipn  c:'7N  "these  holy  gods,"  14'^  93''  [cited  on  v.^'^]),  though  it  was 
pronounced  prob.  as  a  dissyllable  (Schroder,  PhiJn.  Gr.  §  61).  The  kindred 
dialects  have  generally  a  dissyllabic  form  (cf.  DB."  i.  774  n.\  Wright, 
Coinp.  Gramm.  0/  Sent.  Lang.  p.  108  f.),  which  is  an  indication  that_  the 
pron.  terminated  originally  in  a  vowel  sound.  The  variation  is  thus  not 
an  "archaism,"  but  is  purely  orthographical:  no  doubt  Vni  should  be 
vocalized  ^xn  (cf.  Phoen.  J,  i.e.  i),  just  as  nx,  nj/,  when  thej'  occur  for 
nnK,  nn;;,  are  vocalized  riN,  ny. 


8o  DEUTERONOMY 

desirable  for  c.  5-26,  the  niimite  particulars  contained  in  v.*'"''^  seem  to 
be  unnecessary  when  the  circumstances  there  noted  have  been  aheady 
described  in  detail  in  c.  2-3  ;  moreover,  v.^^  is  itself  tautologous  by  the 
side  of  V.**.  The  circumstantiality  of  the  heading  appears,  in  particular,  to 
point  to  its  being  the  work  of  a  writer  who  either  (a)  was  not  acquainted 
with  1^-4^"  or  (b)  disregarded  it.  By  those  (a)  who  hold  the  original  Dt. 
to  have  been  limited  to  c.  5-26.  28,  4'5-^i' — or  (Konig,  who  thinks  v.'*^"'" 
added  subsequently)  ^^'-^^ — is  accordingly  considered  to  have  been  the 
superscription  to  that  discourse,  to  which  1^-4""*  was  prefixed  afterwards 
as  an  introduction,  whether  by  the  original  writer  (Oraf,  Gesch.  Bitchcr, 
pp.  6,  13  ;  Kleincrt,  pp.  33,  168),  or  by  a  somewhat  later  hand  (WclUi. 
Comp.  p.  192  ;  Kuenen,  §  7,  71.  12  ;  Valcton,  Stiulil-n,  vi.  p.  225  ;  Westphal, 
pp.  82,  87  ;  Kiinig,  Einl.  p.  212  f.),  v.'"  being  inserted  at  the  same  time  as 
a  connecting  link.  Dillmann  {b)  on  the  contrary,  who  observes  that  the 
verses  include  slight  phraseological  traits  which  are  not  those  of  D  (see 
the  notes),  and  that  v.'*'-*  appears  to  be  borrowed  from  3'^,  which  forms 
(see  note)  part  of  an  inserlioa  in  the  original  narrative  of  c.  3,  considers 
the  superscription  not  to  be  original,  but  to  have  been  added  here  by  the 
Redactor  of  Dt.  on  the  basis  of  material  derived  from  c.  1-3,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  marking  the  distinctive  character  of  the  discourse  which  follows 
(c.  5-26),  and  declaring  that  the  "exposition"  of  "the  law,"  promised  in 
i^,  now  begins.  Dillm.'s  attempt,  however,  to  show  that  v."'''  is  not  tauto- 
logous  with  v.'"  cannot  be  pronounced  successful  :  the  supposition  that  the 
"law"  of  v.'"  refers  to  c.  5-1 1,  and  the  "testimonies,  statutes,  and  judg- 
ments" of  v. ^^  to  c.  12-26,  implying  a  forced  distinction  between  the  two 
expressions,  which  is  not  sustained  by  usage  (see  v.^). 

44.  Andthis\  CUTS  omit  aiid.^Thc  law]  i^. — Laid  before  {u^ 
''32^)]  Ex.  K^''  21^:  elsewhere  Dt.  has  '■■^•h  J\'i  (on  v.^). — T/ie 
children  of  Israel]  sufliciently  common  in  most  books  of  the 
OT.,  but  contrary  to  the  general  usage  of  Dt.,  which,  even  in 
the  narrative  parts,  prefers  "all  Israel"  (on  i^);  for  i^  32^1 
348  are  derived  from  P,  311^- 2^- 2:.  from  JE,  10"  from  E :  else- 
where in  the  book  only  3^^  23^^  ("sons"  as  distinguished  from 
daughters),  24'^,  the  heading  4^^- -15. 4o^  ^nd  the  subscription 
28''''  (29^).— 45.  Testimonies]  6i7. -'o .  cf.  i  K.  2^  2  K.  lyi"^  23^  (all 
Deut.)  ;  and  see  below.  The  idea  of  a  "testimony"  (or 
"witness")  is  that  of  an  attcsialioii,  or  formal  aflirmation  ; 
hence,  as  referred  to  God,  a  solemn  declaration  of  His  will  on 

45.  r-iy]  e^^-^o.  Elsewhere  (in  this  form)  only  Ps.  25'<'  78^^  93'  99^  132I2, 
and  14  times  in  Ps.  119.  When  written  plene  (nny),  the  word  is  usually 
pointed  nny  (i  K.  2'  2  K.  17^'  23'' Jer.  44-^  i  Ch.  29^*  2  Cli.  34''^  Nc.  9-*^,  and 
8  times  in  Ps.  iigt),  which  would  be  the  pi.  cstr.  of  nnj;  (Stade,  §  320^). 
A  comjjarison  of  the  two  groups  of  passages  {e.g.  of  i  K.  2"  with  Dt.  6^^) 
makes  it  evident,  however,  that  the  words,  though  differently  vocalized, 
do  not  differ  in  meaning. 


IV.  44-49  8 1 

points  (especially)  of  moral  or  religious  duty,  or  a  protest 
against  human  propensity  to  deviate  from  it  (of.  2  T"!?!!  to  testify 
ox  protest  against  [not  7iuto\  2  K.  ly^^  Jer.  ii'''  Ps.  50''  81^  Neh. 
g2(3.  29.  30^^  The  word  came  thus  to  be  used,  primarily  through 
the  influence  of  Dt.,  and  writers  of  the  same  school,  as  a 
general  designation  of  moral  and  religious  ordinances,  con- 
ceived as  a  Divinely  instituted  standard  of  conduct.  Else- 
where, particularly  in  P,  the  term  (in  the  singular)  is  applied 
specially  to  the  Decalogue  (Ex.  251*5- 21  31I8  o^'-^'J ;  comp.  the 
expressions,  "Ark,  Tabernacle,  of  the  testimony,"  25^'^  38^^ 
«/.),  as  a  concise  and  forcible  statement  of  God's  will  and 
human  duty. — The  statutes  and  the  judgments^  4I. —  When  they 
came  forth  out  of  Egypt\  so  v.^^.  The  phrase,  descriptive  of  a 
date  at  the  very  end  of  the  40  years'  wanderings,  could  not 
have  been  written  by  a  contemporary ;  It  must  spring  from  a 
time  when  the  40  years  in  the  wilderness  had  dwindled  to  a 
point. — 46*.  Beyond  Jordan^  i^. — In  the  ravine,  &c.\  3-''. — 
Silwn  .  .  .  I/eshboii]  i*  3^. — 46^-49.  The  writer  takes  occa- 
sion, from  the  mention  of  the  "land  of  Sihon,"  to  introduce, 
in  the  manner  of  the  Deut.  writers  (on  i"*),  a  notice  of  Sihon's 
defeat,  and  of  the  territory  taken  from  him  and  'Og.  The 
verses,  esp.  v.'*""^^,  are  connected  loosely  with  v."*^""*'',  and  may 
be  an  addition  by  a  later  hand  (Kon.  p.  212). — Sfnote]  2^^. — 47. 
And  they  took,  £r"c.]  2^^  3^. — Beyond  Jordan,  tozvai'd  the  siin- 
rising]\^^  ]  OS.  i^^  12^^'  (both  D^). — 48-49.  From'Arder,  &'c.\ 
slightly  abridged,  and  altered,  from  2^^^  3^^-  '^'^.  The  only  re- 
markable variation  is  the  fresh  name  Sion  i^^'V^  for  Hermon, 
which  is  not  found  elsewhere.  S  reads  't'P,  as  3^ ;  but  this 
is  no  doubt  a  correction  of  the  Hebrew  text :  there  is  no 
apparent  reason  why  the  Sidonian  name  of  Hermon  should 
have  been  used  here. 


V.-XXVI.  XXVIII.    The  Exposition  of  the  Law. 

This  consists  of  two  parts,  clearly  distinguished  from  each 
other,  both  by  their  contents,  and  by  the  opening  words  of 
12^.     T\\Q  first  part  (c.  5-11)  consists  of  a  hortatory  introduc- 
tion,  inculcating  the  general  theocratic  principles  by  which 
6 


82  DEUTERONOMY 

Israel,  as  a  nation,  is  to  be  governed.  The  second  part  (c. 
12-26.  28)  includes  the  code  of  special  laws,  which  it  is  the 
object  of  the  leg-islator  to  "expound"  (i^),  with  reference,  in 
particular,  to  the  purposes  which  they  subserve,  and  to  the 
motives  which  should  prompt  their  observance. 

V.-XI.  Hoi-tatory  Introduction. 
C.  5-1 1  consists  essentially  of  a  development  of  the  first 
Commandment  of  the  Decalogue.  With  w'arm  and  persuasive 
eloquence,  the  legislator  sets  before  Israel  its  primary  duty  of 
loyalty  to  Jehovah,  urging  upon  it  the  motives  to  obedience 
by  which  it  ought  to  be  impelled,  and  warning  it  against  the 
manifold  temptations  to  neglectfulness  by  which  it  might  be 
assailed.  He  begins  by  reminding  Israel  of  the  covenant 
concluded  with  it  at  Horeb  on  the  basis  of  the  Decalogue,  and 
of  the  promise  which  the  nation  had  then  given  that  it  would 
obey  whatever  future  commands  Jehovah  might  lay  upon  it 
(c.  5).  The  Israelite's  fundamental  duty  is  to  love  Jehovah,  to 
be  devoted  to  Him  with  intense  and  undivided  affection,  not 
to  forget  Him  in  the  enjoyment  of  material  prosperity,  or  to 
forsake  Him  for  false  gods,  but  to  serve  Him  loyally  himself, 
and  to  teach  his  children  to  serve  Him  loyally  afterwards  (c. 
6).  Upon  entering  Canaan,  no  truce  is  to  be  made  with  the 
Canaanites,  no  intercourse  with  them  is  to  be  tolerated  :  Israel 
is  holy  to  Jehovah  ;  and  motives  of  fear,  not  less  than  of  grati- 
tude, should  prompt  it  to  give  effect  to  His  will :  in  its  crusade 
against  heathenism,  it  may  rest  assured  of  His  ever  present 
aid  and  succour  (c.  7).  Let  Israel  recollect  the  lessons  of  the 
wilderness,  and  take  to  heart  its  dependence  upon  Jehovah, 
lest  it  be  tempted,  in  the  midst  of  the  good  things  of  Canaan, 
to  forget  the  Giver,  and  perish  like  the  nations  whom  God  is 
casting  out  before  it  (c.  8).  Let  Israel,  further,  beware  of  self- 
righteousness  ;  let  it  remember  how  from  the  beginning  it 
has  shown  a  wilful  and  rebellious  nature,  and  how  its  present 
existence  as  a  nation  is  due  solely  to  Jehovah's  forbearance 
(9^-10^1).  For  these  and  other  mercies,  the  only  return  which 
Jehovah  demands  is  loving  and  ready  obedience  (lo^-'^).  And 
this  obedience  should  be  prompted  by  the  thought  of  the  favour 


V.  1-5  8 


o 


with  which  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  had  \  isited  Israel 
(iQii---),  of  the  deeds  wrought  by  Him  on  its  behalf  at  the 
Exodus  (ii^"^),  and  of  its  dependence  upon  Him  for  its  future 
prosperity  in  Canaan  (i  I'^^-^s).  The  Writer  ends  this  part  of 
his  discourse  by  solemnly  reminding  Israel  of  the  two 
alternatives,  the  blessing  and  the  curse,  now  offered  for  its 
acceptance  (ii^^'-^^^^ 

v.  1-18.  The  covenant  conchided  by  Jehovah  with  Israel 
at  Horeb,  on  the  basis  of  the  Decalogue, — 1.  The  aim  of  the 
discourse  (c.  5-26.  28)  here  beginning,  viz.  that  Israel  may 
learn,  and  obey,  Jehovah's  commands. — All  Israel]  i^. — Hear, 
O  Israel]  6^  9^  20^ :  cf.  4^  6-'t. — This  day]  4'*o. — Obserce  to  do] 
on  4*^. — 2-18  (21).  The  Writer  begins  by  reminding  Israel  of  the 
fundamental  principles  of  the  covenant,  as  embodied  in  the 
Decalogue  (4^^)- — 3.  Not  ivith  our  fatJiers]  this  covenant  was 
made  not  with  our  forefathers,  the  patriarchs  (4^1-  ■''^  7^-  ^^  S^*^), 
but  with  lis  (4^^),  who  are  here  alive  to-day  (cf.  4^) :  it  is  we, 
therefore,  who  are  bound  by  the  terms  of  it.  The  fact  that 
the  greater  part  of  those  who  stood  at  Horeb,  40  years  before, 
had  passed  away,  is  disregarded  :  cf.  ii^-^,  and  on  i^''.— 4.  Face 
to  face  spake  /e/i avail]  thus  solemnly  and  impressively  was  the 
covenant  inaugurated. — D"'3Sn  D''3d]  cf.  D''JS  ^S  D^JS  34^*^  Ex.  33^1 
(both  of  Moses),  Gn.  32^1  Jud.  6-2 :  pyn  py  Nu.  14^^  Is.  52^. — 
Out  of  the  midst  of  the  /ire^  on  4^2. — 5.  I  standing  between  JeJiovah 
and  you,  &c.]  the  words,  to  mount,  are  parenthetical  (see  RV.), 
describing  the  part  taken  by  Moses  as  mediator  between  God 
and  the  people — of  course,  as  the  terms  used  imply,  at  the 
time  when  the  Decalogue  was  promulgated,  not  in  the  com- 
munication of  commands  received  by  him  subsequently,  520-'2s 
(•.>3-ai)  ^^u_  T\\Q  representation  of  Moses  as  mediator,  for  the 
purpose  of  "declaring"  or  "reporting"  (see  below)  the  words 
of  the  Decalogue,  is  apparently  at  variance  with  v.^-  '^^-  2'  C--  -0 
^12. 15. 16  jo4^  in  which  Jehovah  seems  to  be  described  as  having 
spoken  them  audibly  to  the  people.      It  appears,  however, 

Y.  3.  i:mN]  emphasizing  the  suff.  in  ijnx  (G-K.  §  135.  2=  ;  i  S.  19-'  25^^), 
and  then  further  strengthened  by  'Ji  nij  n^.\',  in  appos. — "but  with  us,  lis, 
these  here  to-daj',"  &c. — i.  C'jsi  D":d]  "(with)  face  in  face,"  -an  impHcit 
accus.  of  closer  definition  (G-K.  §  156.  2). — 5.  toy  'Djx]  a  circ.  cl.  (Dr. 
§  161). — Tin*?]  to  declare.     "Show"  (AV.  RV.)  is  used  here  in  the  old  sense 


84  DEUTERONOMY 

that  according"  to  the  conception  of  D,  the  people  heard  the 
"voice"  of  God,  but  not  distinct  words:  the  hitter  Moses 
declared  p'?'?)  to  them  afterwards.  And  in  fact  this  repre- 
sentation is  not  inconsistent  with  Ex.  19^-  ^^ — both  verses 
belong-ing-  to  E,  and  followed  orig-inally  by  2oi"i7  (the  inter- 
mediate verses  1920-25  forming  part  of  the  parallel  narrative  of 
J) :  according-  to  these  passages  God  speaks  ivith  Moses,  and 
the  people  overhear  the  thunder  of  His  voice,  but  they  do  not 
necessarily  hear  distinctly  the  actual  words  spoken.  —  The 
7Vord  0/ Jehovah]  GSJTF,  "words":  so  Kuen.  77/.  T.  iSSi, 
p.  180. 

6-18  (21).  The  Decalogue,  repeated  from  Ex.  20^-^'^,  with 
verbal  difTerences,  sometimes  slight,  in  other  cases  more  con- 
siderable. The  longer  variations  are  mostly  in  agreement 
with  the  style  of  Dt.,  and  the  Writer's  hand  is  recog-nizable  in 
them.  On  the  Decalogue  in  general,  see  the  notes  on  Ex. 
20^"^''' :  only  the  variations  which  the  text  of  Dt.  exhibits  will  be 
noticed  here.^ — 8.  A  graven  image,  (even)  any  form,  &r'c.\  Ex. 
20*  "a  graven  image,  or  (l)  any  form,  &c."  Comp.  410-23.25. 
and    see    below. — 9.    n'L"bt^'  Sj?l]    Ex.    D''C'':C  f^y.  — 12.    Observe 

of  the  word,  to  report  or  tell :  see  AV.  Gn.  46^^  Ex.  13^  1  S.  9^  &c.  (RV. 
tell),  RV.  Dt.  i7»-i"-ii  32^  I  S.  3^5  al.—i,,  'ji  ncN  n:icn  "ja  "pes]  the  con- 
struction is  difficult,  and  uncertain.  In  view  of  Ex.  20"*  (as  it  stands),  and 
of  the  fondness  of  D  for  apposition  (on  18'),  the  rend,  adopted  above  is 
at  least  the  most  obvious  (so  4I6. ai. :a^_  jj.  jg  time,  nsicn  denotes  nothing'^ 
material ;  and  hence  it  might  be  objected  that  a  njicn  could  not  be 
"made":  but  the  direct  obj.  of  nrj'n  is  Scs ;  and  n:icn  may  signify  not 
only  "that  in  an  object  which  may  be  imitated,"  but  also  "that  wherein 
an  object  made  resembles  its  model "  :  in  making  a  ^cs,  therefore,  a  njicn  is 
at  the  same  time  produced.  This  "form"  is  then,  by  an  inexactness  of 
language,  identified  with  the  corresponding  "form"  ("that  is  in  heaven,' 
&c.)  upon  which  it  was  modelled  (RV.  eases  the  sentence  by  inserting 
"the  likeness  of").  Ewald  {Hist.  ii.  160).  W.  A.  Wright, /PA.  iv.  156, 
Di.,  divide  the  verses  Dt.  5^"*  (=Ex.  20^"*)  difl'erently,  treating  'n  "ra  as  a 
casus  pendens,  and  construing  :  "  Thou  shalt  not  make  unto  thee  a  graven 
image :  (and)  every  form  that  is  in  heaven  above,  &c.,  thou  shalt  not  bow 
down  to  them,  or  worship  them."  Others  assimilate  the  text  of  Ex.  to 
that  of  Dt.,  omitting  1  in  njicn  Sii,  and  rendering,  "a  graven  image  of  any 
form,"  &c.  (so  also  z^^-^-'^) ;  but  the  combination  njion  h'DS  seems  a  doubt- 
ful one,  and  it  is  peculiarly  hard  when  followed,  as  in  4'*',  by  another 
genitive. — 9.  c-3j;n]  so  Ex.  20*  23-^;  Dt.  13^  ^Ir'ii'  The  impf.  Qal  is 
ordinarily  -\--;_i  MTny;  (Ex.  4^  &c.);  and  it  is  a  question  how  these  four 
anomalous  forms  are  to  be  explained.     Ols.  §  261,  Stade,  §§  549S,  588", 


V.  6-is  85 

pi^'f)]  i6^  In  Ex.  20^  "remember."— ^^ /t'//ow/i  thy  God 
commanded  t]icc\  so  v.^''  20^";  cf.  6-^  24*^,  and  the  frequent 
"As  Jehovah  spake  unto  thee"  (on  i^i).  A  comment  on 
the  words  spoken,  which  is  of  course  not  strictly  appropriate 
in  what  purports  to  be  a  report  of  them. — 14.  And  thy  vian- 
servant\  Ex.  20^''  without  "and." — And  thine  ox,  and  thine 
ass,  and  all  thy  cattle\  Ex.  20^"  has  for  these  words  simply 
"  and  thy  cattle." — TJiat  thy  nian-seii'ant  and  thy  maid-servant 
may  j'est  as  ivell  as  tho/(]  this  clause  is  not  found  in  Ex.  20^*^, 
though  it  expresses  the  thought  of  Ex.  23^'-''  (in  the  "  Book  of 
the  Covenant ").  The  philanthropic  motive  assigned  for  the 
observance  of  the  sabbath  is  in  accordance  with  the  spirit 
which  prevails  elsewhere  in  Dt.  {e.^.  la^^-^^  1421;!)  jgu). — 15. 
And  thou  shalt  remember  that  thou  wast  a  servant  in  the  land 
of  Egypt,  and  Jehovah  thy  God  brought  thee  out  theiice,  <5r'c.] 
this  verse  is  not  in  Ex.,  the  corresponding  place  (Ex.  20^^) 
being  occupied  by  the  words,  "  For  in  six  days  Jehovah  made 
heaven  and  earth,  the  sea,  and  all  that  in  them  is,  and  rested 
on  the  seventh  day :  therefore  Jehovah  blessed  the  sabbath 
day,  and  hallowed  it."  The  recollection  of  the  servitude  in 
Egypt  is  made  a  motive  for  kindliness  towards  others  placed 
in  a  similar  position  in  15^^  16^-  24^^- ^"^  (each  time  in  almost 
the  same  words), — in  151-5  24^^  coupled,  as  here,  with  the  in- 
junction to  remember  gratefully  the  deliverance  thence.  It 
might  accordingly  seem  (cf.  v.^^'')  as  if  the  observance  of  the 
sabbath  were  inculcated  upon  a  similar  ground ;  but  the 
words  which  follow,  "  Therefore  Jehovah  thy  God  commanded 
thee  to  hold  the  sabbath  day,"  show  that  the  sabbath  is  viewed 
here  as  a  periodical  memorial  of  Israel's  deliverance  from  Egypt, 

Kon.  i.  p.  259  f.,  treat  them  as  Hofal  forms,  as  though  the  meaning-  were, 
"Thou  shalt  not  be  made  to  serve  them"  (pass,  of  T3j;n  to  make  io  se^t'e, 
Jer,  17^) ;  Ew.  §§  66=,  89*',  251^  regards  them  as  irregular  forms  of  Qal, 
but  fails  to  explain  satisfactorily  the  two  o  sounds.  If  the  forms  are  Hof., 
the  idea  of  cotnpidsory  idolatry,  whether  resulting  (Ges.)  from  external 
pressure,  or  (Konig)  from  an  irresistible  inward  impulse,  is  artificial,  and 
not  favoured  by  the  context ;  if  they  are  Qal,  the  o  sounds  are  unaccounted 
for.  Under  the  circumstances,  the  most  probable  view  is  that  of  G-K. 
(§  60  R.  i),  that  the  punctuators  intended  the  forms  to  be  understood 
as  Hof.,  but  that  the  original  pronunciation  was  (as  regularly  elsewhere, 
e.g.  Jer.  16^^)  onnj^n,  DTZfj. — 12.  nio^J  on  i^®. 


86  DEUTERONOMY 

and  of  its  relation  to  Jehovah,  which  was  sealed  thereby  (4-*'-  ^* 
7*^-8  &c.). — To  hold  (nvj'y)]  rather  a  technical  expression,  used  of 
the  sabbath  only  once  besides,  in  Ex.  31^*^  (P).  Coinp.  on  i6^ 
— 16.  Honour  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  as  Jehovah  thy  God 
commanded  thee  ;  that  thy  days  may  be  long",  and  that  it  may 
be  7ocll/or  thee,  upon  the  land  which  Jehovah  thy  God  is  giving 
thee]  the  two  italicized  clauses  are  not  in  Ex.  20'^.  With  the 
first  clause,  comp.  v.^'^;  the  second  clause  as  v.^'^(-^)  6^^  1225-28 
227.— 17  (AV.  17-20).  In  Ex.  20^-i«  the  6th  to  the  9th  Com- 
mandments form  each  an  independent  sentence :  in  Dt.  they 
are  connected  by  the  conjunction  {^^),  producing  a  more 
flowing  period.  Similarly  in  v.^^C-'^. — 17(20).  And  thou  shalt 
not  ans^vcr  against  (19^*")  thy  neighbour,  as  a  vain  witness^  "IV 
^y^  i.e.  a  hollow,  insincere  witness:  in  Ex.  20^*5  "'p'-''  *iy  i.e. 
definitely  a  false  witness,  the  more  common  expression  (Dt. 
19I8  Ps.  2712  Pr.  ei'J  145  25^s)._18  (21).  And  thou  shalt  not 
desire  thy  neighbour's  wife,  and  thou  shalt  not  long-  for  thy 
thy  neighbour's  house,  his  field,  or  his  man-servant,  or  his 
maid-servant,  his  ox,  &c.]  in  Ex.  20^^  "Thou  shalt  not  desire 
thy  neighbour's  house,  thou  shalt  not  desire  thy  neighbour's 
wife,  or  his  man-servant,  or  his  maid-servant,  or  his  ox,"  &c. 
In  Ex.  "  house"  appears  to  be  used  in  a  comprehensive  sense, 
embracing  not  only  the  actual  dwelling,  but  also  wife,  servant, 
ox,  ass,  and  other  possessions  constituting  a  domestic  estab- 
lishment (cf.  Gn.  152  Job  8^5),  examples  of  which  are  after- 
wards specified  separately ;  in  Dt.  the  wife,  as  the  dearest  and 
closest  of  a  man's  possessions,  is  named  separately  in  the  first 
place,  and  "house"  is  limited  to  ordinary  domestic  property, 
land,  servant,  ox,  and  ass  being  the  illustrations  chosen.  For 
"desire"  CP^)  in  the  second  place,  Dt.  has  '^?.\?r'^,  apparently 
merely  as  a  rhetorical  variation  ;  for  "J^^n^  though  a  some- 
what stronger  term  than  T^n,  and  rarer,  especially  in  prose, 
docs  not  express  a  substantially  different  idea,  non,  express- 
ing in  itself  a  perfectly  lawful  affection  (Is.  53^  Ps.  68^'' (i'")), 
acquires  from  the  context  the  sense  of  sinful  coveting  (cf.  Mic. 
22  Ex.  342-1) .  for  nisnn,  comp.  2  S.  2315  (RV.  "longed")  Pr, 
13*  233  Ps.  45^2(11). 

19-30  (22-33).  Request  of  the  people  that  Jehovah's  future 


V.  16-25(28)  Sy 

commands  might  be  conveyed  to  them  by  Moses. — 19  (22).  pvn 
i"S"iyniJ  4^^ — Afid  he  added  710  more  (f]D'  X^l)]  as  we  should  say, 
"  and  he  then  stopped  "  :  of.  Nu.  1 1^^. — And  he  wrote  them,  &c.\ 
the  statement  anticipates  what,  according  to  g^-^i  Ex.  32^^*^', 
only  took  place  subsequently :  it  is  introduced  here  for  the 
purpose  of  completing-  the  narrative  respecting-  the  Decalog-ue. 
—20-24(23-27).  The  people  request  (comp.  Ex.  20IS-21)  that 
in  future  Moses  may  speak  with  them  as  God's  representative. 
— ;-20  (21).  'h^  |mpm]  1^2. — The  heads  of  your  tribes]  i^^  (cf.  on 
2i^^).— Elders]  cf.  27^  29^  3i9-28._21  (24).  His  greatiiess]  f\-~ 
We  have  heard  his  voice,  &c.]  4^2. 33^ — That  God  doth  speak  ivilJi 
man,  and  he  livcth]  contrary  to  g-eneral  experience  :  comp.  4"''', 
with  note. — 22-24  (25-27).  Nevertheless  the  spectacle  is  such 
a  terrible  one,  and  it  can  so  little  be  expected  that  the  verdict 
of  experience  will  ag-ain  be  reversed,  that  they  dread  to  witness 
it  any  further. — 23(26). — All  flesh]  the  expression  sometimes 
embraces  all  living  beings  (as  Gn.  G^"- ^^  Nu.  iSi"") :  more 
commonly  it  denotes  mankind  alone  (Gn.  G^^- is  Nu.  i6--=27''"' 
Is.  ^oP-^  al.):  cf.  Lex.  "il"3  6.  The  expression  characterizes 
living  creatures,  in  tacit  contrast  to  God,  as  frail,  unsub- 
stantial, and  dependent  (Is.  3i3Jer.  17^  Job  10^). — That  hath 
heard,  &c.  and  lived]  cf.  /^^^. — The  living  God  (□"'Tl  D^^!)s)]  this 
"significant  and  moving  name"  (Sanday,  Bampton  Lectures, 
1893,  p.  124,  cf.  153)  recurs  i  S.  17215.30  jgr.  iqIO  2-^-'^^ ',  Cn  'x) 
2  K.  194-16  (  =  Is.  374.17)1;  (^^  ^s)  Jos.  3IOH0S.  2i(iio)  Ps.  42^8431. 
— 24  (27).  And  thou  (emph.)  shalt  speak  unto  us,  &-'c.;  and  we 
will  hear,  and  do]  comp.  Ex.  2oi9  nyoL-'Jl  ^-m  nnx  nn^._25  f. 
(28  f.).  Jehovah  declares  Himself  graciously  pleased  to  accede 
to  the  entreaty  of  the  people  ;  and  gives  warm  expression  to  the 
hope  that  their  present  obedient  frame  of  mind  may  be  main- 
tained perpetually. — And  Jehovah  heard  the  voice  of  your  words] 
19.  hr^i  "jip]  "(with)  a  loud  voice"  (2  S.  19^  i  K.  8"''), — the  accus., 
as  v."*. — 20.  rx3  nya  nnni]  =  "wA//^  the  mount  burned  with  fire," — a  circ. 
clause  (G-K.  §  141.  2  ;  Dr.  §  159).— 21.  rm  .  ,  .  nai'J  Dr.  g§  38a;  113. 
4a;  G-K.  §  112.  3  5a. — 22.  i:m.>{  d-so'  cn]  Dr.  §  135.  4. — i:nci]  introducing- 
the  apod.  {ib.  §  137a;  G-K.  §  112.  5*). — 24.  nnx  mp]  "draw  thou  near" 
(emph.):  cf.  Ex.  20^"  (above),  Jud.  8'-^  nijx  D?p,  i  S.  17^"  .^in^<  Sw^,  2&  22" 
■ins  3b,  Is.  43-*^  rrrix  nap.— pxi]  so  (in  the  viasc.)  Nu.  ii^^  £2.  28'^! 
(G-K.  §  32  R.^),  as  in  the  Aram,  of  C^.  No  doubt  i?K  should  be  read  (as 
Ps.  6*  I  S.  24"-'  al.  :  v.  Lex.  p.  61). 


88  deuti:ronomy 

so  i^^.  The  words  addressed  to  Moses,  as  in  i^*  those  spoken 
in  tlie  privacy  of  Israel's  tents,  were  (so  to  speak)  overheard 
by  Jehovah. — They  have  well  said,  &fc.\  so  iS^'^. — 26  (29).  O 
that  this  tJicir  heart  were  theirs  continually,  to  fear  me,  ore.]  O 
that  their  present  temper  might  continue,  and  not  pass  away, 
when  the  impressions  to  which  it  is  due  have  been  obliterated 
and  forgotten. — TJiat  it  may  he  well  for  t]ien{\  4'**'  5^*^,  cf.  v.^o(33)_ 
27  f.  (30  f.).  Moses  is  to  receive  from  God,  and  afterwards  to 
communicate  to  Israel,  the  commandments  to  be  observed  by 
them,  when  they  are  settled  in  Canaan. — 28  (31).  All  the  com- 
mandment, &-'c.\  "the  {or  this)  commandment"  recurs  6^7^^ 
30^^;  with  "all,"  6-''  8'  ii''—^  i-^j  jgO  0^1  ^Qf  ^  special  injunc- 
tion, 31^).  As  1 1-2  \(^  show,  it  denotes  the  Deut.  legislation 
gfenerally  (esp.  on  its  moral  and  religious  side),  viewed  as  the 
expression  of  a  single  principle,  the  fundamental  duty  of  (y\ 
Westphal  (pp.  36,  III)  supposes  that  here  it  refers  particularly 
to  the  development  of  6'^  contained  in  c.  6-1 1  (cf.  6^  7^^),  while 
the  "statutes  and  judgments  "  (on  4')  embrace  the  laws  com- 
prehended in  c.  12-26  (cf.  12^  26'''). —  Which  thou  shall  teach 
them,  tJial  /hey  may  do  tJieni,  &fc.\  cf.  4^-  ^-  ^*  (see  note),  6^  \2^. — 
Which  I  am  giving  tliem  to  possess  //]  cf.  12^  (103)  15-1  ig2- 1*  21^ 
2519. — The  verse,  as  a  whole,  appears  to  be  parallel  with  Ex. 
24^-  E  (where  "which  I  have  written,"  it  is  probable,  origin- 
ally followed  "tables  of  stone";  see  Kuenen,  Th.  T.  1881,  p. 
i94f.;  Budde,  ZATW.  1891,  p.  225;  Bacon,  JB Lit.  1893,  pp. 
31  >  33)- — 29  f.  (32  f.).  Upon  Jehovah's  gracious  response  Moses 
founds  an  exhortation  to  obedience. — 29  (32).  Observe,  then, 
to  do\o\\  <\^. — Hath  C07nmandcd\  the  past  tense  as  v.2'^(^-')  6^*^. 
According  to  these  passages  (cf.  4-^)  the  laws  received  by 
Moses  on  Horeb  had  already  been  made  known  to  the  people ; 
the  aim  of  the  discourses  in  Dt.  is  to  recapitulate  and  re- 
inforce them,  immediately  before  the  Israelites'  entrance  into 
the  land  in  which  they  are  designed  to  come  into  operation 
^y_'2S(3i)  _^r,.  14  51  J2I). — Ye  shall  not  turn  aside,  &-"c.]  so  (metaph.) 
J7I1.20  28^*  Jos.  i7  23C  (both  D2)  2  K.  222  (Deut.)  =  2  Ch.  34^; 

26.  n\ii  ;n'  \t)]  Dr.  §  115  {s.v.  'p). — ni  c^n"?]  ni  (not  nin)  m  accordance 
with  rule,  after  a  noun  delined  by  a  suffix  {Lex.  s.v.  m  2  b  ;  Dr.  §  209  Obs.) : 
21^  Jud.  6"  al.     So  with  rha,  m^^  Ex.  10^  ri^  &c.— 27.  cnS  law]  on  i". 


V.   26(29)— VI.  4  89 

(lit.)  Dt.  227  (see  note)  i  S.  G'-'t.— 30  (33).  The  ivny  ivhich 
Jehovah  your  God  hath  commanded  yoii\  9^2  (from  Ex.  32^)  ^^ 
ij2S  136(5)  3i29._2:zVy']  ^.—Prolong  days,  &c\  42*5.40, 

VI.  1-3.  The  benefits  which  Israel  may  hope  to  receive,  if  it 
is  obedient  to  the  commandments  now  about  to  be  laid  before 
it. — 1.  And  this  is  tlie  commandment,  £r'c.]  promised  in  528(31); 
cf.  ^^^.—To  teach  you,  &'c.]4i-i*  528(31).  ^f.  on  529(32)._2.  That 
tliou  mightcst  fear,  &c.\  cf.  4^*'  520(29),  'Yo  implant  in  Israel  the 
spirit  of  true  religion  and  dutiful  obedience  to  Jehovah's  will, 
is  the  aim  and  scope  of  Moses'  instruction. —  WJiich  I  am  com- 
manding thee]  42. — Thoif,  and  thy  son,  <Sr'c.  ]  the  Writer's  thought 
passes  from  the  nation  to  the  individual  Israelite:  cf.  on  i2i. — 
All  the  days  of  thy  life\  4^  16^,  cf.  17^^. — Be  prolonged]  cf.  on 
426, — 3_  That  it  may  be  well  for  thee]  on  4'*''. — As  Jehovah  spake 
{promised)  mito  thee]  Gn.  155  22"  26^  281*  Ex.  321^  (all  JE) ;  cf. 
on  i^^ — A  lafid  flowing  with  milk  and ho7iey]  Ex.  3^-^''  13^  33^ 
Nu.  1327  148  1613.U  (all  JE),  Lev.  202^  (H),  Dt.  ii^  269-15  zf 
3120  Jos.  56  (D2),  Jer.  ii^  3222  Ez.  2o'5- i5f  •  The  words,  how- 
ever, stand  here  out  of  construction,  the  rendering  ^^  in  a 
land  "  being  illegitimate.  It  seems  either  that  the  clause  has 
been  misplaced,  perhaps  (Dillm.)  from  the  end  of  v.^,  or  that 
words  have  dropped  out  after  "unto  thee,"  such  as  "in  the 
land  which  Jehovah  thy  God  is  giving  thee"  (cf.  2"]"). 

4-5.  The  fundamental  truth  of  Israel's  relig-ion,  the  unique- 
ness and  unity  of  Jehovah ;  and  the  fundamental  duty  founded 
upon  it,  viz.  the  devotion  to  Him  of  the  Israelite's  entire  being. 
— 4.  Hear,  O  Israel]  5^. — Jehovah  our  God  is  07ie  Jehovah']  the 
question  here  is  in  what  sense  the  pred.  "one"  is  to  be  under- 

30.  d:^  aiai]  3ia  is  here  not  the  adj.,  but  tlie  3  pcrs.  pcrf.  of  the 
verb  to  be  -well,  with  1  consec.  (constr.  as  4^).  So  19'''  i  S.  i6^''-^^:  cf.  Nu. 
11^8.  For  the  impf.,  an'!  (from  [20;],  cf.  a'n^n)  is  used:  4'*"  5'"^  &c. — YI.  3. 
-ic'n]  4^". — 4.  nnx  ni.T  irnSx  .ii.t]  the  words  have  been  variously  rendered, 
(rt)  "J.  our  God,  (even)  J.,  is  one"  (Ew.  Bibl.  Theol.  ii.  i,  243;  Oclilcr, 
or.  Theol.  §  43  ;  RV.  ist  tn.) ;  {b)  "  J,  is  our  God,  J.  is  one  "  (RV.  2nd  7it.) ; 
{c)  "J.  is  our  God,  J.  alone"  (Ibn  'Ezra,  RV.  3rd  m.) ;  {d)  "J.  our  God  is 
one  J."  (Schultz,  Keil,  Baudissin,  Hem.  Rel.-Gesch.  i.  167,  Di.  Oe.  AV. 
RV.,  and  most).  In  meaning-,  a  and  b  do  not  differ  materially  from  d\ 
but  as  ag-ainst  a,  no  sufficient  reason  appears  for  the  resumption  of  the 
subject  by  the  second  "Jehovah";  b  is  less  forcible  rhetorically  than  d\ 
c  assigns  a  dub.  sense  to  nnx  ("alone"  is  naV  2  K.  19^''  Ps.  86^");  d  thus 


90  DEUTERONOMY 

stood.  Does  it  express  the  unity  of  Jehovah,  declanng'  that 
lie  is  in  His  essence  indivisible,  cannot  —  like  Ba'al  and 
'Ashtoreth,  for  instance,  who  are  often  spoken  of  in  the  plural 
number  [c.g:  i  S.  y'* :  comp.  on  4'') — assume  different  phases 
or  attributes,  as  presiding  over  different  localities,  or  different 
departments  of  nature,  and  cannot  further  be  united  syn- 
cretistically  (as  was  done  sometimes  by  the  less  spiritual 
Israelites)  with  heathen  deities ;  but  is  only  known  under 
the  one  character  by  which  He  has  revealed  Himself  to 
Israel  (Ewald,  F.  W.  Schultz)  ?  Or  does  it  denote  the  uniqiic- 
ucss  of  Jehovah  (see  for  this  sense  of  "one"  Zech.  14^  Song  6^ 
Job  33--''),  representing-  Him  as  God  in  a  unique  sense,  as  the 
God  with  whom  no  other  "  Elohim  "  can  be  compared,  as  the 
only  Deity  to  whom  the  true  attributes  of  the  Godhead  really 
belong  (Keil,  Oehler,  Baudissin,  E.  Konig,  Hauptprohlcnie,  p. 
38,  Oettli)  ?  The  second  interpretation  gives  the  higher  and 
fuller  meaning  to  the  term,  and  forms  also  a  more  adequate 
basis  for  the  practical  duty  inculcated  in  v.^  (for  a  God,  who 
was  "one,"  but  not  at  the  same  time  "unique,"  might  not 
necessarily  be  a  worthy  object  of  human  love).  The  first  inter- 
pretation is  not  however  excluded  by  it :  for  the  unity  of 
Jehovah  is  almost  a  necessary  corollary  of  His  uniqueness. 
The  verse  is  thus  a  great  declaration  of  Monotheism  (in  the 
sense  both  that  there  is  only  one  God,  and  also  that  the  God 
_who  exists  is  truly  one).     Comp.  Zech.  14^. 

The  truth  is  one  which  in  its  full  significance  was  only  gradually 
brought  home  to  the  Israelites  ;  and  it  can  hardly  be  said  to  be  explicitly 
enunciated  much  before  the  age  of  Dt.  and  Jer.  It  is  often  indeed  implied 
that  Jehovah  is  superior  to  "  other  gods,"  or  that  "other  gods  "  cannot  be 
compared  to   Him  (e.g.   Ex.    15^1  Ps.    iS'-P^'   Dt.   3-^);    and  expressions 

remains  the  most  prob.  rend. — In  the  Mas.  text  of  this  verse,  the  first  and 
last  words  (nnx  .  .  .  per)  each  end  with  a  Utera  majuscula.  Various  explana- 
tions of  the  peculiarity  have  been  proposed  (see  Buxtorf,  Tiberias,  ch.  xiv. ; 
or  C.  Taylor,  Sayings  of  the  Jewish  Fathers  (max  'pns),  p.  131).  Of  course 
it  did  not  originate  with  the  author  of  Dt.  ;  the  intention  of  the  scribes  who 
introduced  it  may  have  been  to  mark  the  importance  of  the  verse,  as 
embodying  the  fundamental  article  of  the  Jewish  faith,  or  to  warn  the 
scribe  (or  reader)  that  the  words  must  be  distinctly  written  (or  pronounced). 
It  is  said  in  the  Talmud  [Berachoth  15'')  that  "  Gehenna  is  cooled  for  who- 
ever pronounces  the  Sheiiia   distinctly"  (j'jJiiD  n'nrni.xa  pipisi  i/'p  xnip  "jd 


VI.  5  91 

respecting  His  supremacy  over  nature  or  the  heathen  world,  and  His 
relation  to  "other  gods,"  are  used  (as  by  Amos),  which  logically  leave  no 
room  for  heathen  gods  beside  Him:  still,  the  real  existence  of  "other 
gods  "  does  not  seem  to  be  actually  denied  ;  and  it  is  only  gradually  seen 
distinctly,  and  taught  explicitly,  not  only  that  Jehovah  is  unique  among- 
"other  gods,"  but  that  "other  gods"  have  no  real  existence  whatever 
beside  Him  (Dt.  ^.^'^--^  32""»  (the  Song),  Is.  44«  45s- «•  i-f- is- 21  46":  cf.  "  ihe 
God"  (D'n'pNn)  Dt.  4='S-=^9  7^  2  S.  7^8  1  K.  S''"  «/.).  The  truth  is  emphasized 
and  illustrated  with  the  greatest  eloquence  and  power  by  II  Isaiah  (esp. 
c.  40-48).  See  further  on  this  subject,  Baudissin,  Rel.-Gesch.  150-177 ; 
Kuenen,  Theol.  Rev.  1874,  p.  329 ff.  ;  Hlbbert  Lectures,  1882,  pp.  119, 
31  7  IT.  ;  Ondersoek,  §  71.6;  Komg,  Hauptprobleme,  38  ff.;  Schultz,  AT. 
Tlu'ol.^  i59ff-»  205-207,  ^IS'-ll  (E.T.  i.  175-184,  226-229,  304) ;  Montefiorc, 
Ilibbert  Lectures,  1892,  pp.  134-137,  214-216,  268 ff.  ;  Smcnd,  AT.  Theol. 
1893.  PP-  356-360. 

5.  And  thou  shall  love  Jehovah  thy  God  with  all  tliine  heart, 
and  Tvith  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  force\  the  primary  duty 
of  the  IsraeHte,  not  to  serve  different  gods  indiscrnninately, 
but  to  devote  himself,  with  undivided  alleg-iance,  and  with  the 
pure  and  intense  affection  denoted  by  the  term  "love,"  to  the 
service  of  the  one  Jehovah,  The  love  of  God,  while  alluded  to 
as  characterizing'  Jehovah's  true  worshippers  in  the  Decalogue 
(Ex.  2o'5  =  Dt.  5^",  cf,  7^),  is  set  forth  in  Dt.  with  peculiar 
emphasis  as  the  fundamental  motive  of  human  action  (10^'  ii^- 
i:i.  22  134(3)  ig9  30C.16.  20.  so  Jos.  22^  23II  (both  D^) :  not  else- 
where in  the  Hex.) :  comp.  in  other  books  Jud,  5''i  i  K.  3 ' 
Neh.  i5  Dan.  9*  (both  from  Dt.  f),  Ps.  3121  9710  145^0,  "  It  is 
a  duty  which  follows  naturally  as  the  grateful  response  lo 
Jehovah  for  the  many  undeserved  mercies  received  at  His 
hands  (v.^^  loi^tt') ;  it  involves  the  fear  and  the  service  of  God 
(v.i'  lo'-^  ii^-');  it  impels  those  who  are  filled  with  it  to  the 
conscientious  observance  of  all  God's  commands  (ii^-^^  j^o 
30^'')  :  it  thus  appears  as  the  most  inward  and  the  most  com- 
prehensive of  all  religious  duties,  and  as  the  chief  command- 
ment of  all  (Mk.  i2^'->^-)''  {lL>\\\m.).—With  all  thy  heart,  and 
with  all  thy  soul]  a  specially  Deuteronomic  expression,  imply- 
ing the  devotion  of  the  whole  being  to  God  (see  on  4^0),  It 
occurs  besides  4^9  10^2  jjis  1^4  26'^  302-  6. 10  .  Jqs.  22^  23^^  (both 
D2);  I  K.  2*8*8  (  =  2  Ch.  6^8)  2  K.  233  (  =  2  Ch.  3431)  25  (all 
Deut.);  2  Ch,  15^2;  jgr.  uses  it  once,  of  God,  32*11,  n  \s 
strenglhened  here   by  the  addition  of  and  with  all  thy  force 


92  DEUTERONOMY 

(TISO  ?331)  ;  hence  2  K.  23-'''  (of  Josi:ih)t, — the  only  passages 
in  which  "tXO  occurs  in  this  sense  (elsewhere  always  in  adv. 
phrases,  •with  force  =  greatly'). — The  passage,  Dt.  6'*"^,  is  a 
great  one ;  and  it  was  a  true  instinct  which  led  the  Jews  of  a 
later  time  to  select  it  for  recitation  twice  daily  by  every  Israelite 
(the  Shemd).  It  is  further  significant  that  our  Lord,  when 
questioned  as  to  the  "first  commandment  of  all"  (Mt.  22^"^^', 
Mk.  i229f),  and  as  to  the  primary  condition  for  the  inheritance 
of  eternal  life  (Lk.  lo-''''-),  should  have  referred  both  His  ques- 
tioners to  the  same  text,  with  which  daily  use  must  have 
already  made  them  familiar, 

6-9.  The  words  embodying  this  truth,  and  this  duty,  are 
to  be  ever  in  the  Israelite's  memory,  and  to  be  visibly  in- 
scribed before  his  eyes. — 6.  These  'words\  i.e.  v.^-^,  regarded  as 
the  quintessence  of  the  entire  teaching  of  the  book. — Shall  be 
upon  thy  heart\  as  it  were,  imprinted  there  (Jer.  31'^^) :  cf.  ii^'"'' 
("And  ye  shall  lay  these  my  words  ^lpon  your  heart  and  upon 
your  soul"),  where  the  reference  seems  to  be  in  particular  to 
the  truths  expressed  in  io^2_iii7  (gee  csp.  ii^-*,  which  is  parallel 
to  65  here,  as  i  i^s^  is  to  6^  and  i  i^^f-  to  &■  ^).— 7.  And  thou  shall 
impress  them  upon  thy  children\  13^  (only  here)  is  properly,  as  it 
seems,  to  prick  in,  inculcate.,  impress.  Comp.  ii^"  (teach); 
also  4^1'  62''-25. — And  shall  talk  of  thetn  when  thou  sittest,  (Sr'c]  in 
order  that  they  may  not  be  forgotten,  they  are  to  be  a  subject 
of  conversation  at  all  times  (cf.  ii^^). — 8.  And  thou  shall  bind 
them  for  a  sign  (niN?)  upon  thy  hand,  and  they  shall  be  for 
fro7itlets  (niSDlD^^)  bct^vecn  thine  eyes]  so  11^^;  see  Ex.  13^,  and 
esp.  13I'',  where  the  dedication  of  the  first-born  is  to  be  "  for  a 
sign  upon  thine  hand,  and  for  frontlets  between  thine  eyes," 
i.e.  it  is  to  serve  as  an  ever-present  memorial  to  the  Israelite 
of  his  relationship  to  Jehovah  and  of  the  debt  of  gratitude 
wliich  he  owes  Him.      In  Ex.,  the  reference  being  to  sacred 

7.  01  m3^l]  on  3-'. — 8.  msai::]  ii'^  Ex.  i3^''|'.  Tlic  form  is  gfcncrally 
supposed  to  be  abbreviated  for  ms^sa  (cf.  E\v.  §  isS*^;  Stade,  §  116.  3). 
Tlie  etj'in.  is  uncertain.  The  Arab,  fa/a  is  /"o  ivali  round  about,  make  a 
circuit;  so  perhaps  msaia  may  have  denoted  properly  Art«</5  goinef  round 
the  head,  a  circle,  or  head-tire.  In  2  S.  i^"  C  N'nE'Jia  denotes  a  bracelet  (  = 
Heb.  mv^N) ;  Ez.  241'-  ^  '^E,  \t  has  its  techn.  sense  of  phylactery  (nxs  being 
interpreted  in  that  sense) ;  so  Est.  8'*  ilu. 


VI.  6-9  93 

observances,  the  expressions  are  evidently  meant  figuratively 
(of.  Pr.  1^  3'^  6-1  7^) :  here,  where  the  reference  is  to  words  only 
(v.*"5),  though  the  parallelism  of  Ex.  135^- it^  would  favour  the 
same  interpretation,  it  seems  on  the  whole  to  be  more  probable 
that  the  injunction  is  intended  to  be  carried  out  literally,  and 
that  some  material,  visible  expression  of  the  Israelite's  creed 
is  referred  to ;  comp.  v.^,  the  terms  of  which  support  some- 
what strongly  the  literal  interpretation  of  v.^. — Between  thine 
eyes]  i.e.  on  thy  forehead:  cf.  14^. — 9.  And  tJtoii  sJialt  write 
them  upon  the  door-posts  of  thy  house,  and  071  thy  gates\  so 
1 1-".  Probably  an  Egyptian  custom,  accommodated  to  the 
religious  creed  of  the  Hebrews. 

"The  ancient  Egyptians  sometimes  wrote  a  lucky  sentence  over  the 
entrance  of  the  house,  tor  a  favourable  omen,  as  'the  g'ood  abode,'  the 
viiinsel  viohdrak  of  the  modern  Arabs,  or  something-  similar ;  and  the 
lintels  and  imposts  of  the  doors,  in  the  royal  mansions,  were  frequently 
covered  with  hieroglyphics,  containing-  the  ovals  and  titles  of  the  monarch." 
.  .  .  We  find  "even  the  store-rooms,  vineyards,  and  g^ardens,  placed 
under  the  protection  of  a  tutelary  deity  "  (Wilkinson-Birch,  Anc.  Egyptians^ 
1878,  i.  p.  361  f.).  Similarly  it  is  a  common  practice  to  the  present  day, 
in  Mohammedan  countries,  to  inscribe  verses  from  the  Qor'an,  or  pious 
invocations,   upon   (or  over)  the  door  (Lane,   Modem  Egyptians^  1871, 

i-  PP-  7f-.  319 f-)- 

The  later  Jews  carried  out  the  injunction  in  v.^  by  inscribing-  Ex.  igi-i"- 
^^"^'^  and  Dt.  d^'^  ii^'''-i  on  small  scrolls  of  parchment,  which  were  then 
enclosed  in  cases,  with  leathern  thong's  attached,  and  bound  on  the  forehead 
and  left  arm,  at  the  time  when  the  Shemd  was  recited.  These  are  the 
ipuXa.KTr,pia,  of  the  NT.,  called  J'^cp  by  the  Jews  :  cf.  Edersheim,  Life  and 
Times  of  Jesus,  i.  76.  The  antiquity  of  this  custom  is  attested  by  the 
references  to  it  in  the  Mishnah  {e.g.  Berachoih  i.  ;  Pesahi7n  iv.  8 ; 
Taanith  iv.  3  :  Scliiirer,  A'Zg.'^  ii.  p.  383) :  it  can  hardly  be  doubted  also 
tliat  it  is  alluded  to  by  Josephus,  Ant.  iv.  8.  13  (quoted  ib.).  Its  observance 
is  still  regarded  as  obligatory  by  all  orthodox  Jews.  V.^  gave  rise  to  the 
institution  of  the  Mesusah  {BemcJio/h  iii.  3 ;  MegiUah  i.  8,  &c.  ;  Jos. 
Ant.  iv.  8.  13;  Buxtorf,  Synag.  Jtid."  p.  5810".;  Edersheim,  I.e.  p.  76). 
"Mezuzah"  properly  signifies  a.  door-post ;  but  among  the  Jews  it  is  the 
name  given  to  the  small  metal  cylinder  enclosing  a  square  piece  of  parch- 
ment, inscribed  with  Dt.  6^"^  and  11^"""^;  which  is  affixed  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  right  hand  door-post  in  every  Jewish  house,  and  regarded  as  an 
amulet ;  the  pious  Jew,  as  he  passes  it,  touches  it,  or  kisses  his  finger, 
reciting  at  the  same  time  Ps.  121*  (Kitto's  Cyclop(Edia,  s.v.  Mezuza). 

10-15.  Let  Israel  beware  lest,  in  the  enjoyment  of  material 
blessings,  provided  without  exertion  on  its  part,  it  forget 
Jehovah,  its  Deliverer,  and  desert  Him  for  other  gods. — The 


94  DEUTERONOMY 

same  thoug'ht  is  drawn  out  more  fully  in  8"'^^:  cf.  32^^-^5  l^os. 
13^. — 10.  Which  he  sware,  &c.^  1^. — 11.  Cisterns  hcivn  oiit\  viz. 
for  the  storag'e  of  water  during-  the  hot  season,  such  as  are 
still  common  in  Palestine :  cf.  Neh,  9^^  (a  quotation),  2  Ch. 
26^^  Is.  361*',  and  Mesha"s  inscription,  1,  24-25,  "And  there 
was  no  cistern  in  Kercho :  and  I  said  to  all  the  people,  Make 
you  each  a  cistern  (13)  in  his  own  house." — Eat  and  be  fulL\ 

glO.  12   11I5   1429  26I2  3120  Joel  226  Ps.   2227  7828  Ru.    2^^    o  Ch.   31IO 

Neh.  92'', — sometimes  referred  to  purely  as  a  blessing",  some- 
times as  tending-  to  elation  of  heart,  and  consequently  a  source 
of  spiritual  danger  {&^  8^2  ^is  3120  Neh.  925).— 12,  Beware 
(■[^■"iDL^'n)]  4^.  —  The  house  of  bondage  (on^y  D'a)]  lit.  house  of 
slaves,  i.e.  place  where  slaves  were  kept  in  confinement,  like 
the  Latin  ergastulum.  So  7^  8^^  13c- ^  Jos.  24"  (D2)  Jud.  68 
(Deut.)  Mic.  6*  Jer.  34^^.  The  expression  occurs  first  in  Ex. 
13^'^*  (JE),  2o2  (  =  Dt.  S*")!.  It  is  always  used  with  reference 
to  Egypt. — 13-15.  Israel's  duty  is  to  cleave  steadfastly  to 
Jehovah  ;  and  not  to  forsake  Him  for  other  g^ods,  lest  Mis 
jealousy  be  roused,  and  He  be  moved  to  destroy  His  people. — 
13.  fehovah  thy  God  shalt  thou  fear]  the  fundamental  element 
of  the  religious  temper  and  the  basis  of  other  religious 
emotions  {e.g.  of  devotion  and  love,  10^2^^  often  inculcated  in 
Dt.  (410  5-'i(29)  52.24  go  1012.20  135  1423  1719  2855  3112. 13),  "The 
fear  of  Jehovah  "  and  "  one  that  feareth  Jehovah  "or  "  God  " 
(mn'  nxT;  (DM^X)  mn>  xt  :  job  i^  28-s  Ex.  18^1  &c.)  are  thus 
the  Hebrew  equivalents  of  "religion,"  and  "religious." — A7id 
him  shalt  thou  serve]  viz.  in  acts  of  public  dev^otion,  the 
spontaneous  outcome,  and  the  natural  expression,  of  religious 
reverence  (1012.20  nis  136(4)  38^^  Ex.  2325  Is.  192^  &c). 

No  doubt  the  word  was  also  used  more  widely,  so  as  to  iiulude  the 
])erfonnance  of  other  duties  belonging'  to  a  religious  life  ;  but  its  primary 
sense  of  executing  definite  and  formal  acts  of  worship  is  apparent  from 
such  passages  as  Ex.  3'-  4^  7'"  10-"  13*  ("to  serve  this  service,"  of  the 
Feast  of  Unleavened  Cakes) :  cf.  c.  12-- *^'.  In  the  Priests'  Code,  both  the 
verb  and  the  subst.  {i^'j,,  ninj;)  are  used  technically  of  the  performance  of 
sacred  duties  by  priests  and  Levites  {e.g:  Nu.  4*^  16"). 

A  fid  by  his  name  shalt  thou  s^vear]  so  io20.     A  person  taking- 

11.  r^^-i<:^']  in  contin.  of -;.x'3"  'd  (v."):  Dr.  §  115.— ni':^'i]  Dr.  §  104;  G-K. 
§  49.  3c. — 13.  Notice  (thrice)  the  cmph.  position  of  the  obj.  (cf.  i**). 


VI.  io-i8  95 

an  oath  Invokes  natuially  the  name  of  tlie  God  wliom  he 
reveres  ;  an  oath  is  according'ly  a  pecuHarly  solemn  confession 
of  faith.  The  Israehte  is  to  swear  by  Jehovah  Himself,  not 
by  Ba'al  (Jer.  12^'')  or  even  by  idolatrous  representations  of 
Jehovah  (Am.  8^^) :  a  blessing  is  promised  by  Jeremiah  to 
those  who  swear  by  Him  faithfully  (Jer.  4^  i2^*5).  "He  that 
sweareth  by  Jeho\a]i"  (Ps.  63'- (^^))  is  thus  a  synonym  of 
Jehovah's  true  worshipper:  of.  Is.  48^ — 14.  Go  aftcr\  4^  8''-* 
ji2S  j^s  (of  following-  Jehovah,  v.^)   2?)^'^.—Othcrgods\  Ex.  20'' 

(  =  Dt.     57)     23I3     Dt.     7-1    81'-'     I  lie- 28     133.7.14     1^3     i820     2814-30.0.1 

2g25(26)ooi7  2ji8. 20j  Jqs.  23^^  24-- 1".  The  expression,  though 
found  occasionally  elsewhere,  is  specially  characteristic  of 
writers  of  the  Deuteronomic  school  (in  particular,  compiler  of 
Kings,  and  Jer.  :  not  in  Is.,  or  other  prophets.  Comp.  the 
Introd.  §  5). — 15.  A  jealous  God^  on  4-^. — In  the  midst  of  thee\ 
on  i42:  cf.  721  2315(1^)  Jos.  310  Hos.  ii^  Jer.  140  al.— Destroy 

(nnrj>n)]  i^^. 

16-19.  Israel  is  not  to  put  Jehovah  to  the  test,  but  rather 
to  obey  His  commandments,  in  order  that  prosperity  may 
attend  it. — 16.  Ye  shall  not  put  Jehovah  to  the  proof ,  <Srr.]  by 
calling  in  question,  for  instance,  His  presence  amongst  them, 
as  they  had  done  formerly  at  Massah  (Ex.  172-  7j  cf.  Dt.  922  33"^ 
Ps.  95^),  or  by  doubting  His  word. 

Tempt  is  a  misleading-  rendering' ;  for  to  tempt  has,  in  modern  English, 
acquired  the  sense  oi provotciiig  or  enticing-  a  person  in  order  that  he  may 
act  in  a  particular  way  (=Heb.  n'En) :  ncj  is  a  neutral  word,  and  means  to 
test  or  prove  a  person,  to  see  "cvhetJier  he  will  act  in  a  particular  way  (Ex. 
16'*  Jud.  2^  3^),  or  -ivlietlier  the  character  he  bears  is  well  established  (i  K. 
10^).  God  thus  proves  a  person,  or  puts  him  to  the  test,  to  see  if  his  fidelity 
or  affection  is  sincere,  Gn.  22^  Ex.  20-**  Dt.  8^  {'J-'v-),  13^'''',  cf.  Ps.  2& ;  and 
men  test,  or  prove,  Jehovah  when  tliey  act  as  if  doubting-  whether  His 
promise  be  true,  or  whctlier  He  is  faithful  to  His  revealed  character, 
Ex.  172-7  Nu.  1422  Ps.  78"*  (see  v.")-«-5'i  959  io6»,  cf.  Is.  fK  So  masso/li 
^  yi!)  2g2(:!)  ^^q  j^q^  <<  temptations,"  but  trials,  provings  (see  note  on  4**). 

Massa1i\\.&.  Proving i^y^.  17"). — 17-  Testimonies\^^^. — Hath 
commanded  thee\  on  4-^  52^  ('^2)^ — \^  Shalt  do  that  which  is  right 
and  good  in  Jehovah'' s  eyes]  so  1228  2  Ch.  14I  31^*^.  Usually 
without  "and  good  " ;  and  in  that  form,  a  phrase  used  frequently 
by  Deut.  writers,  esp.  the  compiler  of  Kings:  see  1225  i3i9(i«) 
15.  ■p'Ct^'Ti  .  .  .  mn'  i£3]  on  4'". — 18.  Ji£i'n;i  hnzi]  on  4^ ;  and  Dr.  §  no.  4. 


96  DEUTERONOMY 

21^  Ex.  15-"  I  K.  ii---"S  &c.  (Introd.  §  5).  The  correlative, 
To  do  that  ivhich  is  evil  in  the  eyes  of  Jehovah,  is  yet  moro. 
frequent  in  writers  of  the  same  school:  Dt.  4-5  gis  iy2  ^i^i 
Jud.  2^^  3'^- 12  &c.  (see  ibid.). — That  it  may  be  well  for  thee]  5^". 
— That  thou  niayest  go  in,  &fc.\  4^  —  Tlie  good  land\  i^^. — 19. 
To  thrust  out  (f]in)]  a  rare  word,  occurring-  besides  in  this 
application  only  9*  Jos.  23''  (D-). — As  Jehovah  hath  spoken\  of. 
Ex.  232' ff-. 

20-25.  The  children  of  successive  generations  are  to  he 
instructed  in  the  origin  and  scope  of  the  law  now  set  before 
Israel. — 20.  When  thy  son  asketh  thee  in  time  to  come  (lit.  to- 
)norroi6),  saying\  verbatim  as  Ex.  13''*,  in  a  similar  inquiry. 
—  Testimonies]  4*^. — 21.  Brought  ns  forth,  &c.]  cf.  Ex.  13^*. 
Mighty  hand]  32*. — 22.  Signs  and  portents]  /\^*. — Before  our  eyes] 
4''*. — 23.  But  7/i- (emph.)  he  brought  out]  c^.  420. — 24.  To  fear, 
^c]  Jehovah,  that  He  might  complete  His  redemptive  work 
towards  Israel,  gave  it  this  law,  to  keep  alive  in  it  the  spirit 
of  true  religion,  and  to  secure  in  perpetuity  its  national  welfare. 
— For  good  to  us  continually]  lo^-^  (cf.  on  4^^). — To  keep  us  alive] 
cf.  on  4I. — As  at  this  day]  on  2-''^. — 25.  And  if  we  are  careful 
to  observe  this  law,  we  shall  have  done  all  that  we  are  re- 
quired to  do,  and  shall  be  accounted  righteous  before  Him. — 
It  shall  be  righteousness  unto  tis]  cf.  24^^  (which  makes  it  not 
improbable  that  the  words  "before  Jehovah  our  God"  have 
here  been  accidentally  misplaced,  and  that  they  ought  to  follow 
"  unto  us  ") ;  also  Gn.  15^  Ps.  io6-^i. 

VII.  1-5.  In  the  land  of  Canaan,  the  Israelites  are  not  to 
mingle  with  the  native  inhabitants,  but  to  extirpate  them 
completely,  and  to  destroy  all  their  religious  symbols. — 1. 
JVhe?i  Jehovah  thy  God  shall  bring  thee  into  the  land\  so  6^*^ 
ii29, — And  shall  clear  a'way]  see  below. — The  Hittite  (i),  and 

20.  nnD]  =  m  time  to  come,  as  Ex.  13"  Jos.  4*--^  al. — 23.  i:ni.xi]  emph.  : 
4i4.2o,_24.  13V  aiai?]  iqI^  Jer.  3229 ;  cf.  \  vh  Jer.  f  z^.—rwn  cimd]  the  art., 
exceptionally,  not  elided  after  3,  as  happens  6  times  (on  2**)  in  this 
phrase,  and  occasionally  besides  (see  on  z  S.  21^^;  G-K.  §  35.  2  R.^). 

YII.  1.  W:]  so  V.22  ;  2  K.  i6«  (Piel) ;  in  Ex.  3*  Jos.  s^'t  of  drawing-  off  a 
sandal.  Arab.  7iashala  is  extraxit  {e.g.  carnem  ex  lebcte) :  in  Ex.  2^"  Saad. 
=  Hcb.  rnx'D.  ^r:  in  19*  28"'  is  a  different  word,  corresponding-  to  the 
Arab,  nasala,  to  drop  offloia.  hair,  feathers,  &c.). 


VI.  19— VII.  I  97 

the  Girgashite  (2),  and  tJic  Anioritc  (3),  and  the  Canaanile  (4), 
and  the  Periaaite  (5),  and  the  Hivite  (6),  and  the  Jehusite  (7)] 
such  enumerations  of  the  nations  of  Canaan  are  common,  esp. 
in  JE  (in  many  cases  probably — ^Jos.  24^1  is  one  that  is  very 
clear — introduced  by  the  compiler)  and  Deut.  writers. 

Thus  (representing'  the  several  nations,  for  brevit)',  by  the  figures  just 
attached  to  them)  we  have  Ex.  3^  and  ^^{41356  7).  13'''  (4136  7).  23-^ 
(315467).  23-3  (6  4  i).  33M4  3  I  5  6  7).  34"  (341567)-  Dt.  20"  (1345 
6  7)-  Jos.  31"  (4  I  6  5  2  3  7).  9I  and  128  (i  3  4  5  6  7).  ii^  (4  3  i  5  7  6).  24'^ 
(3541267).  Jud.  3^4  I  3  5  6  7).  I  K.  g-'"  (3156  7)=2  Ch.  8^  (i  3  5  6  7). 
See  also  Ezr.  9^  Neh.  9**.  The  fullest  enumeration  is  Gn.  1519-21  (153427, 
-j-the  Kenite,  the  Kenizzitc,  the  Kadmonite,  and  the  Rephaim).  Nu.  13-'-* 
is  somewhat  different,  on  account  of  the  topographical  character  of  the 
notices  contained  in  it  (cf.  p.  11).  Seven  nations  are  enumerated  onlj 
Dt.  7^  Jos.  3^"  24"  (both  D-) :  but  G  often  completes  the  same  number  hy 
inserting  2  before  6  7.  In  Gn.  13'^  34''*'  (both  J)  Jud.  i'*- ^  (also  perhaps  J) 
4  5  are  specified  alone.  Five  of  the  nations  here  named  (viz.  17326), 
together  with  some  others,  are  also  included  in  J's  ethnographical  table  in 
Gn.  io^^"^3,  where  they  are  described  as  "  begotten "  by  Canaan  ;  i.e. 
being  tribes  inhabiting  in  common  the  countr}'  of  Canaan,  their  relationship 
to  each  other  is  expressed  by  their  being  represented  as  the  children  of  an 
eponymous  ancestor,  "Canaan."     Cf.  Budde,  Die  Bibl.  Urgesch.  p.  344 flf. 

The  intention  of  these  enumerations  is  obviously  rhetorical, 

rather  than  geographical  or  historical ;   they  are  designed  for 

the  purpose  of  presenting  an  impressive  picture  of  the  number 

and   variety   of  the   nations   dispossessed   by   the   Israelites. 

Elsewhere   (see  p.   11)   the  Amorite  and   Canaanite,  the  two 

principal  tribes  which  once  occupied  Palestine,  stand  alone  as 

representing  the  pre-Israelitish  population  :  in  the  present  lists, 

the  minor  tribes,  living  beside  them  in  particular  localities,  are 

included  as  well. 

The  Hittifes  will  have  been  a  branch  or  offshoot  of  the  great  nation 
of  Hatti,  whose  capital  city  was  Kadesh  on  the  Orontes,  N.  of  Canaan 
(cf.  2  S.  24®  IL  XiTTtufi  Kaliis  for  "Tahtim  Hodshi),  and  the  extent  of 
whose  empire  (cf.  i  K,  10'-^  11^  2  K.  7*")  is  attested  by  notices  in  the 
Assyrian  and  Egyptian  Inscriptions,  and  by  their  own  monuments  (at 
present  undecyphcred) ;  the  reference  is  probablj'  in  particular  to  parts  ji 
the  extreme  N.  of  Canaan,  under  Lebanon  and  Hermon,  which  are  alluded 
to  elsewhere  as  having  been  in  their  occupation  ;  conip.  Jud.  i"''  3'*  ffir 
{Hittite  for ///zz/Vf)  Jos.  11^  G  (Hiviie  for  li Utile,  and  tlien  "the  HUlite 
under  Hermon").  The  Girgashites  are  named  besides  only  in  the  lists  Gn. 
10^''  (=1  Ch.  i^'')  15-1  Jos.  3^*  24^1  Neh.  (f\,  without  any  indication  of  the 
locality  which  they  inhabited.  On  the  Amori/e,  and  the  Cajiaanife,  see 
p.  II.     The  Perizzites  are  mentioned  (apart  from  the  lists  quoted  above)  n 

7 


98  DEUTKRONOMY 

Ciii.  13''  34"''' Jud.  i^'"  (in  each  case  beside  the  Canaanite),  Jos.  17"  (beside 
thf  Rcphaiin),  apparently  as  living'  in  the  centre  of  Palestine,  in  tlie 
ncinhbourliood  of  Bethel  and  Shechem.  The  name  is  derived  possibly 
from  the  same  root  as  'ns  (on  3''),  in  which  case  it  will  signify  piopcrly 
d'vellers  in  the  open  country.  From  the  Perizzites  not  being  named  among 
tlip  descendants  of  Canaan  in  Gn.  10'°'^*,  it  has  been  conjectured  (Riehm, 
//JVB.^p.  1 193;  Dillm.  on  Gn.  10^')  that  they  were  the  survivors  of  the 
pre-Canaanitish  population  of  Palestine,  expelled  from  their  strongholds 
by  the  Canaanite  invaders,  but  maintaining  themselves  beside  their 
conquerors  in  the  open  country.  The  Ilivites  appear  in  Shechem  and 
Gibe'on  (Gn.  34^  Jos.  9^  11^" ;  cf.  2  S.  24'') :  \.\\<t  Jebusites  are  well  known  as 
the  tribe  whose  stronghold  was  the  fortress  J6bus,  afterwards  Jerusalem 
(Jos.  i8-»Jud.  1^1  2  S.  i^  al.). 

Greater  and  mightier  than  t]iou\  cf.  v.^''^  4^^^  9^  ii-'^. — 2. 
Deliver  up  before\  i^. — Tliou  shalt  devote  thetri\  or  ban  them. 
An  archuic  institution  often  alluded  to  in  the  OT,  As  Arabic 
shows,  the  term  used  means  properly  to  separate  or  seclude ; 
in  Heb.  (as  in  Moabitish)  it  was  applied  in  particular  to  denote 
separation  to  a  deity.  Mesha'  in  his  Inscription,  1.  16-18,  tells 
how,  after  he  had  succeeded  in  carrying-  off  the  "vessels  of 
Yahweh  "  from  Nebo  (Nu.  32"'^),  and  "  dragg^ed  "  them  before 
Chemosh,  he  "devoted"  7000  Israelitish  prisoners  to  'Ashtor- 
Chemosh  ("n?3"inn  C'03  ■in::'i'S  "'3).  In  Israel,  the  usage  was 
utilized  so  as  to  harmonize  with  the  principles  of  their  religion 
and  to  satisfy  its  needs.  It  became  a  mode  of  secluding,  or 
rendering  harmless,  anything  imperilling-  the  religious  life  of 
the  nation,  such  objects  being-  withdrawn  from  society  at 
large,  and  presented  to  the  sanctuary,  which  had  power,  if 
necessary,  to  authorize  their  destruction.  It  was  thus  applied, 
in  particular,  for  the  purpose  of  checking  idolatry.  It  is 
mentioned  first  in  the  Book  of  the  Covenant,  Ex.  22^'^^-'^),  of 
the  disloyal  Israelite,  r\2h  n'\r\'h  ^nb  mn^  U'^rh^h  naf.  More 
commonly  the  Di.'}  is  prescribed  for  the  case  of  those  outside 
the  communit}'  of  Israel :  here  and  v.-'"'^-  20^''"^^  for  the  idola- 
trous Canaanites  :  in  i3i:i-ii'(i'2-i8)  tj^g  idolatrous  Israelite  city 
is  to  be  treated  similarly.  The  "devotion"  of  a  city  involved 
the  death  of  all  human  being-s  resident  in  it :  the  cattle  and 
spoil  were  destroyed,  or  not,  at  the  same  time,  according  to 
the  gravity  of  the  occasion  (contrast  Dt.  2^^^-  and  i  S.  15''). 

Instances  of  the  Ju'rem  being  put  in  force  (which  is  referred  to  with 
esp.  frequency  by  D  and  D-)  are  :  Nu.  2i-'-  (JE),  after  a  vow  ;  Dt.  2^'-  3'"' 


VII.   :.-6  99 

Jos.  2^0  ig^."-9."r,.-^.rxi.io  I  ill.  rj.  20. 21  (.,11  132)^  ^n-w.^i  (pf,  ^u-]:i)  g"-^;  Jiid. 
2i'"'- ;  I  S.  IS"*'  ^"  "•  '^  (the  whole  spoil  was  here  made  licrent,  or  "  devoted  "  : 
a  part  of  it  was  afterwards  reserved  by  Saul,  as  it  was  seercted  by  'Achan 
oil  a  similar  oceasion,  Jos.  7^"  ^^"'^).  In  AV.  o'lnij  is  usually  rendered 
"utterly  destroy,"  and  \:r<^  "accursed  thiny";  but  these  terms  both 
express  secondary  ideas,  besides  being-  apparently  unrelated  to  each 
other  ;  in  RV.  "utterly  destroy"  has  been  mostly  retained  for  nnnn,  with 
"  Heb.  devote"  on  the  margin,  and  mn  being-  rendered  "devoted  thing-," 
the  connexion  between  the  two  cog-nate  terms  is  preserved.  For  fig-,  uses 
of  both,  see  Is.  ii^^  (unless  annn  should  here  be  read)  34-  Jen  25^*  Mie.  4'^ 
Mai.  3*^  (4") ;  I  K.  20-*-  ('mn  :i'w)  Is.  34''  ('Din  oy). — The  root  is  the  Arab. 
harama,  to  shut  off,  prohibit,  whence  the  harini  or  sacred  ts^svos  of  the 
Temple  at  Mecca,  and  the  harlni,  the  secluded  apartment  of  the  women, 
applied  also  to  its  occupants,  i.e.  the  "harem." 

T/ioii  shall  make  no  covciianl  7vilh  llicni\  so  Ex.  23'^^,  cf.  34'- 
(both  JE). — 3.  Nor  join  iJiysclf  in  marriage  wilh  lJien{\  lit. 
make  thyself  inn^  or  son-in-law  :  so  Jos.  23^^  (D-) ;  cf.  Gn.  34'' 
I  S.  18-^. — Nor  his  dat/ghlcr  shall  Ihoic  lake  vnlo  iJiy  soii\  cf. 
Ex.  34^''"'. — 4.  For  he  will  turn  away  tJiy  son  from  following  mc\ 
Ex.  34^^^. — Me^  the  discourse  of  Moses  passing-  insensibly 
into  that  of  God,  as  very  often  in  the  prophets:  so  ii^^f-  17^ 
28'-''^  29^'-. — Quickl\<\  cf.  4^*^  28-*^. — 5.  All  objects  worshipped,  or 
held  sacred,  by  the  Canaanites  are  to  be  destroyed. — Their 
allars  ye  shall  break  doivu,  and  Ihcir  pillars  ye  shall  dash  in 
pieees,  and  their  Asherini  ye  shall  he^o  down^  repeated  verbally 
from  Ex.  34^^  (cf.  23-^),  with  the  single  change  of  cut  into  hew : 
cf.  Dt.  123.  On  the  "pillars"  or  "obelisks"  (Hin^vp),  and 
"Asherini"  (QT^''^5),  see  on  i6-i-22. 

6-11.  The  ground  of  the  preceding  prohibitions :  Israel  is 
sacred  to  Jehovah,  and  motives  of  gratitude,  not  less  than  of 
fear,  should  impel  it  to  olDedience. — 6.  For  thou  art  an  holy 
people,  &c.\  based,  with  rhetorical  variations,  upon  Ex.  ig^" 
("ye  shall  be  unto  me  a  peculiar  possession  out  of  all  the 
peoples,  .  .  .  an  holy  nation"),  the  classical  passage  defining- 
the  terms  of  the  covenant  between  Jehovah  and  His  people. — 
An  holy  people^  so  142-  21  26^^,  cf.  28^.    Comp.  Ex.  222°  C'Hp  '•C^'JXI 

4.  nnND  .  .  .  TO']  cf.  ''  'nnxo  no  i  S.  12-". — 5.  jiyil^n  .  .  .  ?:ihn]  notice  tlie 
emphatic  pausal  form,  with  the  smaller  distinctive  accent  Zaqef,  at  points 
at  which  the  voice  would  naturally  rest:  cf.  Gn.  15"  iT3y.:,  Jer.  35'' 
'Van  .  .  .  'yj!",  Hos.  4"  n-jp^,  8''  iyi|:;  and  frequently.— dh't^'n]  with 
%  as  Mic.  5^2  2  K.  ii^^\. — 6.  ''  ina  in]  for  the  position  of  13,  cf.  14^  iS"' 
21' ;  also  Gn.  2^  Ex.  23^5  2  K.  5^  Ps.  28''  3321  63"  91"  10420. 


lOO  i)i:uTi;i;ONOMY 

"•!?  pTin  (see  on  14^^).  The  holiness  of  Israel,  partly  ceremonial, 
parti}-  moral,  as  a  quality  demanded  of  Israel  by  lehovah  the 
Holy  One,  is  insisted  on  with  great  emphasis  in  the  Code  of 
laws  contained  in  Lev.  17-26,  often  now  termed,  in  conse- 
quence of  this  characteristic,  the  "Law  of  Holiness"  (L.O.T. 
p.  43  ft.) — C/ioscn^  first  used  as  a  theological  term,  denoting- 
God's  choice  of  Israel  (though  the  idea,  expressed  more  gener- 
ally, occurs  before,  e.g.  Am.  3^  Ex.  ig'''''),  in  Dt.  (4'''  7''  10'^ 
14-) :  so  Jer.  ^li'^  '^''"^  i"  ^^  Isaiah,  Is.  41^-  ^  43^"-  -^  44^-  -  45*,  also 
(of  the  future)  Is.  14^  65^- 15- 22^  m^^i  Qf  Jehovah's  ideal  servant, 
42^49'^.  Comp.  on  12^. — A  peculiar  people\'^)^  ^V,  i.e.  "a 
people  of  special  possession,"  a  people  specially  treasured,  and 
prized,  by  Jehovah  ("peculiar"  being  used  in  the  sense  of  the 
Lat.  pcculiaris,  from  pecidiuni,  a  technical  term  denoting  the 
private  property  which  a  child  or  slave  was  allowed  by  parent 
or  master  to  possess) :  so  14-  26^^.  The  force  of  ~^i?  appears 
from  I  Ch.  29"^  Eccl.  2^,  where  it  is  used  of  a  private  treasure 
(of  gold,  silver,  &c.)  belonging  to  kings.  It  is  applied  to 
Israel  in  the  fundamental  passage  Ex.  19^  {jhl'O  "h  DIT'Tll) ; 
whence  also  Ps.  135S  and  (of  the  faithful  Israelites  in  the  future) 
]\Ial.  3^^^  (sec  RV.). — 7-8.  Jehovah  has  thus  chosen  and  re- 
deemed Isi-ael,  not  on  account  of  its  numbers,  but  because  He 
loved  it  and  would  not  forget  His  promise  to  its  forefathers. — 
7.  Tlie  smallest  of  all  the  peoples^  of.  v.^  4^^  gi  ii23:  contrast 
jio  jo22  ("as  the  stars  of  heaven"),  4^  2&  ("great  nation"). 
The  representation  of  Israel's  numbers  and  power  appears  to 
vary,  in  different  passages,  according  to  the  thought  which 
the  Writer  at  the  time  desires  to  impress. — 8.  Loved  yoii^  so 
v_i3  236  (cf.  the  love  for  the  patriarchs  4^'^  10^^).  The  doctrine  of 
Jehovah's  love  of  Israel  is  not  expressed  elsewhere  in  the  Pent.  ; 
and  if  the  date  assigned  to  Dt.  by  critics  be  correct,  it  is  first 
taught  by  the  prophet  Hosea,  who  conceives  the  relation  of 
Jehovah  to  His  people  as  a  moral  tiiiioii,  marked  by  love  and 
affection  on  the  one  side,  and  demanding  a  corresponding  love 
and  affection  on  the  other.     In   Hos.   1-3  the  figure  of  the 

7.  pwn]  10"  21".  Rare  (Gn.  348  Ps.  91'-*;  Is.  38'^  i  K.  9^=2  Ch.  8«t). 
— t:i'C.i]  the  art.  gives  to  ti'O  the  force  of  a  superlative, — "the  fewest" 
{Lex.  n  lb). — 8.  D3nN  ''  n;nNc]  cf.        i'^.     jD  as  v.^  9^  Ez.  35". 


VII.  7-9  lOI 

marriage-tie  is  effectively  applied  for  the  purpose  of  symboliz- 
ingf  this:  in  Hos.  n^-*  Jehovah  is  represented  as  cherishing- 
towards  His  people  the  love  and  affection  of  a  father ;  comp. 
3I  9^^,  and  (in  the  promise  for  the  future)  i4^('*).  In  later 
prophets  the  idea  recurs  Jer.  31^  Is.  43^  63''  Mai.  i^,  and  (of 
the  future)  Zeph.  3!''.  See  further  W.  R.  Smith,  Prophets  oj 
Israel,  p.  i54ff.;  Cheyne's  Hosea  (in  the  Cambridge  Bible  for 
Schools),  pp.  15  ff.,  22  ff.;  and  the  author's  Sermons  on  the  0. 7. 
(1892),  p.  222  f. — The  oath  wJiich  he  sware,  ^c.]  cf.  9'''' ;  see  on 
iS. — A  mighty  hand]  3--*. — /Ransomed  thee  ("l"i3''l)]  here  used  fig. 
of  deliverance  from  the  "house  of  bondage  "  (6^^). 

In  its  technical  sense  ms  means  to  ranso?n  a  person,  or  animal,  from 
death,  either  by  a  substitute,  or  by  payment  of  a  sum  of  money  (Ex. 
j^is.is  2_j.2o  j^Ty_  jgio.ie.  17^  Qf  ransoming-  the  firstborn),  comp.  £x.  21^  Lev. 
19-*  of  ransoming-  a  woman,  who  has  been  betrothed  :  it  is  then  often 
applied  figuratively  to  deliverance  from  trouble,  danger,  death,  &c.  (2  S. 
4»  I  K.  1-9  Is.  29--  Hos.  13"  Ps.  26"  78^-  Job  5-"  al.) ;  as  here,  of  the 
deliverance  from  Eg3-pt,  9"*'  13"  15''  21^  24^^  (not  so  elsewhere  in  the  Pent.) ; 
comp.  2  S.  7-',  and  esp.  Mic.  6"*  (I'nnij  nnny  noDi).  The  primary  sense  of 
the  synonym  "jnj,  Ex.  6''  (P),  15"  (the  Song),  is  different :  "pnj  is  properly  to 
resume  a  claim  or  right  which  has  lapsed,  to  reclaim,  re-vindicate ;  it  is 
thus  used  Lev.  2^''^-  of  the  redemption  of  a  house  or  field,  after  it  has  been 
sold  (cf.  Jer.  32'-^);  Dt.  19"  al.  (see  note),  in  the  expression  vr\r\  "jnj,  it 
denotes  the  person  who  vindicates  the  rights  of  a  murdered  man,  i.e.  the 
"avenger  of  blood."  Like  mD,  "jnj  is  then  also  used  metaphorically  of 
release  from  trouble  of  various  kinds  {e.g.  Gn.  48^"  Hos.  13^^  |1  ms,  Jer.  31^^ 
II  id.,  Ps.  69'^  72"  103*;  and  esp.  in  II  Isaiah,  of  Jehovah's  reclaiming  His 
people  from  exile  in  Bab}'lon,  Is.  41^''  43^  44^'-''  &c.).  The  fig.  use  of  the 
two  words  varies,  however,  in  different  books  ;  thus  in  the  Psalms  ma  is 
more  common  than  hay,  in  II  Isaiah  '?N3  is  the  usual  term. 

9-10.  And  Israel's  God,  is  one  Who  rewardeth  with  equal 
justice  both  those  who  love  Him,  and  those  that  hate  Him. 
Vv.  9-10  are  an  exposition  of  the  2nd  Commandment  of  the 
Decalogue.— 9.  He  is  the  God  (D^nbxn)]  ^'^-  ^^ ;  cf.  id^'^.—The 
faithful  God]  cf.  v.s  Is.  49^:  also  Ex.  346  (noxi  IDH  m).  ^^»^« 
faithfulness  (not  truth) — i.e.  fidelity  to  His  promise,  or  revealed 
character — is  an  attribute  which  is  frequently  mentioned  as 
characterizing  Jehovah,  Gn.  24^^  Ps.  30^*^  31°  43-' rt;/. — Which 
kecpeth  the  covenant  and  the  loving-kindness]  i.e.  the  covenant 
and  the  loving-kindness,  which  He  has  promised  before,  and 
which  are  familiarly  known. 
9.  riVT;i]  on  4'^.     So  v.".— Nin]  3'-"''.— d'.i'tn.-i]  4''»  2  K.  icf^^'  Is.  45"*  (p.  91). 


I02  DEUTliRONOMY 

nnn  is  a  wider  and  more  comprehensive  term  than  "mercy  * :  "mercy" 
is  properly  the  quality  by  which  a  person  renounces,  out  of  motives  of 
benevolence  or  compassion,  his  legitimate  rights  against  one,  for  instance, 
who  has  offended  or  injured  him  ;  but  ion  is  a  quality  exercised  mutually 
amongst  equals  ;  it  is  the  kindliness  of  feeling,  consideration,  and  courtesy, 
which  adds  a  grace  and  softness  to  the  relations  subsisting  between 
members  of  the  same  society  (comp.  the  common  expression,  "to  do  ion 
and  faithfulness  with  a  person,"  Gn.  24'**  47-'-'  Jos.  2"  &c.,  i.e.  to  show 
towards  one  the  kindness  and  faithfulness  of  a  true  friend).  The  force 
i>f  ^D^  is  most  adequately  represented  by  kindness  (Hos.  4'  6^*'  i2^(''''),  or 
when  applied  to  God — for  the  term  is  too  strong  to  be  used  generally  of 
men — lovitig-kindness.     Cf.  W.  R.  Smith,  Prophets,  pp.  i6off.,  406  f. 

To  them  that  love  him  (6^),  Ct'c,  to  a  thousand ge7ieratioiis\ 
Ex.  20^  "doing  loving--kindness  unto  thousands,  related  to 
(b)  them  that  love  me,  and  keep  my  commandments."  The 
"thousands"  of  the  2nd  Commandment  does  not  mean 
definitely  to  the  thousandth  descendant  of  the  godly  man,  but, 
in  virtue  of  the  solidai-ity  of  the  family  or  the  tribe  (which  was 
tnuch  more  strongly  felt  in  antiquity  than  in  modern  times : 
comp.  e.g.  Jos.  7-'''^-  2  S.  2i^-^'*  c.  24),  it  denotes  thousands 
of  those  belongmg  to,  or  connected  with,  him,  whether  by 
domestic,  or  social,  or  national  ties  :  those  who  love  God,  and 
in  virtue  of  that  love,  experience  the  tokens  of  His  favour, 
form,  as  it  were,  centres,  whence,  upon  thousands  brought 
within  range  of  their  influence,  the  blessings  of  His  mercy  are 
diffused  abroad.  The  in  elf's  of  Dt.  7^  is  thus  a  rhetorical 
amplification,  rather  than  an  exact  interpretation,  of  the  D"D^X 
of  Ex.  20''. — 10.  Repaying-  them  that  hate  him  to  their  face  ;  he 
deferreth  (it)  not,  <St^c.]  stress  is  laid  on  the  fact  that  the  evil- 
doer, whether  or  not  his  descendants  suffer  likewise  (Ex.  20^*), 
is  requited  in  person  for  his  misdeeds:  cf.  24^'^  (see  note),  Job 
2119  yTI  1\^Sl  ^3\  (Job's  wish:  see  RV.).— 11.  The  practical 
duty  based  upon  Jehovah's  moral  dealings  with  men,  the 
obligation,  viz.  upon  Israel's  part,  of  obeying  the  command- 
ments now  laid  before  it. — The  commandment,  &fc.\  528(31)  51^ 

12  16.  The  reward  of  Israel's  obedience  will  be  prosperity 
and  health. — The  passage  in  general  character  resembles  the 
exhortation,    Ex.    Z';^-^--',    at  the  end   of  the   "Book  of  the 

10.  t:d  "tn]  <  f.  Job  13^''.  The5/«o-.  suff.  (cf.  n-nxn'?),  after  r^vaS,  individual- 
izing :  cf.  (if  the  text  be  always  sound)  7"''  Lev.  21"  25"^  Jud.  i""'-^'>  7'  \i-' 
2^^.^  Ps.  M^  i7'-f-  (see  i"'-)  35"  41^  SS""-  73""  Jer.  22^''  (G-K.  §  145.  5  K.). 


vir.  io-i6  103 

Covenant,"  and  contains  reminiscences  from  it. — 12.  Because] 
see  below. —  JJ'i/l  keep  for  f/iee]  v.^-^, — T/ic  covenant,  &€.] 
4^^. — 13.  And  bless  thee  and  midfiply  thee\  Gn.  22^'^  26^'^' 2*. — 
The  fruit  of  thy  womb  {•\y^2)]  28*- n- is.  51. 53  oqO  ;  cf.  Gn.  302 
Mic.  6^  Is.  13IS  Ps_  132^11. — Corn  .  .  .,  iioine  .  .  .,  oi7]  the 
three  chief  products  of  the  soil  of  Palestine,  often  named 
together  in  similar  passages:  ii^^  12^"  142^  18'  28-'^  Hos. 
210. 24(s.  22)  jgj._  3 1 12  al.  The  terms  used  denote  these  pro- 
ducts in  an  unmanufactured  state, — relatively  ("^'ii^Fi),  if  not 
absolutely  (|:"=J,  "iny^j— ?ii  not  Q'tpn,  w'n^n  not  I^:,  -^^'^\  not  i^C*. 
L"1"l^n,  though  not  entirely  unfermented,  or  harmless  (Hos.  4II), 
was  nevertheless  a  much  fresher  extract  of  the  grape  than  p"" 
(cf.  Mic.  6^5  Is.  65S  Jud.  g^'^). — Increase  .  .  .  youji_§-]  on  the 
rare  words  thus  rendered,  see  below. — Upon  the  ground  lahich 
he  s^^vare,  Gr-'c.]  ii9-2i  28^1  3020  3120. — 14.  Or  female  barren]  Ex. 
2^26, — jii  thee\  on  15^. — 15.  Will  remove  from  thee  all  sicktiess] 
Ex.  2325 -[2"ipD  riS"iJ:>  ''nn"'D-i. —  Will  put  none,  ^fc]  cf.  Ex.  152'^ 
(JE)  '\hv  c^C'S  s^  Q"'■lV?:^a  \t::l"  -il"s  •rhrv2r\  ^3. — Evil  diseases  of 
Egypt]  cf.  282~-35(the  nnvJD  pn'J')  ^•^.  —  llliich  thou  knozvcsf]  cf. 
.TS~i  TJ'S  i^^.  The  climate  of  Egypt  is  unhealthy,  especially 
at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  elephantiasis  and  other  skin 
complaints,  dysentery,  and  ophthalmia  being  particularly 
prevalent  (cf.  Hengstenberg,  Die  Bb.  Mose's  und  Aeg.  p.  225  f. ; 
and  Pruner,  Krankliciteii  dcs  Orients,  p.  460 If.,  referred  to 
by  Dillm.).  All  such  diseases,  it  is  promised,  if  Israel  be 
obedient,  will  be  laid  by  Jehovah  upon  its  foes. — 16.  The  para- 
graph ends  (cf.  Ex.  232  <■•)  with  a  renewed  inculcation  of  what 
12.  jU'CC'n  apy]  in  reivard  for  (the  fact)  that  ye  hearken  =  because  ye 
hearken  :  so  8™.  Cf.  Am.  4^-  ('3  3pi').  More  often  of  past  time,  Gn.  Z2>^ 
al. — cn-cn]  with  a  frequent,  force  :  Dr.  §  115  [s.v.  3p>'). — I'^jybrthee,  on  thy 
behoof:  so  "?  131  Lev.  26"^  al.—lZ.  Ts'jn  tj^']  so  28-*-^*-®' ;  nc,i3  nr^'  Ex.  13^- 
(JE)t.  The  root  is  preserved  in  the  Aram,  "1J7  to  drop,  e.g.  tears  Jer,  13", 
"^'tV  to  cast  forth  (a  corpse)  c.  28'-*,  to  drop  (young-)  Ex.  13'-  Ps.-Jon.  On 
the  St.  c.  nvf,  v.  G-K.  §  93  R.i  B  ;  Stade,  §  191c.— -3ns  mnrv]  so  28^-i8-5it, 
The  expression  is  pecuHar  (Ht.  " the 'As/itoret/is  of  thy  flock");  it  must 
have  its  origin  in  the  name  of  the  g^oddess  'Ashtureth,  and  appears  to 
show  that  this  deity,  under  one  of  her  types,  had  the  form  of  a  sheep  (v. 
\V.  R.  Smith,  Rel.  Seiii.  457  f.,  cf.  292). — ii.  -;ncn33i  mpvi  npj;  13  n'T\'  nS] 
'i'l  'i'  ";n=i33i  13  .T.T  kV  might  seem  to  be  a  neater  and  more  logical  sentence  ; 
but  there  are  many  examples  of  a  similar  order  in  Heb.  :  e.g.  i^"  (see 
note),  285-*^  56a  Gn.  2^'^  i2i^»  281-"' 41==' 431^-18  Ex.  34-'i'.— 15.  'nc]  28'''^'t. 


I04  r)i:UTEROXOMY 

is  here  foremost  in  the  Writer's  thou_i,'-ht  (v.^"^^),  the  destruction 
of  the  Canaanites. — SJialt  dcvour\  Ht.  cat  (^3S),  a  semi-poetical 
usage,  Jer.  lo-^  30^^  50'^:  of.  "our  bread,"  Nu.  14^. — TJiinc 
eye  shall  nol  pily  lhei}{\  13"  C)  igi3. 21  25^2 ;  ^hg  same  idiom 
also  Gn.  4520  Is.  13^8,  and  often  in  Ez.  Cf.  v.2  C2nn  N^._ 
Neither  shall  Ihoti  serve  their  gods,  &c.\  varied  from  Ex.  23^2 
K'piD^  lS  n\T  >3  Dn\-i^s  I3yn  "3 :  cf.  34^2, 

17-24.  In  its  struggle  with  the  nations  of  Canaan,  let 
Israel  rest  assured  that  Jehovah  will  still  be  present  with 
His  aid. — 17.  If  thou  shall  say  in  thine  heart]  18-I ;  cf.  g'*. — 18. 
What  Jehovah  thy  God  did,  <Sr"c.]  cf.  4^*  621^-. — 19.  Provings]  ^^*. 
—  Which  thine  eyes  saw]  4^. — 20.  And  the  hornet  also]  Ex.  232* 
T'JS^  ny-ivn-ns  "rin^n,  cf.  Jos.  24^2  (E  or  D2).  The  hornet  is 
named  ("and  also")  as  a  specially  terrible  plague,  by  which 
Israel  was  to  be  aided  in  the  expulsion  of  the  Canaanites ;  it 
would  penetrate  even  into  the  hiding-places  in  which  "those 
who  were  left "  of  the  Canaanites  had  taken  refuge,  and  force 
them  to  relinquish  them.  Two  of  the  four  species  of  hornet 
found  in  Palestine  construct  their  nests  underground  or  in 
cavities  of  rocks  :  and  should  a  horse  tread  on  a  nest,  it  is 
necessary  to  fly  with  all  speed ;  for  the  combined  attack  from 
such  a  swarm  has  been  known  to  be  fatal  [DB.'^  s.v.). — 21.  In 
the  midst  of  thee]  e^^.—Tcrrib/c]  iqI",  cf.  2858.-22.  Shall  clear 
away  (v.^)  these  nations  by  little  and  little,  &c.]  varied  from 
Ex.  23^"-  29b,  Quickly  is  of  course  a  relative  term,  and  must 
be  understood  here  of  a  shorter  period  than  in  cy  (cf.  a  similar 
divergence  of  representation  in  the  note  on  v.') :  it  corresponds 
to  "in  one  year"  in  Ex.  23'-^. — 23-24.  The  destruction  of  the 
Canaanites    will    be    complete.— 23.  Deliver   vp   before   thee] 

19.  iK'ain  irx]  an  extreme  case  of  -w^  used  as  a  mere  link  of  con- 
nexion between  two  sentences :  =  -wherewith ;  cf.  28-*'  i  S.  2^-  Jud. 
8^*  {Lex.  -^lyn  4  c).— 21.  \~\';n  ah]  i-^— 22.  "^Nn]  4''2.— t:i-3  bvd]  so  Ex. 
23^" ;  cf.  c.  28^^.  The  repetition  expresses  g-radu.il  progfrcss  ;  G-K.  §  133. 
3  R.* — Vdw  n*?]  expressing-  a  moral  possibility  =  "  thou  viayest  not," 
— a  usage  of  '73'  almost  confined  to  Dt.  (12"  16*  17^^  21^"  22^-^^-^  24^; 
Gen.  43'''-). — 23.  ccci]  "pointed  as  thoug-h  from  mn  on  account  of  nmta" 
(Dillm.).  Elsewhere  the  verb  in  use  is  cc.i  (2^-  ah'),  of  which,  however,  in 
the  pf.  only  the  uncontracted  form  occurs  before  suffixes  (Je.  51**  'Jssn; 
2  Ch.  15®  Dccn);  perhaps  Dsn  was  avoided  as  a  soloecism  (cf.  Konig,  i. 
p.  486).— msB-n  1J7]  cf.  inacn  ny  282»-24.«-«-6i._-,<j£)3  b"n  i-i-w  x^]  so  11^; 


VII.   17-26  I05 

varied  from  Kx.  23-":  sec  on  i^. — Discoiiiji/^  Ex.  23-"*. — A 
great  discomfitiire\  i  S.  5^  14"^. — 24.  Their  kings\}os.  lo-""-  11^^ 
12"^-. — Make  tJieir  name  to  perish  from  imder  heaveii\  cf.  with 
hlot  out  (nnr^)  9^**  25^^  29^^. — Stand  in  thy  face\  it^s  j  see  below. 
25-26.  But  in  tlie  hour  of  victory,  let  not  Israel  be 
tempted  to  make  truce  with  the  idolatry  of  Canaan. — 25. 
TJieir  graven  images  ye  shall  hum  ivith  Jire\  repeated  from  v.'^. 
— The  silver  and  the  gold  -upon  them]  i.e.  the  precious  metal 
with  which  the  wooden  core,  or  framework  of  the  idol,  was 
overlaid :  cf.  Is.  30^-  40^^  Hab.  2^^. — Lest  thou  be  snared 
by  it]  i.e.  (the  reference  being  not  to  the  images,  but  to  the 
precious  metal  upon  them)  not  "be  seduced  into  idolatry," 
but  "be  brought  into  misfortune,"  through  God's  judgment 
being  provoked  by  the  idolatrous  relic. — Aji  abomination  of 
fehovah  thy  God  (T^n^X  mn"  nnyin)]  similarly,  as  the  final 
ground  of  a  prohibition,  ly'^  iS^^  22*^  23^^  24*  25^":  cf.  7-*^  12^^ 
j^is  j^3  j^4  2715  32^*^.  Never  so  in  JE ;  in  the  "Law  of 
Holiness"  (Lev.  17-26),  comp.  Lev.  1822.20.27.20.30  20^3  (but 
only  of  sins  of  unchastity).  The  expression  fehovah's  abomina- 
tion also  occurs  fixquently  in  the  Book  of  Proverbs  (11-"  1222 
15S  al.). — 26.  And  become  a  devoted  thing  i^')J})   like  it]  the 

with  ncy  Jos.  10''  2i'*2  23"! :  cf.  'JS^  as'nn  9^  Jos.  i^  -JSi  is  stronger  than 
':£:'?,  expressing  not  merely  before,  but  in  the  face  of,  against,  in  a  hostile 
sense  :  cf.  'jaa  n:j;  to  answer  against.  Job  16^*  Hos.  5^ ;  '333  pT  to  spit 
against  or  in  one's  face,  c.  25^. — Dnx  ■j-na'n  ij;]  similarly  28^*  Jos.  11".  Of 
course  in  these  passages,  and  most  probably  also  in  i  K.  15""  2  K.  10^^, 
the  suffix,  as  in  Lev.  14^^''  (nii'pri  nnx)  the  form,  and  in  Jer.  50^  (V'Jin  li'c!? 
T'Jirn  .  .  .)  the  syntax,  shows  that  the  punctuators  must  have  recognized 
an  inf.  Hif.  with  liireq  (cf.  on  3^).  Such  a  form  of  the  inf.  is  however 
highly  anomalous,  and  very  insufficiently  explained  by  the  suggestion 
(Konig,  p.  212)  that  it  is  due  to  the  analogy  of  the  perfect ;  for  though  it  is 
true  (Ew.  §  238*^)  that  it  is  usually  found  after  a  noun  or  a  nounal  prep, 
(not  a,  3,  '?),  and  so  in  a  position  which  would  readily  admit  of  a  finite  verb, 
yet  the  syntax  could  not  in  such  cases  have  actually  permitted  it ;  the 
motive,  therefore,  though  it  is  one  which  might  have  influenced  the 
punctuators,  is  hardl}'  one  that  could  have  determined  the  pronunciation 
in  the  living  language.  In  all  probability  the  punctuation,  in  these  cases, 
does  not  represent  an  original  and  true  tradition ;  and  -ri  should  be 
throughout  restored  for -n.  Comp.  on  3^  28-^'''.  In  Lev.  14'""^  TJan  'D'  \z 
iriN,  Jer.  51^^  namri  ny,  the  syntax  will  permit  TJan  and  imri  to  be  treated, 
as  they  stand,  as  perfects  (see  i  S.  25'''  Jer.  49^  50^^) :  so  also  Lev.  14^'*  "inx 
\^n  (see  Jer.  40^). — 25.  "h  nnp"?!]  under  the  government  of  n'?  in  icnn  n"?  (Dr. 
§  115,  s.v.  N*?).     So  v.-**  19^"  22^- ••  23^''.     On  1^,  see  on  i'". 


Io6  DEUTERONOMY 

tainted  metal  is  to  be  "devoted"  (v.^) :  the  Israelite  is  to 
abstain  even  from  brinj^ing  it  into  his  house,  lest  he  contract 
the  same  taint  himself  (Jos.  61^''  712  ;  cf.  Jos.  6^^-  2*  7"-  21. 24)._ 
Thou  shalt  titterly  detest  it]  Y\^r\  here  rendered  "detest,"  is 
used  specially  with  reference  to  prohibited  kinds  of  food  (Lev. 
jjU.  13.  43  2o'-5) ;  and  the  subst.  I'p'rf'  is  used  similarly  (Lev.  721 
I  iio-i.i.  20. 23. 41.  42  Ez.  810  Is.  66171).  J'lp-J-  detestable  thing-  often 
denotes  false  gods  or  idols  (29^^,  with  the  note).  Both  these 
words  are  commonly  represented  in  AV.,  RV.,  by  abomination, 
though  this  rather  corresponds  to  the  more  general  and 
ordinary  word  '""^yin  (v. 2'').  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  in  the 
English  versions  the  distinction  between  the  two  roots  has 
not  been  more  uniformly  preserved. 

VIII.  The  lessons  of  the  wilderness. — 1-5.  Let  Israel 
remember  how  their  life  in  the  wilderness  had  been  a  period 
of  discipline,  in  which  God  had  taught  the  infant  nation  its 
dependence  upon  Him. — 1.  All  the  commandment,  which,  ^c] 
118.22  1^5  igo  27I,  cf.  625:  comp.  on  528(31).  x^g  luhole  of  the 
Deut.  law — the  principle  of  1122*',  together  with  all  that  is 
involved  in  it — is  to  be  obeyed  by  the  Israelite.  The  ex- 
hortation of  520f.  (32f.)  621-  17-if)  ^11. 12  is  repeated,  for  the  purpose 
of  enforcing  it  by  a  fresh  motive,  v. 2"-. — Observe  to  do\  5^. — 
That  ye  may  live,  d^c]  cf.  4I  5''0(33)  6''. — Go  in  and  possess, 
(Sr'c.]  i^. — 2-6.  The  new  motive:  the  recollection  of  the  years 
spent  in  the  wilderness,  and  the  evidence  which  they  afforded 
of  _tjie  loving,  yet  searching  and  testing,  providence  of  God. 
■h-'^.hLed  thee  forty  years  in  the  imldcmess]  Am.  2^°. —  To 
humble  thee]  by  teaching  thee,  viz.,  thy  dependence  upon 
Him;  cf.  v.^-^^. — To  prove  thee]  cf.  on  &-^.  Hunger  (v.^),  or 
other  privations,  according  to  the  spirit  in  which  they  are 
received,  are  a  test  of  the  temper  of  those  who  experience 
them. — To  know  what  was  in  thine  heart]  i.e.  to  discover  thy 
real  purposes  and  disposition :  cf.  i  S.  14^  2  K.  10^0  2  Ch. 
32''i  (U3^n  bs  nyi^  iniOJ^). —  Wliether  thou  wouldest  keep,  &'c.] 
cf.  esp.  Ex.  16*  JE  (of  the  manna);  Jud.  34.-^^7)ln  particular 
the  manna  is  pointed  to,  as  illustrating  the  discipline  of  the 

YIII.  1.  cnam]  pf.,  as  4^— .ni]  2'.— nS  cn  .  .  .  -]  Ex.  16^  Nu.  ii--  ah 
{Lex.  q  2  b). — 3.  I'V"];]  so  v.  '"f.     The  \-  in  the  31-d  ^A.  per/. — unlike  the  ]-  in 


VIII.   1-3  lO/ 

wilderness:  Israel's  self-sufficiency  was  "humbled,"  first  by 
its  being"  suflFered  to  feel  a  want,  and  afterwards  by  the  manner 
in  which  its  want  was  supplied  ;  it  was  thus  taug"ht  how,  for 
its  very  existence,  it  was  daily  (Ex.  i6'*)  dependent  on  the 
(creative)  word  of  God.  On  the  manna,  see  Ex.  i6  (JE  and 
P),  Nu.  ii-i-9  2i5  (both  JE);  and  comp.  Ba.con, /BLiL  1892, 
p.  185  ff.;  Triple  Tradition,  pp.  83-S6.  Further,  the  manna 
"proved"  Israel  (v.^'':  Ex.  16'),  by  showing-,  viz.  whether  or 
not  Israel  would  accommodate  itself,  trustfully  and  con- 
tentedly (Nu.  21''),  to  this  state  of  continued  dependence  upon 
God,  and  whether  therefore  it  could  be  trusted  to  obey 
properly  any  other  laws  which  might  in  future  be  laid  upon 
it.  Thus  the  manna  (i)  taught  Israel  its  dependence  upon 
Jehovah,  and  (2)  operated  as  a  test  of  Israel's  disposition. 
—  IV/iicJi  fJioii  kncivest  not,  6-^.]  cf.  i-^^^')  28'^<5- <'*.  It  was  a 
food  unknown  before  (Ex.  16^^) ;  and  consequently  a  signal 
evidence  of  God's  sustaining  providence.  —  That  man  doth  not 
live  on  bread  alone,  but  on  every  utterance  of  Jehovalis  mouth 
doth  man  live]  the  didactic  treatment  of  the  history  continues, 
a  further  lesson  being  based  on  the  narrative  of  the  manna. 
The  narrative  showed  that  the  natural  products  of  the  earth 
are  not  uniformly  sufficient  for  the  support  of  life  :  the  creative 
will  of  God,  in  whatever  other  way  it  may,  upon  occasion,  speci- 
ally exert  itself,  is  also  a  sustaining  power,  on  which  man  may 
find  himself  obliged  to  rely.  But  the  words,  though  originally 
suggested  by  the  history  of  the  manna,  are  not  limited  in  their 
import  to  that  particular  occasion  :  they  are  of  wider  appli- 
cation ;  and  they  are  accordingly  quoted  by  our  Lord,  in  His 
answer  to  the  tempter  (Mt.  4'),  for  the  purpose  of  showing 
that  needs  of  sense  do  not  exhaust  the  requirements  of  human 
nature,   that  man  leads  a  spiritual  life  as  well  as  a  physical 

the  2nd  and  3rd  ps.  pi.  i»//>/'.  (on  i'') — is  both  anomalous,  and  philolog-jcally 
questionable.  The  onl)'  other  example  in  the  OT.  is  Is.  26^''  ]^p)f-  The 
form  is  met  with  occasionally  in  Syriac  and  other  late  dialects  (as  the 
Palest.  Targums  and  the  Jerus.  "talmud) ;  but  it  is  difficult  to  think  that 
the  three  isolated  cases  in  the  OT.  are  orig'inal :  had  the  form  been  in 
actual  use  in  ancient  Hebrew,  the  occasions  for  its  employment  would 
surely  have  been  more  numerous  (v.  Dr.  §  6  Obs.  2,  p.  6f.,  with  the  reff.). 
—3.  •?;-]  Gen.  2f'>  Is.  38'«. 


loS  DEUTERONOMY 

life,  and  that  by  yielding'  inopportunely  to  physical  necessity, 
higher  spiritual  needs  may  be  neg-Jected  or  frustrated. — 
Utterance  (^V^^)]  on  23-*. — 4.  Tliv  raiment  wore  not  aivny  from 
off  thee,  neither  did  thy  foot  blister,  these  fortv  years]  a  further 
illustration  of  God's  sustaining"  providence  during  the  years 
passed  in  the  wilderness.  The  terms  of  the  description  are 
rhetorical,  and  are  not  of  course  to  be  understood  literally,  as 
was  done,  for  instance,  by  the  Jews,  who  even  fabled  {v. 
Rashi :  cf.  Just.  c.  Tryph.  §  131)  that  the  clothes  of  the 
Israelite  children  grew  with  their  bodies,  "like  the  shell  of 
a  snail"!  Cf.  29 '*(•'')  Neh.  9-^  (a  quotation). — 5.  Know  {^^), 
tlien,  with  thine  heart,  that  like  as  a  man  disciplines  his  son, 
fehovah  thy  God  is  disciplining  thee]  in  the  wilderness, 
Jehovah  had  been  as  a  father  disciplining  his  child  (see  on  4"''' ; 
and  cf.  Pr.  4^  19^^  29^''^),  and  educating  him  with  a  view  to  his 
ultimate  good  (v.^'^).  Cf.  Hos.  2^*'(^'*)  (the  wilderness  a  place 
of  discipline  for  renegade  Ephraim). — 6.  Let  Israel,  then, 
respond  with  filial  obedience. — And  keep]  see  below. — -To 
walk  in  his  ways]  i.e.  in  the  ways  which  He  approves,  and 
which  He  directs  men  to  follow  (Ex.  iS^o) :  so  19"  26^'  28^  30^*^, 
with  all  10^2  ii22  Jos.  22^  (D-^)  i  K.  2"  3^*  8^s  ns.j.ss  (^11  Deut.), 
and  occasionally  besides.  With  other  verbs,  both  way  and 
ways  are  frequent  in  the  same  moral  application  :  e.g.  Gen. 
iSif*  (JE)  Ps.  i8"(-');   cf.  on  z--^  — To  fear  him]  6^---K 

7-29.  Let  Israel  take  heed  lest,  in  the  enjoyment  of  the 
good  thing's  of  Canaan,  it  be  tempted  to  forget  the  G-iver,  and 
ascribe  its  prosperity  to  its  own  natural  powers. — 7.  For] 
the  preceding  admonition  is  needful :  for  Israel  is  about  to 
enter  into  conditions  of  life  in  which  the  lessons  of  the  past 
may  be  only  too  readily  forgotten.  The  Writer  begins  by  an 
eloquent  and  glowing  description  of  the  richly-blessed  soil  of 
Canaan. — A  good  land]  1^^. — A  land  of  streams — properly 
Wddys  (on  2^-^) — of  water,  of  springs  and  deeps,  issuing  forth 
in  vale  and  hill]  an  attractive  and  faithful  description  of  the 
4.  T^i'D  nnVa]  a  pregfnant  constr.,  "wear  away  (and  drop)  from  upon 
thee":  so  29^  cf.  J0I3  so^''-"". — np:»3  Neh.  g^^K — S.  T\VX^]  kno7v,  then, 
as  7".— 5.  in^"?  L]i]  for  this  idiom,  use  of  cy,  cf.  15"  Jos.  14^  i  K.  8''- ^^ 
io'2(  =  i  Ch.  6^-8  2  Cli.  9^)  I  Ch.  22^  282  2  Ch.  i"  24^  29".— ns"]  the  impf., 
as  1**. — 6.  niOB'i]  and  keep  (as  an  imper.),  carrying  on  nyri. 


VIII.  4-IO  I09 

Palestinian  landscape.  For  **  deeps"  (nbhri),  i.e.  the  "waters 
under  the  earth,"  see  on  4'".  "yi??  is  a  vale,  or  plain, — pro- 
perly a  wide  valley  (diflferent  from  ^^'3  a  ravine),  or  plain 
between  mountains  (from  yp3  to  cleave  or  rend),  level  (Is.  40'') 
and  broad  (as  Jos.  11^"  the  "^i'i??  of  Lebanon,  i.e.  Cocle-Syria, 
the  broad  sweep  between  Lebanon  and  Hermon) :  of.  ii^^  34'*. 
— 8.  A  land  of  7vlicat,  and  barley,  tS^c.]  the  various  products 
are  enumerated,  for  which  the  soil  of  Palestine  was  principally 
celebrated,  and  which  contributed  to  make  it  an  object  of  envy 
to  its  neighbours. — Oil-olivcs\  ipt,)'  JT'T  lit.  the  olive  of  oil,  i.e. 
the  culti\ated  olive  (Tristram,  NHB.  375,  377)  as  opposed  to 
the  wild  olive:  cf.  2  K.  iS'^^  -in^*>  j-17. — 9.  A  land  whose  stones 
are  iron]  i.e.  whose  stones  contain  iron. 

The  hot  spring's  at  Tiberias  contain  iron ;  and  further  north,  at 
Hasbe3ah,  "tlie  ground  and  springs  are  strongly  impregnated  with  iron" 
(Burckh.  p.  33  f.).  Iron-works,  and  iron-mines,  are  frequently  mentioned 
in  the  Lebanon,  at  Zahle  and  other  places  (Seetzen,  i.  145,  187-190,  237) ; 
and  horse-slioes  made  at  Der-el-Kamar  are  used  throughout  Palestine 
(Schwarz,  Das  Heil.  La7id,  1852,  p.  323) ;  but  it  seems  doubtful  whether 
iron  was  ever  obtained  in  Canaan  itself.  Perhaps,  however,  whiit  is 
meant  is  the  hard  iron-like  basalt,  a  volcanic  product,  which  contains 
about  \  of  iron  (p.  54),  and  which  was  used  for  various  domestic  pur- 
poses (p.  49) :  this  extends  over  a  large  area  E.  and  NE.  of  the  Sea  of 
Tiberias  (including  the  Leja,  p.  49),  it  occurs  also  about  Safed,  NW.  of  the 
same  sea,  in  parts  of  Moab  (cf.  the  atinfov\i  opoi  of  Jos.  Bf.  iv.  8.  2),  and 
here  and  there  W.  of  Jordan:  see  Ritter,  Erdkxinde,  xv.  294-300=  C^'o^r. 
of  Pal.  (transl.)  ii.  241-246;  Rob.  ii.  3S8,  409,  411,  416  f.  (about  Tiberias); 
and  esp.  Hull,  Geology  and  Geography  of  Pal.  1886,  pp.  93-99,  with  the 
geological  map  at  the  beginning.     (The  reff.  are  partly  from  Kn.) 

And  ont  of  whose  hills  thou  mayest  dig  copper]  according-  to 
Schwarz  [I.e.]  copper  is  not  found  nearer  to  Palestine  than  at 
Aleppo,  though  he  adds  that  it  is  said  to  occur  in  N.  Galilee 
and  Lebanon.  Ritter,  xvii.  1063  (Kn.),  mentions  traces  of 
former  copper-works  near  Hama  (Hamath).  Copper-mines 
were  also  formerly  worked  at  Punon  (Gn.  32")  in  Edom. — 10. 
And  thou  shall  eat  and  be  full  (6^^),  and  shall  bless  Jehovah,  drv.] 
it  will  be  Israel's  duty  to  praise  God,  with  a  grateful  heart, 

9.  n:|po:3  nS]  notice  the  emph.  position  in  which  this  ideals  placed,  im- 
mediately after  nc'N. — n:3CD]  only  here  :  jJPP  poor  {coxwxwon  in  Aram.)  is  not 
found  till  Eccl.  4'"  ^^•'^^ -^  cf.  ]2CD  Is.  40^**. — nmn]  this  plur.  is  elsewhere 
only  poet.  33'^  Nu.  23^,  &c.  (9  times). — 10.  nj/aiy  J  G  K.  §  49,  3".     So.  v.''^. 


FIO  DEUTERONOMY 

for  the  abundance  of  g^ood  thing's  which  He  has  provided  for 
it. — 11-17.  The  caution  lest,  elated  by  such  affluence  and 
prosperity,  Israel  forgets  its  Benefactor  and  Deliverer. — 11. 
Beware,  (Sr'c.]  so  6^2. — 14.  Thine  heart  be  lifted  vp\  172": 
Hos.  13'''  Q^p  □njnynb'. —  Which  brought  tliee  forth  .  .  .  bonchige\ 
6^2;  cf.  13*'.  The  descriptive  clauses,  v  i^i'i**,  each  introduced 
by  a  participle  with  the  art.  (as  often  in  II  Isaiah,  e.g.  Is. 
^-^lo.  17  4427. 28  5211-13^^  are  effectively  designed  to  remind  the 
Israelite  of  the  benefits  which  he  had  successively  received 
at  Jehovah's  hands. — 15.  The  great  and  terrible  wilderness]  i^^ 
(with  note). — Fiery  serpents  and  scorpions]  cf.  Is.  30*^  (of  the 
same  region) ;  Nu.  21^'. — Out  of  the  rock  of  fii?it]  cf.  32^^  :  Ex. 
178. — 16.  IVith  manna,  &'c.\  v.^- ''"'. — To  do  thee  good  (28"^^ 
30^)  in  thy  latter  end]  i.e.  in  the  later  period  of  Israel's  history, 
— here,  of  the  period  of  the  occupation  of  Canaan.  Israel  is 
represented  as  an  individual  (Hos.  ii^  Jer.  2^  Ez.  16  Ps.  129^ 
&c.),  whose  training  in  early  life  has  been  severe  for  the  pur- 
pose of  fitting  him  better  for  the  position  which  he  has  to  fill 
in  riper  years  (nnnx  as  Job  8'^  42^-). — 18.  But  Israel  must 
remember  that  Jehovah  is  the  author  of  their  prosperity, — 
though  He  grants  it  to  them,  not  for  any  merit  on  their  part, 
but  in  order  that  He  may  be  faithful  to  the  promises  given  to 
the  fathers  (4'^'^  7^). — His  covenant,  &c.]\^'^',  cf.  i^. — As  at  this 
day]  2^0. — 19-20.  If  Israel  neglects  the  warning,  and  follows 
after  "other  gods,"  its  fate  will  be  that  of  the  nations  which 

12-17.  -\2-2h-2  JincNi  ('')  .  .  .  nnj^yi  133'?  cni  .  .  .  n3w"i  .  .  .  n;'3ri  ^3.xn  |s] 
an  example,  of  a  kind  not  very  frequent  in  Heb.,  of  a  long-  sentence 
under  the  g-overnment  of  a  single  conjunction :  cf.  Ex.  34^^'*.  The 
principal  verbs  are  those  in  v.^®*",  those  in  v.'-'-  being-  subordinate: 
Eng^lish  idiom  (which  expresses  such  distinctions  more  readily  than 
Hebrew),  instead  of  "Lest  thou  cat  and  be  full  .  .  .,  and  thine  heart  be 
lifted  up,"  has  accordingly  "  Lest,  7vhen  thou  hast  eaten  and  art  full  .  .  ., 
then  thine  heart  be  lifted  up."  But  .  .  .  nrx3  J£3  or  ...  '3  p  would  in 
Hebrew  be  thoroughly  unidiomalic. — 14.  "X'sicn]  the  suff.,  as  the  art. 
shows,  is  an  accus.  (G-K.  §  127  R.  4*'):  so  v.^^-^"  i3''-i'.— 15.  pND:i]  Is. 
35'  Ps.  iof^\.—^fii\='!i<here  (1=").— 16.  JU't]  v.^.— 17.  n'  Ci-J-]  cf.  Job  3o-'> 
(in  bad  sense). — 17.  ntn  V'nn  nx  ''?  r^-^v]  Ez.  28*  will  illustrate  both  .iri;  (to 
make,  achieve,  gain:  Gn.  12')  and  S'n  (substajice,  -wealth:  Is.  8*  al.).  So 
v.^*.  Elsewhere  h'n  rw])  (without  the  reflexive  ^)  means  to  mahe  might,  i.e. 
to  exhibit  prowess,  do  valiantly,  Nu.  24'^  i  S.  14**  Ps.  60"  iiS'"'-'". — 
18.  jnap]  remember,  then  {y.% — jnSn  Kin]  on  3". — 19.  nscn  n3c  ck]  the  inf. 


VIII.   n— IX.  5  III 

Jehovah  is  now  expelling-  before  it  (cf.  4-^'"-  6^'*'^-). — Go  after 
oHicr  gods^  C-'c.\(3^^. — I  testify  against  yon,  db^r.]  cf.  42''. 

IX.  1-X.  11.  A  warning  against  self-righteousness.  Israel's 
successes  against  the  Canaanites  are  to  be  attributed  not  to 
any  exceptional  virtue  or  merit  of  its  own,  but  to  the  wicked- 
ness of  those  nations  (9^"®).  Proof,  from  the  history,  of  Israel's 
rebellious  disposition  (9''-10"). — IX.  1-2.  The  formidable  char- 
acter of  the  inhabitants  of  Canaan. — 1.  Hear,  O  Israel\  5^. — 
TJioti  art  p(issi)ig  over  litis  (iay\  2^^  :  cf.  ii^i. — Greater  and 
niigiitier  tlian  tliyself\  4''^  7^  ii^^  (also  with  possess). — Cities 
great  .  .  .  'Anal:im]  i^^. — 2.  JV/ioin  t//on  (en-iph.)  l:no7vest  [y^'^), 
a)id  of  li^lioni  tJioti  (emph.)  Jiast  heard,  t^n\]  viz.  from  the  report 
of  the  spies,  i-^  (Nu.  13-*). — 3.  Nevertheless,  with  Jehovah's 
aid,  Israel  will  be  victorious  against  them  :  cf.  i^'^  31^. — Is  he 
ivhich  goetJi  over  before  t/iee]  31^. — A  devouring  fire\  4^*. — He 
shall  destroy  them,  and  lie  shall  snhdite  tJien{\  both  the  pronouns 
are  emphatic, — he  (and  not  another).  Cf.  7-1--*.  j;'"J3n  (sub- 
due), as  Jud.  330  42''-  S2S  ii33  I  s.  71^  2  S.  S^.— ^///r/^-/i']  comp. 
on  7--. — As  Jehovah  hath  spoken  unto  thee\  Ex.  23'-'^- ^7.  sib  ^^f^ 
i-*^). — 4-6.  But  it  is  not  for  any  merit  on  Israel's  part  that 
Jehovah  thus  gives  ^ictory  to  its  hosts:  He  dri\es  out  these 
nations  on  account  of  their  wickedness,  and  that  He  may  be 
faithful  to  the  promise  given  to  the  patriarchs. — 4.  Say  not  in 
thine  heari\  cf.  7^''.  —  Whereas  for  the  loiekedness  .  .  .  before 
thee]  the  clause  is  not  expressed  in  (fj ;  and  is  very  probably 
a  gloss  borrowed  from  v.^,  and  improperly  anticipating  it 
(Valeton,  vi.  166;  Dillm.;  Oettli). — 5.  For  the  ■wickedness  of 
these  nations]  cf.  Gn.  15!'^  Lev.  iS-^-i-so  20^3  Dt.  1812  20^8  i  K. 
1424  2i20  2  K.  16^  178  2i2. — Is  dispossessing  them  (cc^mo)  from 
before  thee]  Ex.  342*  -^-.jso  D^li  D'nis  ^-2  (JE) :  so  also  Dt.  4^8  ii23 
Jos.  31"  235-  ^  (all  D2)  Jud.  221-  23  (Deut.) ;  and  in  the  passages  of 
Kings  (all  Deut.)  just  quoted.  —  That  he  may  establish,  &e.]  the 

abs.  emphasizing-  the  terms  of  a  condition,  as  Ex.  ly'^  19-^  21^  22^-"  Nu.  21^ 
I  S.  i"  12^5  1430  20«-''-9--i  &c.— rpj']  f-. 

IX.  1.  r\i^'-h\  B'T,  with  a  personal  object,  as  2'"  21- 22  jj23  J22. 29  jgu  j^i 
31':  cf.  Nu.  21"-  Kt.  Jud.  ii2'-2^.  The  obj.  is  usu.  a  place. — 3.  nSax  ca] 
an  impHcit  accus.  (G-K.  §  118.  5;  Dr.  §  161.  3). — i.  rpn]  6^'. — ccniD]  the 
ptcp.,  as  2*. — 5.  n3in  nx  c>pn]  lit.  to  raise  t(p,  i.e.  to  maintain,  conjinn, 
fulfl:  so  1  K.  8-«  12^5  al.  ;  opp.  h^r^n  to  let  fall  i  S.  s'^  (cf.  Ss]  Jos.  21*^ 


I  12 


DEUTERONOMY 


same  motive  as  7",  cf.  S"'. — 6.  Israel  has  never  yielded  itself 
readily  to  God's  will.— .1  si  iff  {hanl)-necked  people  (=17^  nL"p)] 
Ex.  32^  33'^-  ^  34''t  (all  from  the  narrative  which  the  Writer  is 
about  to  recapitulate):  cf.  liard  neck  Dt.  31-",  to  harden  the 
neck  Dt.  iqI^  and  hence  Jer.  7-'^  17-^  ig^^  2  K.  17I*  (Deut.) 
Neh.  gi6. 17.  29  (by  the  side  of  other  reminiscences  from  Dt.), 
2  Ch.  30^  36^^.  The  figure  underlying"  the  expression  is  of 
course  the  unyielding  neck  of  an  obstinate,  intractable  animal 
(cf.  Is.  48^  nmy  hr\i  n^r,). 

IX.  7-X.  11.  Proof,  from  the  history,  and  especially  from 
the  episode  of  the  Golden  Calf,  of  Israel's  rebellious  temper, 
which,  but  for  Moses'  intercession,  and  Jehovah's  forbearance, 
had  cost  them  their  national  existence. — The  proof  is  given  in 
the  form  of  a  retrospect,  similar  in  general  style  to  c.  1-3,  and 
based  like  that  upon  the  narrative  of  JE,  of  which  it  is  a  free 
reproduction,  many  passages  being  repeated  verbatim,  while 
others  are  expanded  or  otherwise  varied,  in  accordance  with 
the  Writer's  manner,  as  exemplified  in  c.  1-3.  The  following 
Table  will  show  how  the  two  narratives  run  parallel  to  each 
other  (in  explanation  of  the  parentheses,  see  p.  10) :  — 

Dt.  9-' [Rfsiimption 


Ex.  24'--'-'8''. 

(Ex.  34'^='). 

Ex.  311''^ 

Ex.  32'-«*. 

Ex.  339. 

Ex.  32 '0'^  (cf.  Nu. 
14^^''). 

Ex.  32I3. 

Cf.  Ex.  32'"='. 

9" Ex.  32i»'\ 

9'*-'' Ex.  34-'«  (cf.  \ 

920 *  *  ♦ 

921 Ex.  32-«. 

9-^ Sec  M.  i\^---  Kx. 

17"  Nil.  1 1'""*. 
9-^ [See  iis'.-i-'^J. 


Dl.  ^^  {to  niffJiL 
9"''  .   .   !   . 
9^<^     ... 
9^2 

9'*  .  .  .  . 
9"^    .  .  . 

9^5  ...  . 
9^6  ...  . 


of 


9-''> 


(Ex.  32"''). 

(Ex.  :^i'--^). 


....  (Nu.  i4i«;  cf.  Ex. 
321^). 

9^»> (Ex.  32"*'). 

io^»  ..'....  Ex.  34i\ 

10^'' Ex.  342. 

io'°  (the  iirk)  .  *  *  • 

10^ Ex.  341". 

I0'-''-^'(tllC(7/->(')    *  *  • 

10^'' Ex.  34'*. 

10^ Ex.  34'-*''. 


Iol<>(  =  9''"'->'-"0    Cf.    Ex.   34!'f-2Sa_ 

10" (Cf.  Ex.  23^)- 


7.  R c Die nd)cr,  forget  not]  comp.   251'- ^^^'"^. — Madest  -wrotJi] 


cf.  1'^^. — Frotn  the  day,  d-c]  cf.   Ex.  15-'   17- 


Nu. 


I  K.  8^  al.). — 7.  ph]  4'''-. — Dn"n  Dnrs]  the  ptcp.   with  nM  emphasizes  the 
continuance  of  the  action  :   cf.  \.^-  ^  312^  2  S.  3'^  (Dr.  §  135.  5 ;   G-K. 


IX.  6-II  113 

II.  I4=-'-  n-2'^^ ••"'■■  20^='-5  2i^'"-  251-5.— r;/A;////V/./«r(7]  1^1.— Z?rr« 
defiant  w////J  on  i-'"'. — 8.  And  (in  particular)  ?'«  Horcb,  &c.^ 
Ex.  32-34. —  Was  angered^  v. 20  i37, — 9^  When  I  went  ttp,  &c.'\ 
Ex.  2412- isi'.*_7y/e  /«i/t'^  <?//Ae  cor'c;?^??/]  v.^i-is  i  K.  8^  ffi 
(Deut.).  Cf.  4^^  (see  note),  s-""-. — Forty  days  and  forty  nights^ 
Ex.  24!^^.* — /  neither  ate  bread  nor  drank  7vater]  this  clause 
agrees  with  Ex.  34^^,  which  relates,  however,  to  a  different 
occasion,  viz.  Moses'  second  ascent  of  the  mountain.  Unless 
it  may  be  supposed  that  such  a  clause,  describing"  Moses'  fast- 
ing-, once  stood  in  E  after  Ex.  24^^^,  and  was  still  read  there  by 
the  author  of  Dt.  (being  afterwards  omitted  when  the  narrative 
of  E  was  combined  with  that  of  P),  it  will  be  another  example  of 
the  peculiarity  which  was  several  times  referred  to  in  the  notes 
on  c.  1-3,  and  which  will  meet  us  again  in  the  retrospect  here, 
an  expression,  viz.,  used  in  the  description  of  one  incident,  or 
occasion,  in  Ex.,  being  applied  somewhat  singularly  in  the 
description  of  another  in  Dt. — 10.  Tables  of  stone,  written  with 
the  finger  of  God\  exactly  as  Ex.  3iisb  {^y — Spake  with  you  in 
the  mount  out  of  the  midst  of  the  fire\  5^  10*. — In  the  day  of  the 
asseinbly'\  {7r\\>r\)\  ic*  iS^*':  comp.  the  verb  in  4I0.  This  desig- 
nation of  the  day  on  which  the  law  was  g-iven  at  Horeb  is 
peculiar  to  Dt. — 11.  The  v,  repeats  v.i°%  with  the  additional 
statement  that  it  was  at  the  end  of  the  40  days  that  the  tables 
were  given  to  Moses. 

^2  And  Jehovah    said    unto    me,  Ex.  32''  And  Jehovah  spake  unto 

saying.  Arise,  get  thee  doivn  quickly  Moses,  saying-,  Go,  get  thee  down  ; 

iromheve;  for  thy  people,  ivhich  thou  for  thy  people,  which  thou 

hast  brought  forth  out  of  Egypt,  hath  hast  brought  up  out  of  Egypt,  hath 

done    corruptly:    they    are    gicicMy  done  corruptly:   ^  they  are  quickly 

turned  aside  out  of  the  way  -which  I  turned  aside  out  of  the  way  which  I 

commanded  them  :  they  have  made  commanded  them  :  they  have  made 

them  a  molten  image.  them   a  molten  image  ;    they  have 

§  116.  5  R.- — Ci']  i.e.  in  dealing  with  ;  so  v.^  31^^  :  cf.  c;;  3'a'n  Nu.  11^^  al.; 
cy  n:;'V  Ps.  86^''  a/.— 9.  a£>'xi  .  .  .  'n'jj'a]  either  (a)  as  G-K.  §  114.  3,  Dr.  §  117, 
defining  the  occasion  of  v.^;  or  (V)  as  G-K.  §  rii.  i,  Dr.  §  127/3, — prob. 
the  latter  (so  RV.) :  cf.  Gn.  22^  27**  Is.  6'  &c. — D"J2Nn  nini"?]  4^^. — 'ji  en'?]  a 
circumst.  clause  (Dr.  §  163). 

*  Ex.  24'*"^^-  '^''  (from  and  he  -went  up)  belong  closely  to  Ex.  ^i^^^ 
"  [And  J.  gave  him]  the  tables  of  stone,"  &c.,  forming  a  continuous  narra- 
tive of  E  :  the  intermediate  passages,  Ex.  24''"^^*  ^i^**"  (to  testimony)  belong 
to  P,  and  are  not  referred  to  in  Dt. 

8 


114  DEUTERONOMV 

bowed  down  to  it,  and  sacrificed  to 
it,  and  have  said,  These  be  thy 
gods,  &c. 

'*  And  Jehoimh    said    iin/o    me,  "  And  Jehovah  said  unto  Moses, 

sayingf,  I  have  seen  this  people,  and  I  have  seen  this  people,  and 

behold  it  is  a  stiff-necked  people.  behold  it  is  a  stiff-necked  people. 

1*  Desist  from  me  ('"pn  ^^  And  now,  let  me  alone  (rtn":rt 
'jdd),  that  I  may  destroy  them,  and  '^),  that  mine  anger  may  kindle 
blot  out  their  name  from  under  against  them,  and  that  I  may  con- 
heaven  ;  and  I  "will  make  thee  into  same  them ;  and  I  will  make  thee  into 

a   nation   mightier  and  larger  (3n)      a  great  ('^n^)  nation 

than  it.     ^'' And  \  turned,  and  came      ^'^  And  Moses  turned,  and 

do7vn  from    the    mount,    and    the  came  down  from  the  mount, 

mount  burned   with   fire ;    and  the  and  the 

/ti'O  tables  of  the  covenant  were  on  two  tables  of  tiie  testimony  were  in 

my  two  hands his  hand 

"  And    I    took  hold    of    the    two  ^'^  And    Moses'    anger    kindled  ; 

tables,  and  I  Jlung  ihcm  from  on  my  and  he  flung  the  tables /><?/« 

two  hands,  and  I  brake  them  before  his  hand,  and  he  brake  them  under 

j-our  eyes the  mount. 

^^  And  j'our  sin,    "which   ye   had  -'^  And  he  took  the  calf  which  they 

made,  even  the  calf,  I  took,  and  I  had  made,                                   and  he 

burnt  it  ivith  fire,   and  beat    it   in  burnt  it  with  fire,  and 

pieces,  grinding  it  well,  until  it  li'as  he  ground  it,           until  it  was 

crushed  fine  into  dust ;    and  I  cast  crushed  fine              ;  and  he  strewed 

its  dust  into  the  stream  (wady)  that  it   upon  the  water,  and  made   the 

descended  out  of  the  mount.  children  of  Israel  drink  of  it. 

The  variations  will  be  apparent  from  the  synopsis :  as  in 
other  cases,  they  generally  exhibit  the  characteristic  style  of 
D.— 14.  Destroy  (l^oi'-n)  v.s- 19-  20.  25  .  see  on  i^"  (phil.  n.).—Blot 
out,  d^c]  29I ■'(-");  also  72^  2519  (Ex.  17^^). — Mightier  and  lai\s^cr 
{•2r)  tlian  it\  Nu.  14'-  "And  I  will  make  thee  into  a  nation 
{greater  (Slj)  and  mig-htier  than  it":  cf.  c.  7^  ("nations  larger 
and  mightier  than  thou"). — 15.  And  the  mounts  <5r'r.]  as  4'^ 
520(23), — Of  the  covena7it\  v.^. — Ex.  ■T>~^^'^^i  describing  Moses' 
first  intercession  for  the  people  while  he  was  still  on  the  moimt, 
and  Jehovah's  consequent  repentance,  it  will  be  seen,  is  passed 
over  in  Dt. — 16.  As  Moses  came  down,  he  perceived  what 
Israel  had  done:  substantially,  but  not  verbally,  as  Ex.  321^''', 
"ye  had  turned  aside,"  &c.  being  repeated  from  v.^2, — 17_ 
Before  Y02ir  eyes^  one  of  D's  phrases  (on  i^*^). — 18-20.  Moses' 

12.  en'?  ifj,']  on  i". — 14.  '3C3  '•pr\'\  lit.  "  relax,  slacken  (sc.  thy  hand)  from 
me"  :  Jud.  ii'*''  'WD  ns-in,  i  S.  11^  ^ib  l^rt  (for  us, — the  dat.  commodi),  i  S. 
15'^  fpn  alone,  Ps.  46^^  i3in. — 17.  n'  'na  "?!•?]  the  correlative  of  T  'na  h'^i 
v.i',    Cf.  Lev.  8-^  C3"£33  hlig  (v.^  hn). 


IX.   13-23  I  I  5 

Intercession :  for  40  days  he  fell  down  fasting  before  God,  on 
behalf  of  the  people  and  Aaron,  and  obtained  their  forgiveness. 
The  reference  is  not,  as  might  appear  at  first  sight,  to  Ex. 
32^1-33,  but  to  the  same  40  days  mentioned  in  lo^*^  (comp.  esp. 
jQioa  xvith  gis-i,  and  id^^^  with  g^"^'),  i.e.  with  the  second  period 
of  40  days  spent  by  Moses  on  the  mount  (Ex.  34'*"^'*^),  when, 
according  to  Ex.  34^,  he  also  interceded  for  the  people.  No 
doubt  this  intercession  is  mentioned  here,  in  anticipation  of  its 
true  chronological  position  (for  v.^i  corresponds  to  Ex.  32^0), 
on  account  of  its  significance  in  the  argument :  it  signally 
illustrated  Iiow  much  the  people  owed  to  the  merciful  forbear- 
ance of  Jehovah. — 18.  As  at  thefirst\  so  io^°.  The  reference 
can  be  only  to  the  forty  days  mentioned  in  9^.  The  compari- 
son (unless  yi'//  doimi  be  used  of  fasting  and  humiliation  gener- 
ally) must  relate  to  the  period  of  time  only.  —  That  which  was 
evil,  cSrT.]  on  6^^. — To  vex  him  ("iD'y^n^)]  viz.  by  requiting  Him 
with  ingratitude.  Not  *'  to  provoke  him  to  avger"  ;  see  on  4^^. 
— 19.  For  I  was  in  dread  {'<rr\y)\  a  rare  word  :  28'^''^  Job  3^5  928  Ps_ 
1 1939. — That  time  also\  the  other  occasions,  implicitly  alluded 
to,  on  which  Jehovah  listened  to  Moses'  intercession  may  (as 
the  whole  period  of  the  40  years  is  in  the  Writer's  mind,  v.'^-  22f-, 
and  the  occasion  of  the  Golden  Calf  seems  to  be  specially  dwelt 
upon  as  being  the  gravest  of  all)  be  subsequent  ones,  as  Nu. 
1 12  i2i3f.  i^]a-20  2i7-9 :  Ex.  \^^  17*^-  are  instances  of  response  to 
petitions  for  help,  not  to  intercessory  prayer. — 20.  And  I  inter- 
ceded for  Aaron  also  at  that  time\  the  Intercession  for  Aaron 
is  not  mentioned  in  Ex. — 21.  See  the  synopsis  above.  This,  of 
course,  according  to  Ex.,  was  before  the  Intercession  of  v.^^'^O; 
and  the  Heb.  idiom  employed  (see  below)  perfectly  admits  this. 
— The  stream  that  descended,  <2rr.]  cf.  (of  Jebel  Musa)  Ordnance 
Survey  of  Sitiai  {\Q6^),  pp.  113,  115,  148;  (of  Serbal)  p.  144, 
and  Ebers,  Gosen,  p.  388. — 22-23.  Other  instances  of  Israel's 
disobedience.— 22.  Tab'erah]  Nu.  ii'^-^.—Massah]  6^^  Ex.  172-7, 
—Kibroth-liattci  avah\  Nu.  ii4-34._23.  Kadcsh-barned]  i^ob.  21 
18.  hz:m]  v.25-25  Ezr.  10';  differently,  Gn.  43^8^.-21.  'nnp^  .  .  .  1]  not 
np.xi;  see  on  10'". — pna]  inf.  abs.,  as  3®. — 2a"n]  "doing  it  \vcH"  = 
thoroughly  (the  inf.  abs.  used  adverbially:  G-K.  §  113.  2  R.-) :  so  13^^  ij"* 
jgi8  2yS.  Elsewhere,  in  this  application,  only  2  K.  11^*. — 22.  cn".T  c'S'^po]  jj/t? 
were  making  wroth  (on  v.^). — 23.  ncm  .  ,  .  'n'jcai]  constr.  as  v."  {b). 


I  I  6  DEUTERONOMY 

(-'?.  ^.^i!),  ^'"'  ("defied  Jehovah's  mouth"),  -2  ("believed  him  not"). 
— 24.  The  indictment  of  v.",  repeated  in  terms  of  keener  reproach 
("  from  the  day  that  I  knew  you").  For  "  I,"  Sam.  C  liave 
"  he"  (inp_  for  'riy^J,  i.e.  Jehovah  (Hos.  if). 

25-29.  The  Writer  reverts  here  to  the  occasion  mentioned 
v.i^  {i.e.  Ex.  34^-  -S''),  for  the  purpose  of  emphasizing-  (in  accord- 
ance with  the  g-eneral  desig^n  of  the  retrospect)  the  indebted- 
ness of  Israel  to  Moses'  intercession.  It  is  remarkable  however 
that  the  terms  of  the  intercession,  as  here  quoted,  do  not 
ag"ree  with  those  of  Ex.  34^,  but  include  many  reminiscences 
of  the  earlier  intercession  in  Ex.  32^^'^^  (as  also  some  from 
Nu.  14^'^) :  comp.  p.  10.  (Vv. -''"-'•'  cannot  refer  actually  to  Ex. 
2211-13^  because  the  intercession  there  recorded  was  made  before 
Moses'  first  descent  from  the  mount  (sec  \.^''  =  Dt.  9^'''),  whereas 
V.25,  in  virtue  of  the  terms  used,  points  back  to  v.^^,  which 
clearly  narrates  what  took  place  after  it,  and  is  parallel  with 
Ex.  34^-2S:i.) — 25.  The  forty  days  and  the  forty  nights,  ivhieh  I 
fell  do7V?i\  v.^^  :  for  the  form  of  sentence,  cf.  i"**^  291^(1"). — That 
he  would  destroy  you]  v.'^'K     26-29.  Moses'   intercession.- — 26. 

0  Lord  JehovaJ{\  3^*. — Whieh  thou  hast  hrouo-Jii  forth  out  of 
Egypt  7vith  a  mighty  hand]  Ex.  32^1*^  "  which  thou  hast  brought 
forth  out  of  the  land  of  Eg-ypt  with  great  power,  and  with  a 
mighty  hand."  The  preceding  clause,  "  which  thou  hast  re- 
deemed through  thy  greatness,"  contains  two  Deut.  expres- 
sions ;  see  on  3-^  7^. — 27.  Remember  tliy  servants,  AbraJiam,  tS-T.] 
cf.  Ex.  32^3, — 28.  Lest  the  land  whence  thou  broughtest  us  out  say , 
From  Jehovalis  not  bei>/g  able  to  bring  them  into  the  land  li'hieh 
lie  promised  to  them,  and  from  his  hating  them,  he  hat/i  brought 
them  9ut  to  put  thetn  to  death  (^j'T'Dn!?)  in  the  ivilderness]  based 
on  Ex.  32^2  (<<  Wherefore  should  the  Egyptians  speak,  saying, 

23.  ovn  D'ymn  n.x]  nx,  marking  duration  of  time,  is  very  rare  (Ex.  13^ 
Lev.  25^).  Dvn,  n'?"'?n  (with  the  art.),  because  "  the  40  days  "  are  intended  : 
so  Jud.  17^  f)D3.i  nxDi  f]"?!*.  I  K.  11^^  D'cacn  ma'V  ^' the  ten  tribes,"  &c. — 
27.  )  "131]  so  Ex.  32^*.  Otherwise  !?  idj  is  rare  (Jer.  31^^  Ps.  25"  136'^  2  Ch. 
6^-). — "jN  hjb]  turn  to,  i.e.  regard,  usu.  in  a  favourable  sense,  as  Lev.  26' 

1  K.   S"^. — "P'p]  not  elsewhere. — inx.T   ncN'   ja]  the  plural  Kink  cuinrii,  as 

2  S.  15^:  so  with  \~iK=eart/t,  Gn.  41^''  i  S.  17^",  and  in  late  Psalms,  as 
661-4  01.9  jqqI^  Buj.  (jjg  Di_  remarks)  Sam.  has  pxn  oy ;  and  GSZYJ 
express  p.x.T  '2z-v. — '"jsd]  lit.  from  want  of,  in  the  orig-inal  passag-e  Nu. 
14!^  'n^3D  :  cf.  28''  (sec  note) ;  also  Is.  ^'^  Hos.  4*  Ez.  34-'. — ri^^J;]  Nu.  14"'!. 


IX.   24— X.  3  1  I  7 

In  mischief  did  he  bring  them  forth,  to  slay  (jinS)  them  in  the 
mountains,  and  to  consume  them  from  the  face  of  the  earth  "), 
with  reminiscences  of  Nu.  14^^"'  ("  From  Jehovah's  not  being 
able  to  bring  this  people  into  the  land  which  he  sware  unto 
them,  therefore  he  hath  slaughtered  them  (DDr;*j"'"i)  in  the 
wilderness  "). — 29.  Thy  people  and  thy  inheritance^  i  K.  8''^ 
(Deut.);  cf.  c.  ^"^^\— Which  thou  hroughtcst forth,  &fc.\  Ex.  32'^ 
X.  1-5.  Moses  narrates  how,  at  Jehovah's  direction,  he 
hewed  out  two  other  tables  of  stone,  like  the  first,  and  prepared 
an  ark  of  acacia-wood  in  which  to  deposit  them  ;  Jehovah  having 
rewritten  upon  these  tables  the  ten  commandments,  they  were 
placed  by  Moses  in  the  ark,  or  chest,  prepared  for  their 
reception.  The  intention  of  this  part  of  the  retrospect  is 
doubtless  to  show  how  the  people  were  finally  restored  com- 
pletely to  Jehovah's  favour ;  the  rewriting  of  the  ten  com- 
mandments, on  which  the  "covenant"  was  based  (9^),  and 
the  formal  order  for  their  permanent  preservation,  sealed,  as 
it  were,  Israel's  forgiveness,  and  was  an  assurance  that  the 
breach  between  Jehovah  and  His  people  was  healed. 

^  At  that  time  Jehovah  said  unio  Ex.   34^  And   Jehovah    said    unto 

mc,   He'iv   thee   f7i'o   tables  of  stone  Moses,  Hew  thee  two  tables  of  stone 

title  unto  ttie  first,  and  come  up  unto  like  unto  the  first ; 
me    to  tJie   mount,    and   make  thee 

an    ark    of    wood  ;    ^  that     I    may  and  I  will 

•write  upon  tJie  tables  tJie  -words  ttiat  w-rite  upon  the  tables  the  words  that 

■were  on  tJie  first  tables,  -.vhirh  thou  were  on  the  first  tables,  which  thou 

bravest,  and  thou  shalt  put  them  in  brakest.       ^  And    be    ready  by  the 

the  ark.     ^  And  I  made  an  ark  of  morning-,  and  thou  shalt  come  up  in 

acacia-wood ;  the  morning'  into  mount  Sinai,  and 

present    thyself   there    unto   me  on 

and  I  the    top  of  the  mount.       ■*  And   he 

lieived  two  tables  of  stone  like  iiiilo  hewed  two  tables  of  stone  like  unto 

ttie  first,  the  first ;   and   Moses  rose  up  early 

and  I  ivenl  up  to  tlic  in  the  morning,  and  he  went  up  into 

vwunt ;  mount  Sinai,  as  Jehovah  commanded 

and  the  t7vo  him,  and  took  in  his  hand  two  tables 

tables  were  in  mj-  hand.  of  stone. 

It  is  evident  that  v.^""'  is  based  upon  Kx.  34^- 2- 4_  There 
is  only  one  material  difference  between  the  two  accounts,  but  it 
is  an  important  one :  in  Ex.  34^'"*  there  is  no  mention  of  the 
ark,  which  according  to  Dt.  Moses  made  at  this  time  for  the 


1  I  8  l)liUTKkOX(».\IS 

reception  of  the  two  tables,  and  in  which  (v.'^)  he  placed  them 
after  coming"  down  from  the  mount.  This  difference  between 
Dt.  and  Ex.  does  not  admit  of  reconciliation.  In  Ex.  in- 
structions respecting-  the  ark  are  g^iven  in  25^*^"-'  ;  and 
Bezalel,  having-  been  commissioned  to  execute  the  work  of  the 
sanctuary  (31'"-  35"°-36'),  makes  the  ark,  37^'^.  There  is  of 
course  no  difliculty  in  supposing-  that  Moses  may  have  been 
described  as  making-  himself  what  was  in  fact  made,  under  his 
direction,  by  Bezalcl :  but  in  Dt.  Moses  is  instructed  to  make, 
and  actually  does  make,  the  ark  of  acacia-wood,  Z»/?/<:*/'6' ascend- 
ing- the  mount  the  second  time  to  receive  the  tables  of  stone  ; 
whereas  in  Ex.  the  command  to  make  the  ark  is  both  g-iven  to 
Bezalel,  and  executed  by  him,  after  Moses'  return  from  the 
mountain  (35'^'^"-  36-  37^).  Ex,  25-31  and  342^-40-'*5,  however, 
belongs  to  P,  while  Ex.  32^-34^8  belong  to  JE.  The  consistency 
with  which  the  retrospects  of  Dt.  are  based  upon  JE's  narra- 
tive in  Ex.  Nu.,  renders  it  hig^hly  probable  that  the  text  of  Ex. 
34'-^  once  told  how  Moses  made  the  ark  of  acacia-wood,  and 
deposited  the  tables  in  it,  agreeably  with  Dt.  lo^''- ^''-sa.  5 .  \^y^^^ 
that  when  JE  was  combined  (after  the  composition  of  Dt.)  with 
P,  the  passages  containing  these  statements  were  omitted  by 
the  compiler,  as  inconsistent  with  the  more  detailed  particulars, 
which  he  preferred,  contained  in  the  narrative  of  P  (h^x.  25- 
31  ;  342^-40^^).  Comp.  abo\e,  on  i'-'-  3-^. — 4.  And  he  7vrofe, 
&c.\  cf.  Ex.  34'"^'^ — at  least,  as  understood  by  the  author  of 
Ex.  34  in  its  present  form  (cf.  v.^-'*;  and  see  od  he). — In  the 
moitnf,  or"r.]  exactly  as  (^^^.—^.  .liid  I  litnwd,  c^~"r.]  as  9'^ 
(after  Xhcjirsi  sojourn  in  the  mount). — And  I  put,  &^'c.\  see  on 
v.^-^. — And  there  they  are]  cf.  i  K.  8^''. — Conin/anded  me]  v.-. 

6-7.  A  fragment  of  an  itinerary,  narrating  the  journeyings 
of  the  Israelites  from  Beeroth  Bene-ja'akan  to  Moserah  (-where 
Aaron  died),  Gudgodah,  and  Jotbathah.— The  passage  occasions 
difficulty.  It  interrupts  the  discourse  of  Moses  (the  3rd  person 
being  used  instead  of  the  2nd,  as  uniformly  elsewhere  in 
the  retrospects) ;  it  interrupts  the  chronology  (relating  the 
death  of  Aaron,  which — see  Nu.  20*^- '^  2o22''-  (both  P) — cannot 
have  taken  place  till  long  after  the  sojourn  at  Iloreb) ;  and  it 
disagrees  with  at  least  P's  account  of  the  journeyings  of  the 


X.   4-5  1^9 

Israelites,  contained  in  Nu,  33.  In  Nu.  33  there  occur  four 
names  differing'  so  slig-htly  that  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  they 
are  the  same,  viz.  v.^*'  Moseroth  (pi.  of  Moscrah),  v.^^  Bene- 
ja'akan,  v.^^-  Hor-hag-Gidgad  ("the  Hollow  of  Gidgad"),  v.-^^ 
Jotbathah  (followed,  v.°^  by  'Abronah,  v.^^  'Ezion-Geber,  v.^*' 
the  Wilderness  of  Zin  (PV),  or  Kadesh,  v.^'''  Mount  Hor,  where 
Aaron  dies,  v.^^  Zalmonah,  &c.).  The  order  is,  however, 
different;  and  Aaron  dies  on  Mount  Hor  (cf.  Nu.  20---^  P),  not 
at  Moserah,  It  is  most  in  accordance  with  other  phenomena 
presented  by  the  Pent,  to  suppose  that  this  difference  between 
the  two  itineraries  is  due  to  their  expressing  divergent  tradi- 
tions respecting  the  order  of  the  stations  passed  by  the  Israelites. 

By  Keil  and  otlier  harmonists  the  assumption  usually  made  is  that  Dt. 
lo"'"  is  parallel,  not  with  Nu.  33''^"''^  but  with  Nu.  33''''^ :  the  Israelites,  it  is 
supposed,  towards  the  close  of  their  wandering-s,  journe3-ing'  Southwards, 
passed  successivelj'(Nu.  33''^"''^)  Moseroth,  Bene-jaakan,  Hor-hag-Gidg-ad, 
Jotbathah,  'Abronah,  and  'Ezion-Geber  (at  the  N.  end  of  the  Gulf  of 
"Akabah),  hence,  turning-  back,  they  revisit  Kadesh  (Nu.  33"'),  without 
making  any  formal  stoppage  on  the  route,  after  which,  retracing  their 
steps  Southwards  (Nu.  33''^''*'),  in  order  to  accomplish  the  journey  round 
the  S.  border  of  Edom,  thej'  pass  some  of  the  same  stations  as  before, 
though  not  in  the  same  order  (Beeroth  Bene-ja'akan,  Moserah,  Gudgodah, 
Jotbathah),  their  second  visits  to  the  same  spots  not  being  mentioned  in 
the  itinerary  in  Nu.  33,  and  being  only  recorded  in  Dt.  10''"'' ;  the  variation 
as  regards  the  place  of  Aaron's  death  is  further  explained  by  the  assump- 
tion (which  in  our  entire  ignorance  of  the  actual  position  of  Moserah  may 
not  be  illegitimate)  that  Moserah  was  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of 
Mount  Hor,  perhaps  the  desert  at  its  foot.  The  explanation,  though 
formally  possible,  is  artificial  ;  and  the  reason  assigned  for  the  omission 
in  Numbers  of  the  four  stations  in  Dt.,  viz.  because  their  names  had  been 
given  before,  seems  a  very  insufiicicnt  one.  The  discrepancy  is  diminished, 
but  not  removed,  by  the  conjecture  of  Ewald,  Gesch.  ii.  285  (ET.  ii.  201), 
that  in  Nu.  33,  v.^"'"'^^''  has  been  transposed  from  its  original  position, 
and  that  it  once  stood  after  v.^"\  If  this  conjecture  be  correct,  the 
original  order  of  the  stations  will  have  been  Wilderness  of  Zin  (Kadesh), 
Mount  Hor,  Moseroth,  Bene-ja'akan,  Hor-hag-Gidgad,  Jotbatluih, 
'Abronah,  'Ezion-Geber,  Zalmonah,  &c.  :  Moserah  will  now  be  actually 
the  next  station  to  Mount  Hor ;  and  'Ezion-Geber  (see  Dt.  2")  will  come 
in  a  more  natural  place,  4  stages  before  the  border  of  Moab  is  reached 
(v.**),  instead  of  being  followed  by  the  long  march  back  across  the  desert 
to  Kadesh  (with  no  mention  of  any  intermediate  stations) :  the  variations 
in  the  order  of  Bene-ja'akan  and  Moserah,  and  of  Gudgodah  and  Jotbathah, 
remain,  however,  still  as  before. 

The  source  of  the  itinerary  in  Dt.  is  probably  E.  The  discrepancy, 
just  noticed,  is  conclusive  against  its  being  borrowed  from  P ;  moreover 


I20  DEUTEKONOMY 

it  difTcrs  in  form  from  the  stcreoty])ccl  formula  of  P  ("  And  they  journeyed 
from  .  .  .,  and  pitched  in  .  .  ."  :  Nu.  2i'""",  Nu.  33  passim),  but 
resembles  that  of  E  (cf.  Nu.  si'-ia-iB-isb-ao^ .  ti,e  note  in  v.«^  also,  is 
analogous  (Bacon)  to  that  of  E  in  Jos.  2i^-^. 

The  purport  of  the  notice  remains  to  be  considered.  By  some  (Heng- 
stenberg,  Kcil),  its  aim  has  been  supposed  to  be  to  show  that  Aaron  was 
not  only  forgiven  at  Moses'  intercession,  but  was  even  honoured  by  the 
priesthood  being  confirmed  to  his  descendants.  It  is  true,  as  has  been 
already  observed,  that  the  general  design  of  the  retrospect  in  c.  9-10  is  to 
illustrate  the  grace  of  Jehovah  in  bestowing  anew  upon  His  disobedient 
people  the  tokens  of  His  favour  ;  but  it  is  difficult  to  think  that,  had  such 
been  the  aim  of  the  present  notice,  it  would  have  been  expressed  so 
indirectly  :  Aaron's  own  institution  to  the  priesthood,  which  would  be  tlie 
important  point,  is  passed  over  in  silence.  If  it  forms  an  integral  part  of 
the  narrative  (so  Graf,  Gesch.  B.  112,  Kayser,  p.  131,  Kuen.  Th.  T.  1881, 
201  f.,  Dclitzsch,  ZKWL.  1880,  565),  it  cannot  be  reasonably  explained, 
except  as  introductory  to  v.**'*,  and  as  intended  to  specify  the  occasion,  viz. 
the  sojourn  at  Jotbathah  or  at  least  the  period  of  Aaron's  death,  at  which 
the  tribe  of  Levi  were  set  apart  for  sacred  purposes.  But  the  introduction 
here  of  a  piece  of  the  itinerary,  belonging  to  almost  the  close  of  the  40 
years'  wanderings,  while  the  people,  both  before  and  after  (v.^"''^),  are 
represented  as  still  at  Horeb,  and  the  late  period  in  the  40  years,  which 
in  opposition  to  the  other  sources  it  would  assign  for  the  consecration 
of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  constitute  serious  objections  to  this  view. 

The  interruption,  both  in  the  chronology  and  in  the  dis- 
course of  Moses,  must  be  admitted  to  make  it  probable  that 
the  notice  is  no  orig-inal  part  of  the  text  of  Dt.,  but  either  a 
subsequent  insertion  (Wellh.  Hist.  371  ;  Reuss,  La  Bible,  ii. 
297  (with  v.^*^-) ;  Cornill,  Einl.  §  9.  8  ;  Dillm.),  introduced  from  a 
part  of  E,  which  still  survived  independently,  perhaps  with  the 
view  of  illustrating' (v. ^'^')  the  manner  in  which  priestly  duties 
(v.8f)  were  provided  for  after  Aaron's  death  ;  or  (Bacon,  Triple 
Traditiou,  207  f.,  257  f.,  343  f.)  a  fragment  of  E's  original 
narrative  of  Israel's  final  journeyings,  and  of  Moses'  final  dis- 
course, which  retained  its  position  after  the  latter  (as  a  whole) 
was  replaced  by  our  present  Dt. — BcCivfh  Bcuc-jd akati\  i.e. 
the  "  Wells  of  the  children  of  Ja'akan."  The  site  is  unknown  : 
but,  as  Gn.  36-^  mentions  'Akan  as  the  name  of  a  Horite 
family  or  clan,  for  which  i  Ch.  i''-  has  Ja'akan  (and  G  in  Gen. 
louKayu,),  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  two  are  to  be  identified, 
in  which  case  the  site  of  the  **  wells  "  referred  to  would  be  in 
or  near  the  'Ardbah  (i^),  not  far  from  Edom.  The  sites  of 
the  other  three  places  named  are  also  unknown  :   the  addition 


X.  6-8  12  1 

"a  land  of  streams  (wadys)  of  water"  to  Jotbalhah  would 
seem  to  characterize  it  as  some  specially  fertile  spot  in  one  of 
Wadys  leading-  down  into  the  'Anibah.  The  identification  of 
Gudgodah  with  the  Wady  Ghudaghid  (^^^iLii),  which  runs 
down  from  the  Tih  plateau  (p.  20)  into  the  Wady  Jerafeh, 
and  so  into  the 'x\rdbah,  nearly  opposite  to  Petra  (Rob.  i,  181), 
is  not  probable  on  phonetic  grounds :  for  c  does  not  corre- 
spond to  the  Heb.  j,  nor  ^  to  n. — And  ELe  asar  his  son  7vas 
priest  in  his  stcad\  Ele'azar  is  mentioned  frequently  in  P  (Ex. 
623  Nu.  2025-28  32I.  2s  Jos.  14I  &c.),  but  not  elsewhere  in  JE, 
except  Jos.  24^3  (E).  The  passage  is  important,  as  showing- 
that  in  the  tradition  of  JE,  not  less  than  in  P,  Aaron  was  the 
founder  of  a  hereditary  priesthood. 

8-9.  Separation  of  the  tribe  of  Levi  for  the  exercise  of 
priestly  functions. — As  the  contents  and  phraseology  show 
(see  the  references,  and  note  "thy  God"  in  v.^),  these  two 
verses  are  a  genuine  continuation  of  the  discourse  of  Moses, 
which  was  interrupted  by  v.'^-^.— 8.  At  that  time\  if  v.''"'^  be 
an  original  part  of  the  text  of  Dt.,  the  reference  must  be  to 
the  period  indicated  in  these  verses,  i.e.  to  the  period  immedi- 
ately following  the  death  of  Aaron,  towards  the  close  of  the 
40  years'  wanderings.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  v.*^"'^  be  a  later 
addition,  the  words  will  refer,  of  course,  to  the  occasion 
described  in  v.^-^,  during  the  sojourn  at  Horeb.  In  the 
existing  Pent,  the  institution  of  the  priesthood  is  narrated  in 
Ex.  28-29,  Lev.  8  (both  P),  and  the  Levites  (the  inferior 
members  of  the  tribe,  as  distinguished  from  the  priests)  are 
consecrated  to  their  duties  in  Nu.  3''"^-  (also  P) :  but  the 
expression  at  that  time  is  much  more  significant,  if  the  view 
of  Dillmann  [Ex. -Lev.  p.  342)  and  others  be  accepted,  that 
JE's  narrative  in  Ex.  32-34  contained  originally  an  account  of 
the  consecration  of  the  tribe  of  Levi — in  connexion,  presumably, 
with  their  display  of  zeal  on  Jehovah's  behalf,  narrated  in  Ex. 
222o-29_to  which  reference  is  here  made,  but  which  the  com- 
piler of  Exodus  did  not  deem  it  necessary  to  retain  by  the  side 
of  the  more  detailed  particulars  of  P  (Ex.  28-29,  Lev.  8 ;   Nu. 

X.  8.    Snzn]  4"  I9--7  29-"  (ninS).— >iS-:J  collect.  =  ///<'  Lcvi/cs  (on  j^-i"). 


122  DEUTERONOMY 

3).  —  To  hear  fhc  ark  of  Jchovali  s  covciinii/,  to  slnnd  before 
Jehovah  (0  minisfer  to  him,  and  to  bless  in  his  name  unto  this 
(ia\'\  three  principal  functions  of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  all,  properly 
speaking-,  priestly  ones,  are  described  in  these  words,  (i)  To 
bear  the  ark.  In  P  (Nu.  3^1  4!^)  the  duty  of  carrying-  the  ark 
is  assigned  to  the  "  Levites,"  in  the  narrower  sense  of  the 
word  (as  distinguished  from  the  priests),  in  particular  to  the 
family  of  the  Kohathites  ;  and  the  same  view  is  expressed  in 
the  Chronicles  (i  Ch.  152.15.2.;  &c.).  But  in  Dt.,  as  in  other 
earlier  books,  this  is  consistently  represented  as  the  duty  of 
the  priests.  Dt.  31^  (on  v.^^  see  note)  Jos.  8-'^  "the  priests 
the  Levites,"  i.e.  the  Levitical  priests  (see  on  18^),  receive  the 
title  "  bearers  of  the  ark  of  Jehovah's  covenant "  ;  and  in  Jos. 
^atr.  56. 12  J  Y^^  83.  0  tiig  priests  are  represented  as  bearing  it : 
see  also  i  K.  2^^'.'''  (In  2  Ch.  5*,  which  corresponds  to  i  K.  8'', 
"Levites"  is  substituted  for  "priests,"  to  bring  the  passag-e 
into  conformity  with  later  usage:  2  Ch.  5^  has  "the  priests 
the  Levites,"  where  i  K.  8^  has  "the  priests  and  the  Levites," 
preserving-  probably  the  original  reading-  of  Kings :  2  Ch.  5''^ 
(--I  K.  8*^)  "priests"  has  been  permitted  to  remain.) — The 
ark  of  Jehovah's  eovenaiit\  i.e.  the  ark  containing  the  Decalogue, 
the  embodiment  of  Jehovah's  covenant  (on  41-').  The  desig-- 
nation  is  one  which  gives  prominence  to  one  of  the  leading- 
Deuteronomic  ideas  (4^-');  and  it  is  accordingly  frequently  used 
by  writers  belonging-  to  the  Deuteronomic  school,  or  influenced 
by  its  phraseology. 

It  occurs  besides  3i!'''-5.20  jQg_  ^3. 14. 17  ^7. 18  58  gia^  jj,.,j  without  "of 
Jehovah"  (nnnn  jiin)  3"-'*  (cf.")  4"  6*^  (mostly  Deut.  passages) ;  also  (some- 
times withCw/  iov  Jehovah)  Nu.  lo-"  14""  (both  JE),  Jud.  26^  (in  an  ex- 
planatory gloss)  I  S.  4»- ■'•'»•  5  2  S.  IS-'-'  I  K.  3^5  6i«  8'-«  (=  2  Ch.  5--')  Jar. 
3"*  I  Ch.  i5--'--.;«--'s. zis  i6«-37  j^i  22^"  28--^*.  The  usual  expression  in  the 
earlier  hist,  books  is,  however,  simply  "the  ark  of  Jehovah  (or  of  God)"  : 
as  Jos.  3"  45-"  6  «-7-"-"'  f  I  S.  f  46.  n.  17-22^  c.  s-^/>"ssim,  f  {bis),  2  S.  6 
passim,  15^*''-  ^*  ^.  The  fuller  title  "  ark  of  the  covenant  of  Jehovah,"  even 
if,  in  view  of  Nu.  lo-''^  14^',  it  be  too  much  to  maintain  that  it  actually 
originated  with  Dt.,  certainly  acquired  increased  currency  through  its 
influence  (cf.  p.  68) ;  and  it  is  probable  that  there  are  passages  in  the 
Massoretic  text  in  which  the  expression  originally  used  has  been  sub- 

*  Which  shows  that  the  part  taken  b}-  the  "  Levites"  in  2  S.  i^'*  (unless 
meant  in  D's  sense :  cf.  on  18"*)  must  have  been  either  a  subordinate  one 
(cf.  V.'-"'-  -"),  or  exceptional.     (Baudissin,  Pricsterihum,  209,  reads  ephod.) 


X.  9  123 

sequently  expanded  by  tlic  addilion  of  "the  covenant  of"  :  thus  it  is  plain 
that  nn3  did  not  stand  in  fit's  text  of  i  S.  4''"^' ;  and  a  comparison  of  i  Ch. 
i5--^--«--8-"-»  with  2  S.  6i-'- !■'•  15.  le,  and  of  i  Ch.  17I  with  2  S.  7-  sufficiently 
shows  what  the  tendency  of  a  later  age  was.  In  Jos.  3''*-  '^  the  extra- 
ordinary S3'ntax  (pixn  with  the  art.  in  the  sf.  c.)  makes  it  all  but  certain 
that  the  original  text  had  simply  f/ie  ark  (as  3^^  41") :  Jos.  3^"^  nn^n  (see 
Dillni.)  appears  to  have  usurped  the  place  of  an  original   ni,T  (as   v.'^). 

1  K.  3^5  6'''  8'-"  (cf.  -')  the  expression  may  well  be  due  to  the  Dout. 
compiler  of  Kings.     See  further  the  ZATW.  1891,  p.  ii4ff. 

(2)  To  statid  bcfure  Jchovali^  to  vnnisicr  vnto  Jiiiii  (cf.  \W' 
"to  stand  to  minister  in  Jehovah's  name").  To  sf  and  before 
[v'^)  is  a  Heb.  idiom  meaning-  to  ivaii  upon,  to  serve  (i  K.  10^  of 
Solomon's  courtiers,  12'' Jer.  52^2 ;  i  K.  17^  18'''  2  K.  3^^  5^'"'  of 
Elijah  and  Elisha,  as  the  servants  of  God),  and  is  used  dis- 
tinctively of  the  priest,  as  God's  minister,  Dt.  17^-  18"  (see 
note)  Jud.  202s  Ez.  4415  2  Ch.  29"  (cf.  v."*- 1«  "priests"). 

The  Levites,  as  distinguished  from  the  priests,  "stand  before"  the 
congregation,  i.e.  perform  menial  offices  for  the  worshippers,  Nu.  16"*  (P) 
Ez.  44''^.  To  minister  {t\~):<?)  is  a  less  distinctive  term,  being  used  not  only 
of  priests,  but  also  of  Levites  (Nu.  8-'')  and  other  subordinate  attendants, 
as  I  S.  2"'  "^  3'  (of  Samuel) :  at  the  same  time,  "  to  minister  to  Jehovah  "  is 
an  expression  used  regularly  of  priests  (21^  Ez.  40'"'  43'^  44^''''  ^^  45^  Joel  i"'  ^^ 
2'''  I  Ch.  23^^  2  Ch.  13^"  29!^ :  cf.  before  J.  Dt.  17^-,  ««  the  name  of  J.  i8^-^) ; 
the  Levites  are  said  rather  "to  minister  to  the  priests"  (Nu.   3^  18'^,  cf. 

2  Ch.  8'^),  or  to  the  people  (Nu.  16^  Ez.  44"'^),  i.e.  to  discliarge  menial 
services  for  them  (see  e.g.  1  Ch.  927-29.31-2.  2  Ch.  35"). 

(3)  To  bless  in  his  7ia»ic:  so  (of  priests)  21'^,  and  (repeated 
from  the  present  passage,  but  limited  expressly  to  the  de- 
scendants of  Aaron)  i  Ch.  22,^'^, — a  priestly  duty,  Nu.  &'^  Lev. 
9",  though  performed  sometimes,  on  solemn  occasions,  by 
kings  (2  S.  6\S;  cf.  i  K.  8^4.55),  a  fourth  duty  of  the  priestly 
tribe,  that  of  burning  incense,  is  mentioned  33I''  [v.  note). 
See  more  fully,  on  the  position  assigned  in  Dt.  to  the  tribe  of 
Levi,  the  notes  on  i8>"^. — Unto  this  day]  2^2. — 9.  Therefore 
Levi  hath  no  portion  nor  inheritance  loitJi  his  brethren:  Jehovah 
is  his  in]icritance\  so  i2^2b  j^^syb.  29  jgi  ^,-,0  portion,  &c.),  cf.  Jos. 
i3»-^3  i87  (all  D-);  Dt.  18^  Jos.  131^- ^^^  (Jehovah  his  inherit- 
ance) :  by  the  latter  expression  is  meant  that  the  inheritance 
by  which  the  tribe  of  Levi  was  maintained  was  its  share  in 
the  sacred  dues  and  other  offerings  made  to  Jehovah  by  the 
people  (cf.  on  18-"^). — As  Jehovah  thy  God  spake  unto  hitn]  this  is 
not   recorded   in   our   present   Pent.:   Nu.    18-'^   (P),    which    is 


T24  DEUTERONOMY 

usually  quoted,  cannot  be  referred  to,  for  tlicrc  the  promise  is 
made  expressly  to  the  priests  [Aur on)  alone,  as  distinguished  from 
the  Levites  (v.^^-^*),  whose  "inheritance "is  specified  separately, 
V.2* ;  here  it  is  gfiven  to  the  whole  tribe,  without  distinction. 
The  words  may  well  have  been  contained  in  a  part  of  JE — 
probably  the  same  (see  on  v.^)  that  narrated  the  consecration  of 
the  tribe  of  Levi — which  was  still  read  by  the  author  of  Dt.,  but 
not  retained  by  the  compiler,  when  JE  was  combined  with  P. 

10-11.  Conclusion  of  the  narrative  of  Moses'  intercession 
for  the  people.  Jehovah  finally  gave  still  more  substantial 
proof  of  His  complete  forgiveness  of  the  nation,  by  bidding 
Moses  arise,  and  conduct  Israel  to  the  land  which  He  had 
promised  to  the  patriarchs. — 10.  And  I  stayed  iti  the  vioinif,  as 
at  the  Jii'st  time,  forty  days  and  forty  7/iohts]  the  verse  (see 
below)  does  not  describe  the  sequel  of  v.-^,  but  something  con- 
temporaneous with  the  transactions  of  which  v.^  narrates  the 
close :  it  repeats  in  fact  what  had  been  stated  before  in  9^^ 
(cf.  9'^'),  emphasizing  again  the  earnestness  of  Moses'  interces- 
sion, and  the  success  which  attended  it,  with  the  view  of 
showing  that  the  present  existence  of  the  nation  was  due  to 
Jehovah's  grace. — Hearkened  unto  me  that  time  also^  repeated 
from  gi^:  cf.  9^-2^. — H.  Arise,  go  to  journey ,  &c.\  varied  from 
Ex.  33^  (though  the  occasion  is  not  the  same). 

12-22.  Such,  then,  having  been  Jehovah's  gracious  dealings 
with  His  people,  gratitude,  not  less  than  awe,  should  prompt 
Israel  to  yield  ready  and  loving  obedience  to  His  holy  will. — 
12.  And,  noiv\  introducing,  as  4^,  the  practical  inference  to 
be  deduced  from  the  preceding  retrospect. —  li'hat  is  Jehovah 
t/iy  God  ashing  of  t/iee,  &c.?^  no  arduous  or  complex  task  is 
laid  upon  Israel :  only  obedience,  which  though  it  may  be 
dilTicult  in  view  of  the  sinful  propensities  of  human  nature, 
nevertheless  involves  the  observance  of  no  intricate  or  burden- 

10.  'niBj;  '33Si]  permitting  (as  ToyNi  would  not  have  done)  a  refer- 
ence to  an  occasion  prior  to  v.«  (Dr.  §  76  Obs.).—i\.  vao"?]  for  jotirney- 
ing, — one  of  the  rare  instances  in  Heb.  of  a  siibst.  formed  with  D  having 
(as  in  certain  cases  in  Aram,  and  Arabic)  the  force  of  an  inf.  :  cf.  Nu.  10* 
nunon  nx  l'?c^i  (with  trans,  force),  ib.  mV'T  N"ip°S  Gen.  30^^  T^'V'??  and 
ma  nx  cn'^x  nisncD  Am.  4'^  al.  fcf.  Ew.  §  239'';  G-K.  §45.  1°  115.  i  R.^). 
— 12.  -2;'s  ^Nc]  Ex.  22}'^  I  S.  I '"•-". 


X.   IO-I7  125 

some  rules,  and  should  be  facilitated  In  the  case  of  Israel 
by  the  recollection  of  Jehovah's  gracious  assistance  and 
presence  in  its  midst.  Comp.  Mic.  6^^. — But  lo  fear  Jehovah 
thy  God,  <5r'c.]  as  in  6^^,  the  foundation  of  the  religious  temper 
is  theyiv/r  of  God  ;  this  brings  with  it  a  natural  disposition  to 
ivalk  ill  all  his  7vays  (8*^),  and  ends  with  the  devotion  of  the 
entire  being  to  His  love  and  seTvice  (see,  on  the  expressions 
used,  6^- 1'^). — 13.  To  keep,  &fc.\  7". — For  good  to  thee]  this  is 
the  ultimate  scope  of  the  duties  imposed  by  Jehovah  upon 
Israel.  So  6^4;  cf.  s^o  ^33),_i4_i5,  The /tw  of  God  should  be 
promoted  by  the  thought  that  He  is  the  Sovereign  of  heaven 
and  earth  ;  the  love  of  Him  by  the  reflection  that  this  august, 
all-suflficient  Being  has  nevertheless,  of  His  own  free  love,  chosen 
first  the  patriarchs  and  afterwards  their  descendants,  for  the 
purpose  of  manifesting  Himself  to  them.  —  The  licavcn  of 
heaveiis\  i.e.  the  highest  heavens;  so  (a  reminiscence  from  this 
passage)  i  K.  8'-^"  (  =  2  Ch.  6is)  2  Ch.  2^  Neh.  (f>  Ps.  68''^  148H. 
— 15.  Set  his  love  (pi."n)]  7".  —  Chose  their  seed  after  them,  tVr.] 
7'-  ^^\ — As  at  this  day]  2-^^. — 16.  Let  Israel  therefore  exert  itself 
to  acquire  an  open  and  receptive  heart,  and  yield  itself  cheer- 
fully to  the  guidance  of  its  God. — Cireitnieise,  then,  the  foreskin 
of  your  heart]  30'' ;  and  similarly  Jer.  4* :  cf.  uncireuiiu-ised 
(^iy),  of  the  heart.  Lev.  26^1  Jer.  9-^  Ez.  44'''- '•*.  An  uncircum- 
cised  heart  is  one  which  is,  as  it  were,  closed  in,  and  so 
impervious  to  good  Influences  and  good  impressions,  just  as 
an  uncircumcised  ear  (Jer.  6^^)  is  an  ear  which,  from  the  same 
cause,  hears  imperfectly,  and  uncircumcised  lips  (cf.  Ex.  G^-- 
^•"j  are  lips  which  open  and  speak  with  difficulty.  The  Israelite's 
heart  is  not  to  be  unreceptive  of  godlike  afi"ections,  just  as  he 
is  not  to  be  any  longer  (see  9*'-  ^^-  ^'■)  stiff-necked,  or  unamen- 
able to  guidance.  17-19.  The  majesty,  and  awful  justice,  of 
Jehovah  should  constitute  further  motives  to  obedience. — 17. 
Titles  are  accumulated,  for  the  purpose  of  expressing  the 
absolute  sovereignty  and  supremacy  of  Jehovah. — God  of  gods, 
and  Lord  of  lords]  hence  Ps.  1362-3;  cf.  Dan.  2'*''. —  The  great, 
the  mighty,  and  the  terrible]  hence   Neh.   9^2,     Mighty  ("1123) 

13.  -h  3i::V]  62^.-14.  c-cr.i  -cc]  G-K.  §  133.  3  R.2_17.  Nin]  3-'-i._'j-iK]  Uiu 
"plur.  of  majesty,"  as  Gn.  42^"  (G-K.  §  12^.  i  R.c). 


126  DEUTL:kONO.M^ 

suggests  one  who  possesses  might  such  as  that  of  a  warrior 
(cf.  Ps.  248  Is.  421-^  Jer.  20^1 ;  also  Is.  g'^'')  10-^). —  JV/io  regardeth 
not  persons,  nor  taketh  a  bribe]  i.e.  whom  no  consideration  will 
deter  from  taking  vengeance  on  the  wrong-doer:  cf.  28''^,  also 
ii"  i6i9;  and  lei'-*  2725  Ex.  238.— 18.  Who  executeth  the  jud^i- 
ment  of  the  fatherless  and  the  laidow,  and  loveth  the  stranger] 
i.e.  who  does  not  permit  the  helpless  to  be  oppressed;  for  the 
combination,  see  on  14^^,  and  cf.  24^ 7.  Justice,  often  so  tardy 
and  uncertain  in  the  East,  and  hence  inculcated  so  earnestly 
by  Hebrew  legislators  and  prophets,  is  meted  out  by  Jehovah 
with  absolute  impartiality  and  strictness. — 19.  Love,  then,  the 
stranger  [sojourner)  :  for  ye  were  strangers  [sojourners)  in  the 
land  of  Egypt\  in  your  attitude  towards  the  dependent  foreigner 
imitate  Jehovah,  by  not  only  treating  him  with  justice  (i^^), 
but  also  befriending  him  with  the  warmer  affection  of  love. 
"  Stranger"  is  the  conventional  rendering  of  "13  ;  but  the  sense 
of  the  Hebrew  word  would  be  better  represented  by  "so- 
journer," which  would  also  preserve  the  connexion  with  the 
corresponding  verb  in  such  passages  as  Gn.  12'^  19''  47^  Is. 
52*.  The  term  is  really  a  technical  one,  and  denotes  the  pro- 
tected or  dependent  foreigner,  settled  for  the  time  in  Israel. 

The  social  position  of  the  Hebrew  ger  may  be  ilkistratcd  from  that 
enjoyed  by  the  corresponding  Arabic  jar  (pi.  jTran).  "  From  an  early 
date,  the  Semitic  communities  embraced,  in  addition  to  the  free  tribesmen 
of  pure  blood  (Heb.  esrah,  Arab,  sank)  with  their  families  and  slaves,  a 
class  of  men  who  were  personallj'  free,  but  had  no  political  rig-hts,  viz.  the 
protected  strangers,  of  whom  mention  is  so  often  made  in  the  OT.  and  in 
early  Arabic  literature.  The  gcr  was  a  man  of  another  tribe  or  district 
who,  coming  to  sojourn  in  a  place  where  he  was  not  strengthened  by  the 
presence  of  his  own  kin,  put  himself  under  the  protection  of  a  clan  or  of  a 
powerful  chief"  (Smith,  Rel.  Seiii.  75  f.  ;  cf.  Kinship,  41-43).  In  Israel, 
as  is  apparent  from  numerous  allusions,  ihe  ger  was  liable  to  be  the  victim 
of  injustice  and  oppression  ;  in  JE  the  injunction  not  to  oppress  him  is 
repeated  twice,  Ex.  22'-'"  23"  ;  he  is  to  enjoy  the  rest  of  the  Sabbath,  23^-, 
as  he  is  also  to  observe  it,  20'**.  In  Dt.,  it  is  again  insisted,  kindness  and 
justice  are  to  be  dealt  out  to  him  (i^^  10'"  24^''-'"  27'*') ;  and  he  is  repeatedly 
commended,  by  the  side  of  the  fatherless  and  the  widow,  to  the  Israelite's 
charity  (142s  i6"- '■«  zj,^'-'- '^^ '■^  26"-i--i-=):  in  agioC',  cf.  Jos.  S"--^  (D-),  and 
31^^,  he  is  included  with  the  Israelites  generally  among  those  who  enter 
into  Jehovah's  covenant,  and  are  under  the  obligation  of  observing  the 
Deut.  law ;  i6"'  '■*  26'^  he  mav  share  in  the  joj'  of  a  sacred  meal  at  a  festival ; 
28^  if  Israel  is  disobedient,  he  will  increase  in  importance,  and  acquire 
supremacy  over  it.     See  further  on  14-'. 


X.  is— XI.  2  127 

The  motive  of  the  injunction,  the  recollection  of  the  feelings 
of  a  sojourner,  derived  from  the  experiences  of  Ei^ypt,  ai;"rees 
verbatim  with  Ex.  22-«(-i'  23'-' (J  E),  Lev.  19^^  (H).— 20  f.  A  God 
owning-  such  august  attributes  it  is  Israel's  duty  to  regard  with 
reverence,  devotion,  and  praise. — Jehovah  thy  God  thou  shall 
fear,  (j~r.]  repeated  from  6'"* :  the  duty  of  "cleaving"  to  Him, 
as  II"  135  (•1)30-''  (cf.  on4-*). — 21.  I/e  is  thv praise'\  i.e.  the  oh]ect 
of  thy  praise:  of.  Jer.  17^-*  (nnx  Tli^nn  '•d). —  Who  Jiafh  done  laitii 
tJiee,  cj^'c]  the  relative  clause  suggests  the  reason  why  Jeho\ah 
is  worthily  Israel's  praise  and  Israel's  God.  Cf,  Ex.  15I1 
(poet.)  ri>nri  X'^i3  ;  and  the  expansion  of  the  theme  in  Dt.  ii^-^. 
—  Which  tJiine  eyes  have  seen]  4^  7^^  292(3). — 22.  The  crowning 
evidence  of  Jehovah's  claim  for  Israel's  gratitude  and  regard 
(cf.  26'^). — Tlireescorc  and  ten  persons]  so  Gn.  46-"  Ex.  i^  (P). 
— As  the  stars  of  heaven  for  niiiltitiide]  \^^. 

XI.  1-9.  Appeal  to  Israel  to  call  to  mind  the  wonders 
wrought  by  Jehovah  on  its  behalf,  as  a  motive  to  love  and 
obedience. — Love,  therefore]  the  enclitic  "therefore"  (Heb.  1), 
not  the  emphatic  "therefore"  (13  ^V  or  i?S)  :  so  y.S- is  4IS  (^, 
phil.  note)  6'^  and  often.  Motives  for  the  fear  of  God  have 
been  sufficiently  indicated  ioi^--i :  the  Writer  now  proceeds  to 
emphasize  more  particularly  the  duty  of  loving-  Him  (cf.  on  6^). 
— And  keep  his  charge]  (imr:}L"D  mTL'l)]  only  here  in  Dt.:  often 
in  P  (esp.  Numbers),  but  usually  in  a  technical  sense,  with 
genitive  of  the  object  to  be  kept,  as  Nu.  i'^^  3-^ :  "Jehovah's 
charge  "  (of  a  specific  duty).  Lev.  S'^s  iS^o  22^  Nu.  (^^^-  23  ;  in  a 
more  general  sense,  as  here,  Gn.  2&  (JE),  Jos.  22^  (D^),  i  K.  2^ 
(I)eut.). — 2-7.  Let  Israel  (who  has  seen  it)  know,  and  take  to 
heart,  the  discipline  of  Jehovah,  i.e.  (as  v.2b-6  explains)  His 
great  deeds  in  Egypt  and  the  wilderness. — 2.  And  kfioiu  ve 
this  day  [for  (I  speak)  not  with  your  children  which  have  not 
kmni'n,  and  which  have  not  seen)  the  discipline  of  Jehovah  your 
God]  19^^  denotes  neither  instruction  (see  on  43*'),  nor  chastise- 

21.  inx]  cf.  on  i*" ;  and  cv  9^.— cy^ra]  the  3  is  the  Beth  essenticB  = 
"as"  :  cf.  26'^-"  (NCK3)  28"-  332'',  and  on  i^^.— 22.  m"?]  i^". 

XI.  2.  The  words  int  .  .  .  nS  o  are  treated  above  (with  Keil,  Di.,  Oettli) 
as  a  parcnth.  :  but  possibly  AV.,  RV.,  are  rig-ht ;  after  the  series  of 
clauses  (v.'-'*'-'')  dependent  on  'ji  lyT  nh  nrx,  the  words  at  the  bci;-inninj^ 
CD'22  nx  K^  '3  being  forgotten,  and  left  without  a  verb.     Undcrst.-ind  in 


1  2  8  DKUTKRONOMY 

nicnt  (llioug'h  this  may  be  included),  but  moriil  education^  or 
discipline  (dS  irtttSta),  attendi.'d  with  greater  (Pr.  3"  Job  5'")  or 
less  se\  crlty  (Pr.  i^-  s  ^i)^  as  the  case  may  be :  the  sij^ht  of 
Jehovah's  wonders,  it  is  meant,  ought  to  have  exerted  upon 
the  Israelites  a  disciplinary  influence,  subduing-  waywardness 
and  pride,  promoting  humility  and  reverence,  and  educating 
generally  their  moral  and  religious  nature. — His  greatness^  3-'*. 
— His  mighty  Jniiuf,  cVr.]  4"^. — 3.  Signs^  4^*. — His  works,  &c.\ 
cf.  4^"*  G^'^  7^*^'- :  the  thought  of  these  passages  is  here  drawn 
out  In  greater  detail. — 4.  The  passage  of  the  Red  Sea  (Ex. 
14). — Unto  this  dnv]  2—. — 5.  The  acts  of  mingled  judgment 
and  mercy  wrought  for  Israel  in  the  wilderness. —  Unto  this 
pliice\  1^1. — 6.  In  particular,  the  Writer  reminds  Israel  of  the 
judgment  upon  Dathan  and  Abiram  (Nu.  16). — Hoio  the  earth 
opened  her  mouth,  and  sivallu^vcd  tJieni  up,  and  their  households] 
almost  verbally  as  Nu.  16"'-''  (but  nnV3,  not  nnns,  as  Nu.  iG-'",  for 
"opened  ").~And  their  tents]  cf.  Nu.  \6-'^'-  -'^\—All  the  (living) 
substance  that  folloioed  tJieni]  cf.  Nu.  i6''*'- ^^  nn^ -iL"S  ^3  (ns)'l. 
The  silence  respecting  Korah,  and  the  fate  of  his  companions 
and  sympathizers  (Nu.  i6''^'^*'),  is  remarkable  and  significant. 
Nu.  16  is  of  composite  authorship,  JE  mentioning  only  Dathan 
and  Abiram,  P  only  Korah.  The  passages  referred  to  all 
belong  to  JE  ;  and  the  fact  is  a  fresh  corroboration  of  what 
has  been  said  before,  that  the  historical  references  of  Dt.  arc 
based  uniformly  upon  the  narrative  of  JE,  and  do  not  pre- 
suppose that  of  P. — 7.  Your  eyes  are  those  that  saiv]  3^1. — All 
the  great  work  of  Jehovah]  Jud.  2"  (Deut.). — 8-9.  The  practical 
inference  founded  upon  the  preceding  description  of  Jehovah's 
19''-,  the  duty,  viz.  of  obedience  to  His  commands. — 8.  That 
ye  may  be  strong,  and  go  in,  Cr'c]  cf.  4^. — Whither  ye  ai'C  pass- 
ing over,  &-'c.]6^. — 9.  And  that  ye  may  prolong  days,  &c.]  cf. 
4"*. — Flowing  with  milk  and  honey]  &. 

10-17.  A  new  motive  to  obedience :  Canaan,  unlike  Egypt, 

either  case  "do  I  speak." — 6.  c.Tnn  t\ix\  Dj,''?3ni]  Nu.  16^-  cn*n3  nxi  cnx  j'^nm, 
which  is  more  elegant  and  classical :  the  present  type  of  sentence  does  not 
occur  more  than  11  or  12  times  in  the  OT.,  as  Dt.  15'**  i  S.  5^"  nNi  'jiTDn"? 
'Dj?  (see  note),  2  K.  20". — c?p;]  Gn.  7'''^(J)t.  A  rare  and  peculiar  word, 
denoting-  propcrlj'  (liat  ivhicli  subsists,  (living)  substance. — D3'7jn3]  at  their 
jcet,  Idiom,  i'ov  Jollozviiig  tJieiii '.  Ex.  11^  i  S.  25-"  «/. 


XI.  3-IO  129 

is  dependent  for  its  fertility  upon  the  rain  of  heaven,  which 
God  will  g'rant  or  withhold  according  as  Israel  is  faithful  or 
the  reverse. — 10.  Is  not  as  the  land  of  Egypt,  whence  ye  came 
out,  ivJicrc  thou  soivcdst  thy  seed,  and  watcrcdst  it  with  thy  foot\ 
the  allusion  is  to  the  method  by  which  the  soil  of  Eg-ypt  was 
cultivated.  In  Kg-ypt,  as  is  well  known,  rain  is  exceeding-jy 
rare ;  and  the  crops  are  dependent,  for  their  necessary 
moisture,  upon  the  annual  inundation  of  the  Nile,  and  the 
system  of  artificial  irrigation  by  which  the  waters  of  the  river 
are  stored,  and  disti-ibuted  by  canals,  as  occasion  arises,  over 
the  fields.  At  present  machines  of  various  kinds  are  in  use  in 
Egypt  for  the  purpose  of  raising  water  from  the  river  or  canals 
(Lane,  Modern  Egyptians,  chap,  xiv.,  ed.  1871,  ii.  pp.  25-27), 
though  none  (according-  to  Robinson,  BR.  i.  581  f.)  which  illus- 
trates the  practice  of  "  watering  with  the  foot  "  here  alluded  to. 

One  of  the  commonest  of  these  niachhies  is  the  Sdkieh,  or  water-wheel ; 
this  is  usually  turned  by  an  ox,  and  raises  the  water  by  means  of  jars 
fastened  to  a  circular  or  endless  rope,  which  hangs  over  the  wheel. 
"Possibly,"  writes  Robinson,  "in  more  ancient  times  the  water-wheel 
ma\-  have  been  smaller,  and  turned,  not  by  oxen,  but  by  men  pressing;  upon 
it  with  the  foot,  in  the  same  way  that  water  is  still  often  drawn  from  wells 
in  Palestine,  as  we  afterwards  saw  [see  ii.  pp.  22,  226].  Niebuhr 
describes  one  such  machine  in  Cairo,  where  it  was  called  Sakieh  tedur  hir- 
rij'l,  'a  watering--machine  that  turns  by  the  foot,'  a  view  of  which  he  also 
subjoins  [Eeiscbeschrcibinig;  1774,  i.  p.  149,  with  plate  xv.,  reproduced 
in  Riehm,  HWB.  p.  19].  The  labourer  sits  on  a  level  with  the  axis  of  the 
wheel  or  reel,  and  turns  it  by  drawing-  the  upper  part  towards  him  with 
his  hands,  pushing  the  rounds  of  the  under  part  at  the  same  time  with  his 
feet  one  after  another.  In  Palestine  the  wheel  or  reel  is  more  rude  ;  and 
a  single  rope  is  used,  which  is  wound  up  around  it  by  the  same  process." 
It  is  possible,  however,  that  the  reference  may  be  to  the  mode  of  dis- 
tributing water  from  the  canals  over  a  field,  by  making  or  breaking  down 
with  the  foot  the  small  ridges  which  regulate  its  flow  (see,  of  Egypt, 
Shaw,  Travels  in  Barbary,  Algiers,  &€.,  1738,  p.  431),  or  by  using  the  foot 
for  the  purpose  of  opening  and  closing  sluices.  Conder  {7'etii  Work,  1877, 
p.  328)  speaks  of  vegetable  gardens  in  Palestine  as  irrigated  "by  means 
of  small  ditches  trodden  by  the  foot." 

Asa  garden  of  herbs]  i  K.  212  Pr.  157.  The  comparison 
seems  intended  to  suggest  that  Egypt  generally  was  irrigated 
by  a  method  which  in   Palestine  would  be  applied  only  to  a 

IC.  -iVK]  =  -where  (1=^').— nn'prm  .  .  .  j;-iin]  "  vsedst  to  sow  .  .  .  and 
water"  ;  Gn.  2«  6^  292-^  Ex.  33"-'i  &c.  (Dr.  §  113.  4/3 ;  G-K.  §  112.  ^act). 

9 


130  DEUTERONOMY 

small  garden  of  vegetables. — 11.  According  to  the  rain  of 
Jicavcii  it  drinketh  watcr^  i.e.  the  supply  of  water  is  regulated 
by  the  rain.  It  is  true  that  Canaan  is  also  "a  land  of  streams 
of  water,  of  springs  and  deeps,  issuing  forth  in  vale  and 
hill "  (8") ;  but  water  from  these  sources  would  be  far  from 
sufficient  for  the  general  irrigation  of  the  country;  and  the 
crops  are  essentially  dependent  for  their  proper  growth  upon 
the  two  annual  periods  of  rain  referred  to  in  v.^*. — 12.  Carcth 
for\  lit.  scckcth  after  (cn),  viz.  with  interest  and  care :  cf.  Job 
3*  Jer.  30^"  Is.  62^2  jT^,  34''\ — The  eyes  of  Jehovah  are  continu- 
ally tipon  it]  it  is  ever  the  object  of  His  protecting  regard :  cf. 
(with  ^x)  Ps.  33^^  34I'"'. — 13-17.  The  enjoyment  of  this  natural 
bounty  of  Palestine  is  dependent,  however,  upon  the  fidelity 
with' which  Israel  remains  devoted  to  the  service  of  its  God. — 
To  love  and  to  serve,  &fc.\  lo^^^ — 14_  /  ^///  give\  on  the  first 
pers.,  see  on  7*. — The  former  rain  (■^T^)]  i.e.  the  autumnal 
rains,  w'hich  begin  in  Oct. -Nov.,  at  first  intermittently,  and 
allowing  the  husbandman  time  to  sow  his  crops  of  wheat  or 
barley,  afterwards,  till  the  end  of  December,  falling  heavily, 
and  continuing  at  intervals  through  the  winter. — The  latter 
rain  (C'ipp?0)]  i.e.  the  showers  of  March-April,  which  refresh 
and  advance  the  ripening  crops  (the  wheat-harvest  beginning, 
in  the  plains,  during  the  first  half  of  ^lay,  and  on  the 
mountains  in  the  first  weeks  of  June :  barley  is  ripe,  in  each 
case,  a  week  or  a  fortnight  earlier  than  the  wheat).  Upon  the 
regularity  of  the  autumnal  and  vernal  rains  the  proper  ripen- 
ing of  the  crops  depends.  Comp.  Jer.  52-*  Joel  2^3;  and  for 
allusions,  in  particular,  to  the  refreshing  nature  of  the  "latter 
rain,"  see  Pr.  16^^  Job  29^^  Hos.  6^;  Jer.  3^  (withheld). — Thy 
co7-n  and  thy  wine  and  thine  oil]  7^''. — 15.  Eat  and  be  full]  as 
6^1  (see  note)  8^^  312*',  a  source  of  spiritual  danger,  and  pro- 
vocative of  idolatry. — 16  f.  The  admonition  not  to  follow  false 
gods  is  repeated  (see  6^*^-  8'^*^),  accompanied  by  a  warning 
suited  to  the  present  connexion,  viz.  that,  if  the  temptation  be 
11.  corn  naa"?]  rather  an  extreme  case  of  the  h  of  norm,  or  rule  :  comp. 
328  (.  .  .  issd"?);  Is.  ii^  32^  (pis'?,  bsei'dS)  ;  1  S.  2:^^  2  S.  15";  Job  42"  Ez. 
12^2  pj,i,  (^{g^  <<  j^s  ti^g  eye  sees  it "  ;  so  here,  "  as  the  rain  of  heaven  permits 
it").  See  Lex.  h  i.  b. — prrj  jsr]  the  art.  after  3  is  generic  :  Lex.  n  f. — 15. 
nyaci]  on  8"*.— 16-17.  'ji  omoi]  the  tenses  as  41".— n'?i3'  n«  inn]  Lev.  26-'-2<' 


XI.   11-25  131 

induli^cd  in,  drought  and  famine  may  be  expected  as  the  con- 
sequences.— Lcsf  your  /ica7't  be  (kx'civcii\  ]oh  31''^"  (in  a  similar 
connexion). — And  Jchovalis  anger  he  kindled  against you\  6^^. 
And  he  sliut  up  the  heavens,  and  there  he  no  rai)i\  cf.  28-'^^- 
Lev.  261'"';  also  i  K.  8''5  {T)e\\t.).— Perish  quickly,  (S-c]  42c, 
cf.  28-0  :   also,  with  v.^''''- 1^'',  Jos.  23^"'  {D'-).—7yie good  land]  \'^^. 

18—25.  Let  Israel  have  these  commandments  in  perpetual 
remembrance :  the  observance  of  them  will  be  rewarded  by- 
national  prosperity. — V.i'''--o  are  repeated,  with  slight  varia- 
tions of  expression,  from  6'^-^  (where  see  notes). — 18.  Lay, 
then,  upon  your  heart,  <jr"c.]  cf.  6"  "shall  be  upon  thy  heart." 
■ — 21.  That yoJir  days,  &e.\  comp.  4"*"  &  11^. — As  the  days  of 
the  heavens  above  the  earth]  i.e.  as  long  as  the  heaven  endures 
above  (or  resting  on :  Job  26^^)  the  earth,  in  other  words, 
perpetually:  cf.  Ps.  8930  Job  1412;  also  Ps.  725- v.  i7,_22.  All 
tills  coninuindnient,  &c.\  cf.  8^ — To  love,  &c.\  v.^^. — To  walk 
in  all  his  ways]  8*^  10^". — To  cleave  to  him]  10^*^. — 23.  Dispossess 
(L"'"ni"il)]  9'*''-^^(Ex.  34-*). — Ye  shall  possess  nations  greater,  &c.] 
cf.  9^ — 24-25.  Israel's  reward  shall  be  the  complete  and 
undisputed  possession  of  the  land  of  promise. — 24.  JVhereoii 
the  sole  of  'our  feet  shall  tread\  cf.  2^  Jos.  i^  (D-)  14^. — From 
the  wilderness,  and  Lebanon']  i.e.  from  the  wilderness  of  et-Tih 
(p.  20),  on  the  South  of  Palestine,  and  from  Lebanon  on  the 
North.  "One  might  be  tempted  to  conjecture  ^  even  unto 
Lebanon'  (p^abn  nyi) ;  see,  however,  Jos.  i-^"  (Dillm.). — T/ie 
river  Euphrates]  this  is  named  as  the  ideal  limit  of  Israel's 
dominion  on  the  East:  see  on  i^. — The  hinder  sca^  i.e.  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  as  34^  Zech.  14^  Joel  2'^'^].  Opp.  is  "the 
front  sea"  ('«:3?01pn  D'^n),  i.e.  the  Dead  Sea  (Ez.  47^^  Zech.  148 
Joel  2-'').  On  the  ground  of  the  designation,  see  on  v.^^. — 25. 
latere  shall  not  a  man  stand  in  your  face  (d3''Ji33)]  7"^* — ^'-^'^ 
fear  of  you,  and  the  dread  of  you  shall  Jehovah  put,  &c.]  cf.  2-'^. 
Whereon  ye  shall  tread  (iDinn)]  cf.  on  i^^, — As  lie  spake  unto 
yo7t]  Ex.  2327  [yz^h  n^L"S  "TiDVS  nx) :  cf.  Jos.  2^. 

26-32.  The  alternatives  offered  for  Israel's  choice :  a  bless- 

Ez.  34-"7  Zech.  S^-  Ps.  67''  85'^t.— 18.  rtW]  so  (not  nS.s-n),  as  rct^nilarly  after 
a  noun  with  a  suff.,  i  K.  S"''-"  10*  al.  (Dr.  §  209);  cf.  5-"  (ni).— 19.  03]  6'. — 
cipcn  '?d]  collect.  =  " every  place"  :  Ex.  20^  Lev.  i^^--'^  &c. — 25.  '33  h]i]  2^. 


132  DEUTERONOMY 

ing  if  it  obeys  the  commandments  of  Jehovah,  and  a  curse  if  it 
refuses  them. — The  verses  form  a  suitable  conclusion  to  the 
first  part  of  Moses'  discourse  (c.  5-1 1),  stating-  more  concisely 
and  emphatically  than  before  the  two  alternatives  set  before 
Israel.  The  contents  of  both  the  blessing-  and  the  curse  are 
drawn  out  at  length  in  c.  28,  which  forms  the  solemn  close  of 
the  entire  Deuteronomic  legislation. — 26.  See  (i^?^"!)]  i^.—/sei 
before  you\  for  your  choice  (on  4*^):  so  v.^2_ — 27_  IVJiich  1 0711 
commanding,  &-c.\  4'*". — 28.  And  turn  aside  from  the  7vay\  9^2.  I6 
3i29. — To  go  after  o/her  gods]  6^^^. — Which  ye  have  not  hnown] 
of  which  ye  have  had  no  experience,  and  which  have  conse- 
quently no  claims  upon  your  regard:  so  i3^'>-7. 14  28''-*  292^(26) 
32'"  (the  Song). — 29-32.  When  Israel  has  entered  into  Canaan, 
the  blessing  and  the  curse  are,  respectively,  to  be  set  symbolic- 
ally upon  Mount  Gerizim,  and  Mount  'Ebal,  in  the  heart  of  the 
country  (cf.  27^ 2''- ;  and  see  Jos.  8^''^). — 29.  M'hen  Jehovah  thy 
God  shall  bring  thee  into  the  land]  6^*^  7^:  cf.  Ex.  135-11. — The 
blessing  upon  Mount  Gerizim,  and  the  curse  upon  Mount ' Ebal] 
Gerizim  and  'Ebal  are,  respectively,  on  the  S.  and  the  N.  side 
of  the  fertile  valley  in  which  Shechem  (the  modern  Nabulus) 
lay  :  they  were  thus  in  the  very  centre  of  the  land,  close  to  an 
ancient  sanctuary  (Gn.  12"  33^^*^-),  the  burial-place  of  Joshua 
(Jos.  24-^2),  often  mentioned  as  a  place  of  national  gathering 
and  political  importance  (Jos.  24^;  Jud.  9;  i  K.  12^-'^^).  The 
ground  why  Gerizim  is  selected  for  the  blessing,  and  'Ebal  for 
the  curse,  is  probably  (Schultz,  Keil,  Dillm.)  that,  from  the 
point  of  view  of  the  Hebrews,  who  conceived  themselves  as 
naturally  looking  Eastwards,  in  fixing  the  quarters  of  the 
heavens  (cf.  I^'ri,  py,  the  right  hand,  of  the  South,  D"li^  and 
"•33  ?y,  171  front,  of  the  East),  Geriziin  was  on  the  right-hand 
side,  which  was  regarded  as  the  side  of  good  fortune  (cf.  Gn. 
35I8;  Mt.  25'-').  On  the  manner  in  which  the  ceremony  is 
conceived  by  the  Writer,  see  27i'-''-.— 30.  The  position  of  the 
two  mountains  more  closely  defined. — Beyond Jo7-da7i]  from  the 
standpoint  of  the  speaker,  as  320-  25. — Bchi7id  the  way  of  the 
goi7ig  doimi  of  the  stni]  i.e.  on  the  other  side  of  the  great 

27.  •\v^\  nearly  =  '/ (cf.  cn  v. -8).     A  rare  usage  {Lex.  ni:-N  8d):  Lev. 
4--  Jos.  421.— 30.  "jid]  in  front  of  (3-*»  Ex.  34^  i  S.  17="'  «/.),— the  position 


XT.   26-30  133 

westerly  road,  leading'  througli  Palestine  from  N.  to  S.,  which 
must  have  passed  formerly,  as  it  passes  still,  through  the 
plain  E.  of  Shechem:  cf.  Ritter,  Erdkimde,  xvi.  658  f.  (Knob.) 
=  Gcogr.  of  Pal.  (transl.)  iv.  293  ff. — 30.  In  the  land  of  the 
Canaan ite,  that  divelleth  in  the  'Ardbah]  the  'Ardbah,  or  Jordan- 
valley  (p.  3),  is  at  a  considerable  distance  from  'Ebal  and 
Gerizim  :  but  it  seems  that  it  is  named  here,  partly  as  being  a 
district  of  Palestine  specially  associated  with  the  "  Canaanite  " 
(Nu.  13'-'^  Jos.  11^:  cf.  pp.  II,  13  f.),  partly  as  being  immedi- 
ately in  view  of  "the  ravine  in  front  of  Beth-Pe'or"  (3^^), 
the  assumed  position  of  the  speaker. — In  front  of  Gilgal  (^'3 
^J^jn)]  the  words  are  difficult;  and  the  locality  intended  is  uncer- 
tain. From  its  being  named  for  the  purpose  of  defining  the 
position  of 'Ebal  and  Gerizim,  it  would  seem  to  be  some  well- 
known  place  ;  and  hence  it  is  natural,  in  the  first  instance,  to 
think  of  the  Gilgal  near  Jericho  (Jos.  4^^^-  5^*"-  i  S.  7^''  &c.).  In 
spite  of  the  objection  that  this  lies  too  far  from  'Ebal  and 
Gerizim — some  28  miles  to  the  SSW. — to  be  chosen  as  a  land- 
mark, it  seems  most  probable,  on  the  whole,  that  it  is  the 
place  intended  ;  the  words,  it  may  be  supposed,  being  meant 
to  indicate,  that,  speaking  loosely  and  generally,  from  the 
point  of  view  of  one  looking  Westwards,  from  an  eminence 
near  Nebo,  'Ebal  and  Gerizim  would  be  "in  front  of"  this 
well-known  spot  in  the  Jordan-valley  opposite. 

The  word  Gilgal  (cf.  7373  Ti'heel)  means  a  round  or  circle,  viz.  of  stones, 
or  (in  modern  parlance)  a  cromlech:  tlie  art.  (^^^n)  sliows  (see  Lex.  n  2) 
tliat  the  appellative  sense  of  the  word  was  still  felt.  The  popular  etymolog-y 
in  Jos.  5",  connecting:  it  with  hhi  to  roll  {aivay),  does  not  express  the  real 
orig-in  of  the  word.  Such  stone-circles  (which  were  no  doubt  esteemed 
sacred)  might  naturally  be  found  in  different  parts  of  the  country,  though 
the  most  celebrated  was  the  one  near  Jericho  ;  and  one  or  other  of  these 
has  been  thought  by  some  commentators  to  be  intended  here. 

Thus  Knob,  supposes  that  the  place  meant  is  either  the  YnXyouXi;  of  Euseb. 
(Onom.  p.  245),  6  miles  W.  of  Antipatris  (which  he  identifies  with  Kilkilia, 
a  village  a  little  E.-NE.  of  Kefr  Saba,  about  18  miles  W,  of  'Ebal  and 
Gerizim),  or  a  village  still  called  Jiljuleh,  some  2  miles  to  the  S.  of 
Kilkilia.  Keil  (and  so  II WB.,  and  Schcnkel,  BL.  s.v.)  thinks  of  Jiljilia, 
a  large  village  lying  on  a  ridge  2441  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  and 
commanding-  an  extensive  prospect  towards  both  the  Mediterranean  and 

indicated  in  any  particular  case  depending,  of  course,  upon  the  direclion 
in  which  the  determining  object  is  viewed  or  approached. 


134  DEUTERONOMY 

the  mountains  of  Gilc'ad  (Rob.  ii.  265),  about  13  miles  S.  of  Gcrizim,  and 
3  miles  to  the  W.  of  tlie  great  road  leading'  from  Jerusalem  through  Bethel 
to  the  North  of  Palestine,  in  the  latitude  of  Sinjil  (perhaps  the  "Gilgal" 
meant  in  2  K.  2'  4''®).  Though  the  present  writer  understood  on  the  spot 
that  Jiljilia  was  visible  on  a  clear  day  from  the  top  of  Gerizim,  yet  the 
heights  of  the  intervening-  mountains  (as  exhibited  in  the  larg-e  map  of  the 
Palestine  Exploration  Society)  show  that  it  can  have  formed  no  particularly 
conspicuous  landmark  ;  and  as  it  is  certainly  not  visible  from  the  plain  at 
the  foot  of  'Ebal  and  Gcrizim,  it  is  not  easy  to  understand  why  it  should 
have  been  selected  for  the  purpose  of  defining'  the  position  of  these 
mountains,  nor  is  it  clear  in  what  sense  two  mountains,  situated  13  miles 
N.  of  Jiljilia,  should  be  described,  especially  from  a  standpoint  E.  of 
Jordan,  as  "in  front  of  it."  Knobcl's  and  Keil's  proposed  sites  have  also 
the  disadvantage  of  bcingf  (so  far  as  appears)  places  of  no  importance  or 
note.  Others  have  soug-ht  to  relieve  the  difficulty  of  the  verse  by 
punctuating-  differently:  thus  (i)  "the  Canaanite  that  dwellcth  in  the 
'ArAbah  in  front  of  Gilgal "  (Colenso,  The  Ne-u)  Bible  Comm,  [the 
"Speaker's  Comm."]  critically  examined,  1873,  v.  67),  the  words  being 
taken  to  define  the  part  of  the  'ArAbah  inhabited  by  the  "Canaanites"  ; 
(2)  "in  front  of  the  stone-circle  beside  the  terebinths  of  Moreh"  (sug'gestcd 
by  Dillm.),  the  words  being-  supposed  to  denote  a  spot  close  to  Shechem. 
If  this  "  stone-circle  beside  the  terebinths  of  Moreh  "  could  be  supposed  to 
have  been  located  in  the  plain  E.  of  'Ebal  and  Gcrizim,  through  which 
the  highway  mentioned  just  before  still  runs,  the  words  would  define  very 
suitably  the  position  of  the  two  mountains.  Rut  it  is  an  objection  to  this 
view,  that  it  makes  the  defining  landmark,  not  the  well-known  "terebinths 
of  Moreh  "  itself,  but  an  otherwise  unmentioncd  stone-circle  beside  it. 

Beside  the  tcn-binths  of  Moreh  (mio  "'JI^S  ^\*n)]  ox  ''  of  (the) 
direcfor,^^  mentioned  also  (with  terebinth^  for  terebinths^  as  is 
read  also  by  Sam.  (Jj  here)  in  Gen.  12"  as  close  to  Shechem 
(cf.  also  35^  ['^('??!?])-  '^^^  name,  it  is  probable,  is  that  of 
an  oracular  tree  (or  g'rove) ;  and  if  Moreh  be  rightly  taken  not 
as  a  proper  name,  but  as  an  appellative,  as  the  verb  min  is 
used  of  the  authoritative  "direction"  given  by  priests  (on 
17!'^),  it  will  denote  the  priest  (or  company  of  priests)  who 
g"ave  answers  to  those  who  came  to  consult  the  oracle. 

Perhaps  the  same  tree  is  meant  by  the  "Soothsayers'  Terebinth"  (pS.x 
D*::i'a)  of  Jud.  9*',  likewise  near  Shechem,  if  not  also  by  the  n^N — as  it  is  now 
pointed,  though  the  original  pronunciation  may  have  been  rci} — "in  the 
sanctuary  of  Jehovah,"  at  Shechem,  mentioned  Jos.  24-®.  On  sacred  trees 
among  Semitic  peoples  (wlio  in  some  cases  treated  them  as  actual  gods, 
and  paid  them  divine  honours),  and  on  the  methods  of  divination  from 
them,  see  W.  R.  Smith,  Rcl.  Sent.  pp.  169 ff.,  i7Sf.  ;  and  Baudissin,  Sem, 
Rel.-Gesch.  1S78,  ii.  p.  iS4ff.  (among  the  Hebrews,  pp.  223-230). 

31.  The  reason  why  this  injunction  has  now  been  given  to 


XII.  135 

them  :  the  Isiaehtes  are  about  to  enter  upon  the  permanent 
occupation  of  Canaan. — 32.  Concluding-  exhortation  to  obedi- 
ence.— Observe  to  do\  on  4". 

XII.-XXVI.  XXVIII.    The  Code  of  Special  Laivs. 

These  chapters  form  the  second  part  of  the  principal  dis- 
course of  Deuteronomy  (c.  5-26.  28),  embracing-,  under  its 
more  practical  aspects,  the  exposition  of  Israelitish  law, 
promised  in  i^,  and  particularizing^  in  detail  the  "statutes  and 
judgments"  (4^5^),  ceremonial,  civil,  and  criminal,  by  which 
the  daily  life  of  the  Israelite  was  to  be  regulated.  So  far  as 
the  more  technical  nature  of  the  subject  admits,  the  treatment 
and  style  continue  the  same  as  in  c.  5-1 1  ;  the  same  theocratic 
principles  are  insisted  on,  the  same  parenetic  tone  prevails, 
the  same  stress  is  laid  upon  the  motives  of  devotion  to  God, 
and  large-hearted  benevolence  towards  man,  by  which  the 
Israelite  is  to  be  actuated.  The  laws,  as  a  rule,  are  not  (as 
is  mostly  the  case,  for  instance,  m  Ex.  21-23)  promulgated, 
merely  as  such  :  they  are  generally  enforced  by  hortatory  com- 
ments and  explanations,  and  sometimes  they  are  developed 
at  considerable  length.  The  arrangement  is  not  throughout 
entirely  systematic,  and  here  and  there  some  displacement 
may  have  occurred :  but  on  the  whole  the  principles  determin- 
ing- the  order  followed  by  the  Writer  are  tolerably  plain.  The 
following  is  an  outline  of  the  subjects  embraced  * : — 

1.  Sacred  observances  (12^-16''^) : — 

a.  Law  of  the  single  sanctuary  (12^"-^). 

b.  Repression  of  idolatry  (i2-''-i3i'MiS)), 

c.  Holiness  of  the  laity  (14^"-^). 

d.  Sacred  dues  and  sacred  seasons  {14---16'''). 

2.  Office-bearers  of  the  theocracy  : — 

a.  Judges  (16I8-20  178-13),^ 

b.  King(i7"--'>).  ^ 

c.  Priests  (18I-8). 

d.  Prophets  (iS'-^^). 

3.  Criminal  law  (c.  19  ;  21^"'"^)  : — 

a.  Homicide  and  murder  (ig^''-'). 

*  Comp.  Wellh.  Comp.  p.  205  f.  ;  Wcstphal,  p.  38  f 

t  i6-'-i7^  belong  to  No.  ib.  J  C.  20  belongs  to  No.  4. 


136  DKUTKRONOMY 

b.  Encroachment  on  i:)roporty  (19^^). 

c.  False  witness  (19'''-'). 

d.  Expiation  of  an  uncertain  murder  (21'''), 

4.  Miscellaneous  laws,  relating-  (mostly)  to  civil  and  domestic  life  (21''- 
c.  25),  not  systematically  arranged,  but  embracing  such  subjects  as — the 
conduct  of  war  21'"''''  (with  c.  20);  family  law  (primogeniture,  seduction, 
divorce,  &c.),  2ii5-2i  22"-3o  24I-5  25=-'";  interest  and  loans  23=0'- P*'-)  24«- 1''-'^ ; 
just  weights  25^^''*. 

5.  Parenetic  conclusion  (c.  26),  and  peroration  (c.  28). 

C.  27  interrupts  the  discourse  of  Moses  with  a  piece  of  narrative, 
containing  injunctions  foreign  to  the  context  on  both  sides  (see 
the  notes  ad  loc). 

For  a  detailed  synopsis  of  the  laws,  arrangfed  in  tabular 
form,  with  the  parallels  in  Ex.-Nu.,  as  well  as  for  a  discussion 
of  the  relation  in  which  the  Deuteronomic  legislation,  viewed 
g-enerally,  stands  to  the  other  Codes  of  the  Pentateuch,  the 
reader  is  referred  to  the  Introduction  (§§  i,  2). 

XII.-XIII.  Laws  (irsiq->icd  to  scairc  tJic  Purity  of 
Religious  WorsJiip. 
XII.  In  Canaan,  the  places  at  which  the  native  Canaanites 
served  their  gods  are  to  be  destroyed,  and  Jehovah  is  to  be 
worshipped  publicly  at  one  place  only,  to  be  selected  by  Him- 
self.— The  Code  of  special  laws  (c.  12-26)  begins,  like  the 
"Book  of  the  Covenant"  and  the  "Law  of  Holiness"  (Ex. 
2o23-2G.  Ley_  i7^'^)>  \vith  injunctions  respecting  the  place,  and 
the  character^  of  the  public  worship  of  Jehovah. — Of  the  two 
main  topics  dealt  with  in  c.  12,  viz.  (i)  the  destruction  of  the 
Canaanitish  places  of  worship,  (2)  the  limitation  of  the  public 
worship  of  Jehovah  to  a  single  sanctuary,  the  parallels  in 
the  other  Codes  are,  for  .(i) — though  with  reference  only  to 
the  religious  symbols  of  the  Canaanites,  not  to  the  places,  as 
such,  at  which  their  rites  were  observed — Ex.  23-''-  ^-'"-  34^-"^^ 
(JE),  comp.  also  (more  generally)  20^3  22i^("-")  34^";  Nu.  33'^2f. 
(H);  and  for  (2)  Ex.  2o'^^f-  (JE),  Lev.  i;!-^  (H).  The  relation 
of  the  last  two  passages  to  the  law  of  Dt.  gives  rise,  however, 
to  difficulty,  and  needs  discussion.  Ex.  20-"-  lays  no  stress 
upon  sacrifice  being  confined  to  a  single  spot,  but  directs  it  to 
be  offered  upon  an  altar  built,  in  simple  fashion,  of  earth  or 
unhewn  stone,  and  attaches  to  such  worship  the  promise,  "  In 


XII.  137 

whatever  place  I  cause  my  name  to  be  remembered  (or  com- 
memorated), I  will  come  unto  thee,  and  bless  thee."  The 
reference  here  cannot,  for  many  reasons  (see  od  loc),  be  to  the 
altar  of  burnt-offering-  before  the  Tabernacle,  as  described  in 
P  (Ex.  27^-s  &c.):  not  only,  for  instance,  is  a  far  simpler 
structure  manifestly  in  the  writer's  mind,  but  the  alternatives 
offered  (earth  or  unhewn  stone)  are  an  indication  that  the  law 
is  meant  quite  generally,  and  that  its  intention  is  to  authorize 
the  erection  of  altars,  built  in  the  manner  prescribed,  in  any 
part  of  the  land.  With  the  plurality  of  altars,  thus  sanctioned, 
agrees  not  merely,  in  pre-Mosaic  times,  the  practice  of  the 
patriarchs,  who  are  often  in  JE  stated  to  have  built  altars, 
and  worshipped,  especially  at  spots  where  Jehovah  had  mani- 
fested Himself  to  them  (Gn.  12^-^  j^-i.  is  22^-1^  26--^  33-''  35^*  ^' " 
46^:  cf.  Ex.  17^^),  but  also  the  usage  of  the  Israelites  generally, 
between  the  ages  of  Moses  and  Solomon. 

Dunng;  this  period  the  historical  books  imply  the  existence  of 
sanctuaries  (other  than  that  at  which  the  Ark  was  stationed),  and  speak 
frequently  of  the  erection  of  altars,  and  of  sacrifice,  not  only  on  occasion 
of  a  theophany,  or  in  obedience  to  an  express  command  (as  Jos.  8''"^-  Jud. 
25  6-'6  j^i«.  19  2  S.  24-5),  but  also  independently,  Jos.  24^-  -«  1  S.  f^-  '^  g'^-i* 
(at  a  high-place),  lo''*''-^  I3'"'  11'^  I4"'''  {fhejirst  of  the  altars  built  by  Saul  to 
Jehovah),  20"  2  S.  j^^f.  12.  :i2  ('<  where  men  Ksed  to  7vorship  God"),  i  K.  3^ 
("the  great  high-place"  at  Gibe'on,  at  which  Solomon  was  accustomed 
(n'?j;')  to  sacrifice).  In  none  of  these  notices  is  there  any  mark  of  dis- 
approval, or  any  intimation,  on  the  part  of  either  the  actors  or  the 
narrator,  that  a  law  such  as  that  of  Dt.  is  being-  infringed  :  in  i  S.  9'"''^ 
lo''"^  it  is  especially  evident  that  ordinary  and  regular  customs  are 
described.  Although,  therefore,  in  the  earlier  centuries  of  Israclitish 
history,  the  sanctuary  at  which  the  Ark  was  stationed  had  naturally  the 
pre-eminence,  and  was  the  centre  to  which  annual  pilgrimages  were  made 
(cf.  Ex.  23'*'"'*^^  [first-fruits  to  be  brought  to  "the  house  of  Jehovah"]; 
Jud.  21''';  I  S.  i3.7. 21^^  )(•  cannot  be  doubted  that  other  local  sanctuaries 
existed  in  difTerent  parts  of  the  land,  and  that  sacrifice  offered  at  them  was 
considered  perfectly  legitimate.  (Cf.  Ex.  22-'*  (•*"',  which  also  presupposes 
local  sanctuaries  :  see  on  15"'^.) 

The  local  sanctuaries,  in  spite  of  the  splendour  and  cclai  of 
the  Temple  built  by  Solomon,  retained  their  popularity  through 
the  period  of  the  Kings :  the  Deuteronomic  compiler  of  the 
Books  of  Kings  notes  repeatedly  how  the  people  continued  to 
sacrifice  at  them,  and  even  the  good  kings  did  not  remove 
them  (i  K.  32-  a  i4'-':'>  1514  22'3  2  K.  12*  (3)  14*  154.  ,",5  ^^\y     Comp. 


138  DEUTIiRONOMY 

also  I  K.  18'"^  19^"- ^'*.  Time  however  showed  how  impossible 
it  was  to  secure  them  against  abuse,  and  to  preserve  the 
worship  conducted  at  them  from  contamination  with  Canaan- 
itish  idolatry  (cf.  i  K.  i^"^'-'^-;  ii^  2  K.  23^3.  jgr.  7-1  17-  igS)  ; 
the  abolition  of  them  was  attempted,  though  with  only  tem- 
porary success,  by  Hezekiah  (2  K.  i8*-22  21^):  in  Dt.  they  are 
formally  declared  illegal,  legitimate  sacrifice  being  expressly 
restricted  to  the  single  sanctuary  ;  and  to  the  Deuteronomic 
ideal  Josiah  gave  practical  effect  in  his  reforms  (2  K.  22^-  ^). 
The  law  of  Dt.  thus  marks  an  epoch  in  the  history  of  Israelitish 
religion  :  it  springs  from  an  age  when  the  old  law  (Ex.  20^'), 
sanctioning  an  indefinite  number  of  local  sanctuaries,  had  been 
proved  to  be  incompatible  with  purity  of  worship ;  it  marks 
the  final,  and  most  systematic,  effort  made  by  the  prophets  to 
free  the  public  worship  of  Jehovah  from  heathen  accretions. 

The  gist  of  Lev.  17'""  is  (i)  to  prohibit  the  slaug^hter,  even  for  purposes 
of  food,  of  any  animal  of  a  kind  that  mig'ht  be  offered  in  sacrifice,  without 
its  being-  presented  to  Jehovah  at  the  Tabernacle,  in  the  manner  of  a 
peace-ofTcring,  v.'"'';  and  (2)  to  forbid  burnt-offering  or  sacrifice  being 
offered  except  at  the  same  place,  v.*'^  The  principle  on  which  the  first 
of  these  prohibitions  depends  is  explained  below,  on  v.'''^-  :  the  aim  of  the 
second  is  to  insure  sacrifice  in  general  being  offered  exclusively  to  Jehovah. 
In  view  of  Ex.  20-'',  and  of  the  other  passages,  just  quoted,  illustrating  the 
practice  of  the  period  from  Moses  to  Solomon,  it  is  extremely  difficult  to 
think  that  Lev.  17^"^  (accepting  it,  in  substance,  as  pre-Deuteronomic)  can 
still  be  in  its  original  form.  The  full  discussion  of  this  subject  belongs  to 
a  Commentary  on  Leviticus ;  but  the  most  probable  opinion  is  that,  as 
originally  formulated  (as  part  of  the  "Law  of  Holiness"),  Lev.  17^'"  had 
no  reference  to  a  central  sanctuary  (the  "Tent  of  Meeting"),  but  pre- 
supposed a/i/MrrtZ/Aj/ of  legitimate  sanctuaries,  and  was  onl}- accommodated 
to  the  single  sanctuary,  by  a  modification  in  its  phraseology,  when  it  was 
incorporated  in  P.  In  its  more  original  form,  the  law  will  have  harmonized 
of  course  with  Ex.  20^ ;  and  its  special  aim  will  have  been  to  insist  on 
sacrifices  being  offered  to  Jehovah  alone  instead  of  to  the  imaginary 
demons  of  the  desert,  to  whom  (v.')  the  Israelites  were  prone  to  offer  them. 
This  view  of  the  passage  is  taken  by  Kittel,  Theol.  Sfudien  aiis  Wiirdein- 
herg,  18S1,  p.  42  ff.,  Gesch.  d.  Hebrdcr,  i.  99;  Dillm.  on  Lev.  17';  Baudis- 
sin,  Gesch.  des  AT, lichen  Pricsferthunics,  p.  47  :  comp.  W.  R.  Smith,  Addit. 
Answ.  to  the  Libel,  Edinb.  1S78,  pp.  61-64  ;  and  Leviticus,  by  H.  A.  White 
and  the  present  writer,  in  Haupt's  "  Sacred  Books  of  the  OT."  (1894). 

1.  These  are  the  statutes,  Qfc^  the  words  are  of  the  nature 
of  a  superscription  to  c.  12-26:  cf.  5I  6^ — All  the  days,  &-'c.\ 

XII.  1.  Idj]   hnlh  given,  viz.   in  effect  (3-).     Usu.  in  Dt.   jnJ;    but  the 


XII.  1-2  139 

^10  2 1 1:'.— 2-3.  All  Canaanitisli  places  of  worship  are  to  be 
destroyed. — A  fundamental  and  necessary  condition  for  the 
pure  and  uncontaminated  worship  of  Jehovah  (v.'^'^-). — Upon 
the  high  mountains^  and  upon  the  hills,  and  tinder  every  spread- 
ing tree]  the  favourite  sites  chosen  by  the  Canaanites  for  their 
idolatrous  observances.  Worship  at  these  spots,  accompanied 
often  by  licentious  rites,  is  frequently  alluded  to  in  the  period 
of  the  Kings.  Thus  Hosca  {c.  750)  writes  (4^^) :  "They  sacri- 
fice upon  the  tops  of  the  mountains,  and  burn  incense  upon 
the  hills,  under  the  oak,  and  the  poplar,  and  the  terebinth, 
because  the  shade  thereof  is  good :  therefore  your  daughters 
commit  w^horedom,  and  your  brides  commit  adultery"  :  Isaiah, 
shortly  afterwards,  speaks  of  the  terebinths,  and  gardens,  in 
which  the  idolatrous  Judahites  delighted  (i^^);  in  the  age  of 
Jeremiah,  the  standing  phrase,  in  connexion  with  idolatrous 
observances,  is  *'  upon  every  high  hill,  and  under  every  spread- 
ing tree,"  Jer.  2^0  (cf.  f  if);  i  K.  1423  2  K.  17^^,  cf.  16*  (all 
Deut.);  Ez.  61^  (cf.  20-s) ;  "upon  the  mountains,"  Ez.  iS^-^-is 
22^  Is.  65''^;  "  under  every  spreading  tree,"  Is.  57^  Jer,  3^^^  f^e 
fact  that  such  spots  were  selected  by  the  Canaanites  for  their 
idolatrous  rites,  and  often,  it  is  probable,  adopted  from  them 
by  the  immigrant  Israelites,  caused  them  naturally  to  be  re- 
garded with  strong  disfavour  by  Hebrew  legislators  and 
prophets.  The  "places  "  alluded  to  are  no  doubt  the  nV33,  or 
artificial  mounds  (AV.  "high-places"),  with  accompanying 
shrine,  or  chapel  (n'n :  i  K.  12^1  13^'^,  cf.  Ez.  iG^'^),  altar,  &c., 
erected  ("built"  2  K.  21^  al.;  "made,"  id.  23^^  «/.)  in  such 
localities  (e.g.  i  K.  11'^  142"  Ez.  6^^  202s'"-):  see  more  fully  on 
Nu.  33^2  (H)  Mvy^'n  Dnv:^n  i?3  nxi. 

Why  the  sites  referred  to  were  chosen  for  religious  purposes,  is  not 
definitely  stated,  and  can  only  be  inferred  by  conjecture.     Trees  may  have 

position  (before  the  subj.)  shows  that  the  punct.  is  correct. — 2.  niDipDn] 
the  word  may  possibly,  like  the  Arab,  makam,  have  acquired  in  Heb. 
the  sense  of  '^ sacred  place"  \  Gn.  12"  28"  i  S.  7^®  (cf.  (&.)  Jer.  7'^. — D'ct] 
on  9'. — pynj  not  green,  but  spreading,  hixuriant, — always,  except  Ps.  92^' 
(pVT  JCB')  ^5  (of  the  righteous,  under  the  fig.  of  a  tree),  of  trees  or  leaves. 
The  etym.  is  not  certain.  Arab,  ra'una  is  to  be  (mentally)  lax,  Jlaccid, 
iveak  :  possibly,  therefore,  the  primary  meaning  of  the  root  may  have  been 
to  fall  abroad  loosely,  in  Ileb.  used  lit.  of  trees,  in  Arab,  applied  fig.  to  the 
mind.      ffit  omru;,  uX^u^r,!,  lilffKies,  Kctruvxio;,  auiriiios. 


T40  DEUTllRONOMY 

been  selected,  partly  for  the  reason  assij^ncd  by  Ilosca,  viz.  on  account  of 
their  shade,  but  partly  also  because  they  were  often  regarded  as  sacred 
(on  ii'"*);  and  hill  tops,  it  is  generally  supposed,  were  chosen  as  being- 
open  to  heaven,  and  nearer  than  other  points  of  earth  to  the  heavenly 
gods  (for  another  conjecture,  see  W.  R.  Smith,  Rel.  Sem.  pp.  352,  356, 
358,  470  f.).  Among  the  Israelites,  also,  sacred  associations  gathered 
round  the  same  spots  ;  and  both  religious  ceremonies,  and  theophanies, 
are  described  as  taking  place  on  mountain-tops,  or  other  eminences  {e.g. 
Gn.  22'^  Jud.  6-«  I  S.  gi-s-i^-is  lo^  2  S.  is^-  i  K.  iS'"-^;  cf.  the  "mount  of 
God,"  of  Horeb,  Ex.  3^  4^  24'^  i  K.  19''),  and  under  sacred  trees  (Gn.  iz''"'- 
13''*  18I  2i^''  Jos.  24-'''  Jud.  e"-^''-^^).— See  further,  on  sacred  trees,  on  ir'«; 
and  on  sacred  hills,  Baudissin,  Sem.  Rel.-Gesch.  ii.  231  ff.,  252 flf. 

3.  Ye  shall  break  dow)i,  <5r'c.]  nearly  as  7^  (Ex.  23^'  34^''). 
The  command  is  naturally  repeated  here,  as  giving-  complete- 
ness to  the  injunction  of  v. 2.  On  the  "pillars"  (obelisks) 
and  "Ashtirim,"  see  on  iG-^-^^. — Cause  their  natne  to  perish 
(72^)  out  oj  that  place\  the  very  names  of  the  deities  once 
venerated  at  it  are  to  be  forgotten  (Zeph.  i^  Zech.  13-). 

4-7.  Only  at  one  spot,  to  be  chosen  by  Himself,  are  sacri- 
fices, and  other  sacred  dues,  to  be  presented  to  Jehovah. — 
4.  Ye  shall  not  do  so,  &c.^  i.e.  not  worship  Him,  at  every  spot 
without  distinction,  and  with  idolatrous  rites. — 5.  Unto  the 
place  which  Jehovah  your  God  s/tall  c/ioost']  the  standing  phrase 
in  Dt.  for  the  central  sanctuary  12'^-  ''^-  -''  14-'^  15-^  i6"-  '■''•  i"  i7*'- 
10  igi;  3111  Jos.  927  (D-),  with  the  addition  (as  here)  "to  set 
(mb'P)  his  name  there"  12-^  14-^  and  "to  cause  his  name  to 
dwell  (1.3???)  there  "  12^1  14--'  i6--  "•  ^^  26-.  The  expression  occurs 
nowhere  else  in  the  Hex.,  though  the  idea  that  the  place  of 
sacrifice  is  to  be  appointed  by  God,  not  by  man,  agrees  with 
Ex.  20-^^'.  Of  course  the  place  tacitly  designated  by  the  ex- 
pression is  Jerusalem,  which  is  described  similarly  in  passages 
of  Kings  due  to  the  Deut.  compiler,  as  the  city  which  Jeho\  all 
has  "chosen,"  i  K.  8^^- ^'^  (cf.  v.i")  1 1  •"•••-'•  ■"'J  1421  2  K.  21"  22;-'. 

3.  CD^'  nx  cm3.s-i]  cf.  Is.  26'^ ;  c.  7--»  (tin-).— 5.  .  .  .  nrx  cipon  Sx  ca  'd 
nc^'  n.s'ai  wmn  12 3C''?]  the  construction  is  uncertain,  (i)  The  Massorites, 
by  placing  the  afhnah  at  D:;',  pcrh.  also  by  vocalizing  p'  (not  •^^,  as  Ex. 
29'":  yet  cf.  DT?P,  "i*??^  by  the  side  of  m,2n,  Shti,  Ols.  §  245^  G-K.  §  6r. 
R.')  show  that  they  treat  ij3C  as  a  subst.,  divelling,  connecting  "s-^z-ch 
with  iij-nn,  and  regarding  it  as  resumptive  of  Dipan  7N :  in  this  case 
there  will  be  an  anacoluthon,  Sx  at  the  beginning  being  governed 
by  the  verb  of  motion,  which  is  implicitly  in  the  writer's  mind,  but  the 
construction  being  broken  b)'  the   insertion  of  it'Tin  i:zf7.     A  subst.   \^'^ 


XII.   3-6  141 

On  the  theolotjical  application  of  tlu'  word  choose,  see  further 
on  4''" :  the  idea  is  a  favourite  one  with  writers  of  the  Deut. 
school. — Out  of  all  your  tribes]  comp.  i  K.  8^''  11^2  j^2i  2  K. 
21''^  (all  Dcut.). — To  set  his  name  there-]  so  v.-^  142*  i  K.  9^  11^'' 
2  K.  21^- ";  comp.  the  parallel  phrases  "to  cause  his  name  to 
dwell  (i?C'i^)  there,"  v.n  h^'*  16- ^-h  26''^  Jer.  712  (of  Shiloh) 
Ezra  6'- Neh.  I'-'f  (cf.  Ps.  74"),  and  "that  my  name  may  be 
there  "  i  K.  S"'-  -'•'  2  K.  23^7. 

The  name,  with  the  Hebrews,  is  the  expression  of  the  nature — hence 
the  prophets,  when  they  wish  to  describe  a  person  or  place  by  its  real 
character,  often  say  that  it  will  be  called  ov  named  a.ccord\n§\y,  Is.  i-'' 4-' 
30^  62^' 1-  Ez.  48''^  &c.  :  "the  'name  of  Jehovah'  is  thus  the  compendious 
expression  of  His  character  and  attributes,  as  He  has  revealed  them  to 
men"  (Kirkpatrick  on  Ps.  5")  :  to  act  "  for  His  name's  sake"  (Ps.  23^  31'* 
143'^  Is.  48"  Jer.  i/^--^  al.)  is  to  act  in  such  a  manner  as  not  to  belie  His 
revealed  nature.  Jehovah's  revealed  nature  is  specially  associated  with 
His  people,  Israel,  and  with  His  sanctuary  in  its  midst  :  hence  He  will  not 
forsake  His  people;  for  when  Israel  suffers  contumely  or  reproach,  it  is  His 
own  name  which  is  profaned  (i  S.  12"-  Is.  48"  Ez.  20"- "• --  36-""-^) ;  and  the 
sanctuary  is  the  place  of  Jehovah's  "name,"  because  He  there  vouchsafes 
the  special  tokens  of  His  presence  and  graciously  responds  to  His  servants 
devotions  (comp.  Oehler,  OT.  Theol.  §  56;  Schultz,  OT.  Theol.  p.  514  f. 
[ii.  I23f.]).  The  term  is  first  found  in  connexion  with  a  sanctuary  in  the 
Book  of  the  Covenant,  Ex.  20'-'*  "in  every  place  where  I  will  cause  my 
name  to  be  remembered  {or  commemorated)  (cii'  'DB"  T31N  nt'X  mpDn  h^i) 
— viz.  in  consequence  of  some  manifestation  of  my  presence — "  I  will  come 
unto  thee,  and  bless  thee."  Isaiah  (18")  calls  the  Temple  "the  place  of 
Jehovah's  name"  (cf.  Jer.  3^^);  and  the  expression  "to  build  an  house  to 
Jehovah's  name"  is  found  2  S.  f^  1  K.  y  s^-^^P-S)  s'^-'-o-^-'^s  (all  Deut.). 

(Even)  to  his  dwelling  shall  ye  seek  (lB>-nn)]  i.e.  resort  thither 
for  religious  purposes;  comp.  Am.  5^  ^sir'n  1t:mn  ^Nl,  and  with 
God  as  obj.  Gn.  2522  i  S.  9^  al.  (cf.  on  18^1).— 6.  Thither  all 
sacrifices,  and  other  sacred  dues,  are  to  be  brought:  viz.  (i)  and 
(2)  humt-offerings  and,  sacrifiees  (dtidt),  the  two  commonest 

does  not,  however,  occur  elsewhere:  hence  (2)  Knob.,  Keil,  Oettli, 
and  others,  disreg^arding-  the  athtiah,  render  as  an  inf.,  "that  he  {or 
it)  may  dwell  (there),"  i.e.  that  His  presence  there  may  be  an  abiding- 
one.  The  objection  to  (2)  is  that  i:3ty^  is  then  somewhat  otiose  (for 
cu  1DB'  riN  Die'? — see  above^is  a  synonym  of  DC  icu'  pti'':'),  and  comes 
in  lamely  at  the  end  of  the  sentence,  nor  is  vn  construed  elsewhere 
with  hn  of  the  place  resorted  to ;  the  sentence  also  is  decidedly  more 
forcible,  if  Dipon  hn  be  resumed,  after  the  long  intervening  relative  clause, 
by  a  synonym  such  as  u:^'?. — nt<ai]  Sam.  ffi  cn.sai ;  cf.  however  v.'* ",  and 
see  on  i-'. 


142  DEUTERONOMY 

kinds  of  sacrifice,  often  mentioned  toj^^ethcr,  especially  in 
gfeneral  desig-nations  of  sacrifice  (Ex.  lo-''  i8''^  Jos.  222*'-28  i  S. 
515  j^^22  2  K.  5'"  (Na'aman)  Jcr.  7--),  the  "sacrifice"  specially 
intended  in  such  cases  by  Q-nnr  being-  doubtless  the  thank- 
offering-  (q''QX"),  which  in  other  similar  passages  seems  to  be 
combined  with  ni^iy  as  a  parallel  to  DTinT  {e.g:  Ex.  2o2'  24''  32" 
1  S.  lo'^  13^).  On  these  forms  of  sacrifice,  see  more  fully  on  Lev. 
I.  3;  cf.  Wellh.  IlisL  p.  69  ff.;  (3)  lillics,  see  on  14^^;  (4)  tJie 
contribution  [licdve-offcring)  of  your  hand,  i.e.  "what  the  hand 
iz/ts  oJJ"  [O'ln)  from  the  produce  of  the  soil,  Nu.  151'J"  (Oettli), 
as  a  contribution  to  the  service  of  the  Deity.  The  usage  of  the 
term  makes  it  probable  that  the  reference  is  partly  to  the  first- 
fruits,  a  reg^ular  and  ancient  offering-  (Ex.  2'^^-^'^\w  JE;  Dt. 
262 ;  cf.  Nu.  18^2  in  p^^  which  would  otherwise  not  be  alluded 
to  in  the  enumeration,  partly  to  other  voluntary  offerings, 
taken  from  the  produce  of  the  soil,  such  as  were  presented  at 
the  three  annual  pilgrimages  (see  iG^'^'"- 1*-  i''^'-i"). 

"Heave-offering-"  {fenlnidh)  is  a  term  beloiiying-  to  the  priestly  termin- 
ology, being  used  principally  by  P  and  the  priestly  prophet  Ezekiel.  An 
examination  of  the  passages  in  which  nonn,  jind  the  cognate  verb  D'ln, 
occur,  shows  that  it  does  not  imply  any  rite  of  "  elevation,"  but  that  it 
denotes  properly  what  is  lifted  off  vi.  larger  mass,  or  separated  from  it,  for 
sacred  purposes  (ffi  often  cdpa'tfi^a ;  C  Nnin2.s',^both  expressing-  the  idea 
o^ separation  :  so  also  Ges.  s.v..  Knob,  and  Di.  on  Lev.  7",  Keil  on  Lev. 
2",  Oehler,  OT.  Tlieol.  §  133,  &c.).  nc-)in  is  thus  used  of  contributions  of 
money,  spoil,  &c.,  offered  for  sacred  purposes,  Ex.  25-'*  Nu.  18*  (of  the 
sacrifices  named  in  v.^,  treated  generally  as  contributions  to  the  sanctuar\-) 
2j^o.  41  £2.  45^^* "'  Ezr.  8-^;  Ez.  45'' ''•^  al.  of  land  reserved  for  the  priests 
and  Levites.  In  connexion  with  sacrifices  no-nn  is  only  used  specially 
of  portions  "taken  off"  from  the  rest,  and  forming  the  priest's  due  [e.g. 
Lev.  7^^  and  esp.  the  "  heave-thigh,"  which,  with  the  "wave-breast,"  was 
the  priest's  share  of  the  thank-offering,  ib.  7^2.34  ^/_)_  poj.  p>-|;i^  ^j-g  Lev. 
29  ^19  63(15) .  3„j  for  ,^n„n  Dnn  combined,  Ex.  35-*  Nu.  is'"-  ■«  iS^"---*  Ez.  45I 
{oi  land).  Used  absolutely,  nonn  commonlj' denotes  gifts  taken  from  the 
produce  of  the  land,  whether  the  tithe,  or  first-fruits  and  firstlings  ;  so . 
not  only  2  S.  i-^  (if  the  text  be  sound),  Nu.  15"--!  i8'i  (see  v.'-'-)  ^••«.'-'«.28.» 
but  also  2  Ch.  31'"-  '-•"  (see  v.^- «)  Nch.  iq-'s-^of-s:.)  ^^^a.  j^s  g^,.  30*0  ^^so 
Mai.  33("  tithe  and  teritindJt,"  as  here),  nnnn  is  sometimes  in  AV.  RV. 
represented  by  offering;  oblation,  the  usual  rendering  of  J3np ;  but  in 
Hebrew  the  two  words  differ  in  their  application  considerably,  jmp 
denotes  an  offering  as  "brought  near,"  or  "presented,"  and  is  applied 
especially  to  sacrifices.  Lev.  i^  2^  3-'  and  frequently  [79  times  :  except  Ez. 
20-*  40''^,  always  in  P  (or  H)] :  nnnn  corresponds  rather  to  "contribution," 
and  is  only  used  exceptionally  in  connexion  with  sacrifices. 


XII.  7-8  143 

The  addition  "of  your  hand"  (so  v.^^:  cf.  15"  j6^^-  ^~)  marks 
the  Icrunidh  as  the  worshipper's  personal  offering-,  rendered  by 
him  deliberately  and  willingly. — (5)  and  (6)  Yoiu- vows  a  fid  your 
j'/cc-ivill  offerings,  i.e.  extraordinary  sacrifices,  offered  either 
in  performance  of  a  vow,  or  from  a  spontaneous  impulse  on 
the  part  of  the  giver.  Such  sacrifices  might  take  the  form  of 
either  thank-offerings  (□Voi'C')  or  burnt-offerings  (Lev.  22^^.21)^ 
though  the  former  appears  to  have  been  the  more  usual  (Lev. 
7^'') :  see  on  these  passages. — (7)  The  firstlings  of  your  oxen 
and  of  your  sheep:  see  1519-23;  Ex.  132.  i2f.  2229(3")  34iof.  (JE) ; 
Nu.  i8^^-is  (P). — 7.  And  there  ye  shall  eat,  &c.]\n  the  case  of 
such  offerings  (notably  the  thank-offerings)  as  were  accom- 
panied by  a  sacrificial  meal,  the  worshipper's  family  and  house- 
hold were  to  share  it  with  him:  so  v.^^  1423.20  (tithes),  15'-^ 
(firstlings),  cf.  27'''.  For  other  allusions  to  "eating,"  as  an 
act  of  worship,  or  communion,  accompanying-  sacrifice,  see  Gn. 
3i4C.  54  Ex.  18^2  2411  I  S.  9^3  Ps.  2230(20);  jn  the  service  of  false 
gods  Ex.  34^^  Nu.  252. — Before  fehovah^  i.e.  at  the  sanctuary, 
as  v.^2. 18  1423.26^  and  frequently  (i  S.  ii2-i5  Lev.  i^-n  &c.).— 
And  ye  shall  rejoice  on  account  of  all  that  ye  put  your  hand  to\ 
n^  npK'p  (peculiar  to  Dt.)  denotes  an  -undertaking,  enterprise^ 
especially  one  connected  with  agriculture  (synon.  "I^  ■^^f'J''.^  '•  see 
on  2^)  v.is  1510  2321  28^-201.  The  Israelite,  when  he  brings  his 
offerings  to  the  sanctuary,  and  partakes  of  the  sacrificial  meal 
which  a  bounteous  year  has  enabled  him  to  provide,  is  to  thank 
Jehovah  with  a  joyous  heart  for  the  success  with  which  his 
labours  have  been  blessed.. — Hath  blessed  thee'\  2^. 

8-14.  This  centralization  of  public  worship  is  to  come  into 
operation  as  soon  as  Israel  is  secure  in  Canaan.^8.  The  irregu- 
lar, arbitrary  worship  of  the  wilderness  is  not  to  continue  in- 
definitely. Comp.  Am.  52^,  where  it  is  implied  that  sacrifices 
were  not  offered  in  the  wilderness. — Every  man  tvhatsoever  is 
right  in  his  owti  eyes]  comp.  Jud.  17*^  21 25  (of  the  period  when 
there  was  no  king  in  Israel  to  preserve  discipline  and  order). 
By  here  and  to-day  is  meant  the  period  of  the  people's  sojourn 
in  the  field  of  Moab  At  the  same  time,  as  Oettli  remarks, 
the  terms  of  the  description  are  no  doubt  coloured  by  the  cir- 
7.  '^'•:'i(]  =  7vheretn ;  cf.  on  7'^. 


144  DEUTERONOMY 

ciimstanccs  of  the  writer's  own  clay,  when  sacrifice  was  offered, 
with  probably  a  lax  ritual,  at  the  local  sanctuaries. — 9.  The 
excuse  for  such  irrej^-ularities  :  Israel  has  not  yet  entered  into 
the  secure  and  undisturbed  possession  of  its  own  land. — To  the 
rest  (nm^rp)]  i.e.  to  the  place  of  rest :  cf.  i  K.  8^*^  Ps.  95^^—10. 
And  he  shall  give  you  rest,  &c.^  so  25'-' Jos.  23^,  cf.  21^2(44)  (both 
D2)  2  S.  7\  cf.  v.ii  I  K.  5^^(^>.  In  all  probability  the  reference 
is  to  the  peace  secured  by  Dav^id  and  Solomon  (2  S.  7'  i  K. 
gi8(i))j  v.^^  containing-  a  covert  allusion  to  the  Temple  in  Jeru- 
salem, the  city  so  often  described  in  the  King's  (see  on  v.-'),  in 
corresponding- terms,  as  "chosen"  by  Jehovah  for  His  abode. — 
11.  See  v.5-^,from  which  the  expressions  vised  are  mostly  repeated. 
— And  all  your  choice  vo"cOs\  the  expression  seems  to  imply  that 
the  vow  being-  something-  exceptional,  the  sacrifice  offered  in 
fulfilment  of  it  was  of  a  superior  kind. — 12.  And  ye  shall  rejoice 
before  Jehovah  your  God]  the  holy  joy  with  which  a  sacrificial 
feast  (which  is  here  meant,  see  v.'^)  is  to  be  celebrated,  is  else- 
where also  the  object  of  a  special  injunction  in  Dt.  (v.^^  14-*' 
jgn.u  26^1  277 ;  cf.  Lev.  23^0  (ijj  of  rejoicing  during  the  Feast 
of  Booths). — And  the  Levite]  here  the  Levite,  who  has  no 
territorial  possession  of  his  own  (lo''),  and  is  accordingly 
dependent  for  his  subsistence  upon  what  he  receives  from 
others,  is  included  also  among  those  who  are  to  be  invited  to 
the  sacrificial  feast  (so  v.^s  14^^  i6"- 1*  2611).  Cf.  v.'»  14-''  26'^ 
which  likewise  illustrate  the  Writer's  regard  for  the  Levite; 
and  see  on  18^"^. — That  is  ivitliin  your  gates\  i.e.  resident  in 
your  various  cities.  This  use  of  "gates"  is  peculiarly  charac- 
teristic of  Dt.  (see  the  Introd.  §  5),  occurring  in  it  some  25 
times,  and  being  found  besides  only  Ex.  20'"  ("the  stranger 

10  11.  n-ni  .  .  .  cm^in]  AV.  "and  ivhen  .  .  .  then";  cf.  on  8'-. — 10. 
h  n'D.i]  there  is  a  tendency  in  Heb.  for  Hif'ils  to  be  construed  with  h, 
apparently  as  a  dat.  comniodi\  Gn.  45^  '?  n'nn  to  give  life  to,  Ps.  4-  S  3'mn 
to  give  ividlli  to,  Hos.  10^  '?  nann,  Is.  53"  ^  ■pn.'s.n  to  give  righteousness  to; 
cf.  Evv.  §  282°,  Lex.  h  3.— noa  cnn^^i]  so  i  S.  12"  (Dcut.),  cf.  nan  ps/  33-8 
(poet.)  Pr.  I-'*,  nan  being  an  accus.  of  manner  (G-K.  §  1 18.  5) ;  but  ncnS  za' 
is  more  usual,  both  in  poetry  and  prose,  Lev.  25'^'  ^*  26"'  «/. — 11.  Lit.  it 
shall  be,  as  regards  the  place,  &c.  The  accents  (which  connect  Dipc.i  with 
.Tm,  and  separate  it  from  what  follows)  must  be  disregarded  :  cipci  is 
the  absolute  case,  such  as  occurs  constantl)'  after  r^^^y  (18'"  21-'  Nu.  17**" 
aiSb  &c.) ;  i;.  Dr.  §  121  Obs.  i,  2.— 11.  •\nzd\  cf.  Ex.  15^  Is.  22''  37-'  al. 


xii.  9-16  145 

that  is  within  thy  grates"),  i  K.  S''  (Deut.)  =  2  Ch.  6-^— 13  f. 
The  injunction  is  repeated,  with  special  reference  to  the  hiinil- 
ojfering,  as  though  the  temptation  to  otTer  this  (cf.  on  v.*')  at 
other  places  might  be  peculiarly  strong. — 13.  In  every  place 
that  tJiou  secst\  and  which,  by  the  advantages  of  its  site  (cf. 
V.-),  might  attract  thee  to  make  it  a  place  of  sacrifice. — 14. 
All  Ihat  I  am  comniaiidiug-  thcc\  \iz.  in  the  precepts  of  v.*"^-  ^"^ 

15-16.  Animals,  however,  that  are  intended  for  food,  and 
not  for  sacrifice,  may  be  slain  and  eaten  freely  in  any  part  of 
the  land,  provided  only  that  their  blood  be  not  consumed. — 15. 
TJiou  maycst  slaugJitcr  (n^in)]  see  below. — After  all  the  desire 
of  thy  soul]  (^v'S-^  ri^.i<"b3)  v.^0-1  18"  I  S.  232"  (?):  "^iX  besides 
Hos.  lo^'^  Jer.  2^^j. — According-  to  the  blessing,  &c.]  i.e.  accord- 
ing as  thy  means,  through  God's  blessing,  permit  thee ;  so 
16^".  —  The  iinclean  and  the  clean  may  eat  thereof,  as  of  the 
gazelle,  and  as  of  the  hart]  so  v. 22  1522^  Qy^  ji^g  animals  named, 
see  on  14^.  The  meaning  is  that  animals  so  slain,  even  though 
of  a  kind  tliat  could  be  offered  in  sacrifice,  might  be  eaten 
freely,  like  game  (which  was  allowed  to  be  eaten  as  food — see 
14'' — though  not  accepted  for  sacrifice)  ;  the  meal  was  not  a 
sacrificial  one,  and  therefore  those  partaking  in  it  need  not 
even  be  ceremonially  ' '  clean  "  (Lev.  'j-^^-). — 16.  Only  ye  shall  not 
eat  the  blood]  to  eat  the  blood- — or  "  with  the  blood  "  (ain  hv) — 
was  a  practice  prohibited  to  the  Hebrews  :  the  antiquity  of  the 
feeling  against  it  (cf.  in  other  nations,  Frazer,  The  Golden  Bough, 
I.  178  f.)  is  shown  by  i  S.  I4'''2-  •'^•i;  and  it  is  strictly  and  repeatedly 
prohibited  in  Hebrew  legislation, — both  in  Dt.  (i2^''- 23.25  152^)^ 
and  in  the  other  Codes,  viz.  (H)  Lev.  1710-1^  (as  here,  immedi- 
ately following  a  law  on  the  place  of  sacrifice)  1926,  and  (P)  Gn. 
9^  Lev.  2^^  T"*"*^'  (cf.  Ez.  33-^).  See  further  on  v. 2''. — The  per- 
mission expressed  in  v.^'  was  a  necessary  consequence  of  the 
limitation  of  all  offerings  to  a  single  sanctuary.  By  ancient 
custom  in  Israel,  slaughter  and  sacrifice  were  identical  (cf.  phil. 
note,  belov/) :  the  flesh  of  domestic  animals,  such  as  the  ox,  the 

15.  nam]  in  old  Israel,  as  stated  above,  all  slaugfhter  was  sacrifice  ; 
hence  nni  naturally  expressed  not  to  slaughter  s\mT^\y,  but  to  slaughter  for 
sacrifice  :  here,  however,  though  the  same  word  is  used,  the  context 
shows  that  it  is  stripped  of  its  usual  associations,  and  denotes  to  slaughter 
simply.  So.  v.-i  i  S.  28-^  i  K.  1921. 
10 


146  DEUTERONOMY 

sheep,  and  the  g"oat  (as  is  still  the  case  among' the  Arabs)  was  not 
eaten  habitually ;  when  it  was  eaten,  the  slaughter  of  the  animal 
was  a  sacrificial  act,  and  its  flesh  could  not  be  lawfully  partaken 
of,  unless  the  fat  and  blood  were  first  presented  at  an  altar. 
Compare  in  this  connexion  i  S.  14^2-35^  where  the  sin  of  the 
people  in  eating  "  with  the  blood"  is  rectified  by  the  erection 
of  an  altar  at  which  the  blood  can  be  properly  presented  to 
Jehovah :  also  Hos.  9^-  *  Amos  y^'',  where  it  is  implied  that  in 
exile  all  the  food  of  the  people  will  be  unclean,  because  sacri- 
fice acceptable  to  Jehovah  cannot  be  offered  beyond  the  land 
of  Israel,  and  animals  slain  for  food  cannot  consequently 
be  presented  at  an  altar  (cf.  OTJC^  p.  249  f.).  So  long  as 
local  altars  w-ere  legal  in  Canaan  (Ex.  20^^),  domestic  animals 
slain  for  food  in  the  country  districts  could  be  presented  at 
one  of  them :  with  the  limitation  of  all  sacrifice  to  a  central 
sanctuary,  the  old  rule  had  necessarily  to  be  relaxed ;  a  dis- 
tinction had  to  be  drawn  between  slaughtering  for  food  and 
slaughtering  for  sacrifice  ;  the  former  was  permitted  freely  in 
all  places  (with  the  one  restriction,  that  the  blood,  which  could 
no  longer  be  presented  at  an  altar,  was  still  not  to  be  eaten, 
but  to  be  poured  away  upon  the  ground),  the  latter  was  pro- 
hibited, except  at  the  one  sanctuary. 

A  different  view  of  the  ground  of  the  permission  in  v.^^  is  naturally 
taken  by  those  who  regard  Lev.  17^"^  as  (in  its  present  fomi)  Mosaic. 
Lev.  17'"''  requires  every  ox,  lamb,  or  goat,  slain  for  food  by  the  Israelites, 
to  be  presented  at  the  sanctuary  (the  "  Tent  of  Meeting  ") :  as  this  law, 
though  practicable  in  the  wilderness,  was  evidently  impracticable  when 
the  people  were  settled  in  their  homes  in  different  parts  of  Canaan,  Dt. 
12"^  is  supposed  to  be  a  formal  abrogation  of  it,  promulgated  immediately 
before  the  Israelites'  entrance  into  the  Promised  Land.  This  explanation 
is  however  inconsistent  with  the  terms  of  Lev.  17" ;  how  could  a  law,  which 
from  the  nature  of  the  case  could  not  continue  in  force  when  the  journey- 
ings  in  the  wilderness  were  over,  be  described  (v.")  as  "a  statute  for  ever 
unto  them  throughout  their  generations,"  as  a  statute,  that  is,  intended  to 
be  permanently  valid  ?  But  upon  the  hypothesis,  indicated  p.  138,  that 
Lev.  17^'^  in  its  original  form,  had  reference  to  a  plurality  of  altars,  it 
falls  into  its  proper  place  as  a  law  parallel  to  Ex.  20^,  the  relaxation  of 
which,  as  just  explained,  was  a  natural  corollary  of  the  centralization  of 
sacrifice  introduced  by  Deuteronomy. 

17-18.  But  while  flesh,  not  intended  for  sacrifice,  may  be 
eaten  in  any  part  of  the  land,  tithes,  firstlings,  and  other  sacred 


XIT.   17-20  147 

dues  may  be  partaken  of  only  at  the  central  sanctuary.  The 
injunction  of  v J,  respecting-  the  place  of  the  sacrificial  meal,  is 
repeated  here,  in  more  definite  and  explicit  terms,  in  order  to 
preclude  any  possible  misapplication  of  the  permission  granted 
in  v.^''.  On  the  eating  of  the  tithe,  see  on  142^"-;  on  that  of 
the  firstlings,  i^"^;  on  the  sacrificial  meal  accompanying  vows 
and  free-will  off'erings  (in  so  far  as  these  were  not  burnt-offer- 
ings :  above  on  v.^).  Lev.  7i^'"-  (P) ;  the  gifts  designated  by  the 
"heave-offering  of  thy  hand"  (v.*^ :  cf.  iG^^''-^^)  must  also,  it 
appears,  have  afforded  occasion  for  a  sacred  meal,  though  the 
first-fruits  (if  these  are  included)  were  the  perquisite  of  the 
priests  (i8^  26-- "^-^O;  comp.,  however,  on  26^^). — 18.  See  on  v.^- 
''•  12. — 19.  TAe  LcviYc]  the  command  just  given  (v.^^)  is  repeated, 
in  more  general  terms,  in  accordance  with  the  stress  which  the 
Writer  lays  upon  it  (on  v.^^^. 

20-28.  Repetition  of  the  permission  of  v.^^  and  the  restric- 
tion of  v.^®,  with  fuller  explanations. — 20-21.  The  conditions 
under  which  the  permission  of  v.^^  may  become  necessary,  viz. 
the  enlargement  of  Israel's  border,  and  the  consequent  remote- 
ness of  many  parts  of  the  country  from  the  central  sanctuary. 
— 20.  Shall  enlarge  thy  border^  as  he  hath  said  {promised)  to 
thee  (i^^)]  cf.  19S;  and  see  Ex.  '^a^'^  (JE). — And  thou  shall  say, 
I  will  eatflcsJi\  viz.  at  a  feast,  or  on  some  other  exceptional 
occasion.  "  Except  at  a  feast,  or  to  entertain  a  guest,  or  in 
sacrifice  before  a  local  shrine,  the  Bedouin  tastes  no  meat  but 
the  flesh  of  the  gazelle  or  other  game.  This  throws  light  on 
Dt.  i2^<'-22j  which  shows  that  in  old  Israel  game  was  the  only 
meat  not  eaten  sacrificially.  That  flesh  was  not  eaten  every 
day  even  by  wealthy  people,  appears  very  clearly  from  Nathan's 
parable  and  from  the  Book  of  Ruth"  [OTJC^  p.   249;/.). — 

17.  Vdw  nS]  7".— 18.  IT  n'rti'a]  that  to  which  thy  hand  is  put  forth,  a  kind  of 
compound  subst,  formed  from  T  nh\y :  so  Is.  7"°  mc  n'?rc,  nc'  cona  that  to  which 
the  ox  is  sent  forth,  that  which  the  sheep  (ramples  down  ;  Is.  11^  vry  hn-d, 
V3IK  vc:;'D  that  which  his  e3-es  see,  that  which  his  ears  hear  ;  '*  DT  m'rra  that 
upon  which  their  hand  is  put  forlh  =  their  dominion,  Ez.  24-"  crtTj?  ncno,  Nb'D 
LZ'Zi  that  which  their  eyes  long-  for,  that  to  which  they  Hft  up  their  soul, 
Ps.  44"  cxT  TI3D  that  at  which  the  head  is  shaken,  90^  7:3  niNO  that  which 
thy  face  illumines.— 20.  'J1  "C's:  nixn  t]  ''because  or  when  thy  soul,"  &c. 
'3  expresses  here  rather  more  than  cn  ;  it  enunciates  the  circumstances 
(which  are  conceived  to  have  arrived)  under  which  the  action  denoted  by 


I4S  DEUTERONOMY 

Because  thy  sotil  dcsircl]i\  the  "  soul  "  in  Hub.  psycholoj^y  (cf.  on 
v.-"')  is  the  seiilieni  principle  in  u  li\  in<^  org'anism,  and  as  such 
is  treated  as  the  org"an  of  feeling"  or  emotion  :  hence  (i)  it  is  used 
in  the  higher  prose  style  and  in  poetry,  as  a  pathetic  periphrasis 
for  the  personal  pron.,  e.g.  Gn.  12^^  27*-  ^'•'  ("  that  my  soul  may 
bless  thee")  Nu.  2210  (see  RV. /«.:  so  Jud.  i6'^o  V??  ^^^)  Ps. 
6'  II-'  351^  Lev.  26':=  Is.  ii^  ('L"33  ns3l")  42^  (t'd:  nn\n)  6i"«66^* 
Jer.  5''-  -'  6**  (notice  in  the  last  8  passages  that  it  is  an  alterna- 
tive for  the  simple  pron.  in  the  parallel  clause) ;  (2)  it  is  men- 
tioned often  as  the  seat  of  desire  (24^^)  or  appetite  (23-'^).  These 
two  usages  explain  the  employment  of  the  term  here  (cf.  14-'^) 
— 21.  Have  cotumanded  t/we]  v. ^5. — 22.  Repeated,  with  slight 
expansion,  from  v.^-'^. — 23-25.  A  repetition  of  the  injunction 
not  to  eat  blood  (v.^''),  with  a  statement  of  the  ground  on 
which  it  is  based,  and  a  motive  commending  it. — 23.  Only  be 
finn  not  to  eat,  &c.^  lit.  "be  strong"  (PIlI),  i.e.  resist  firmly 
the  temptation  (i  S.  14''-)  to  eat  it. — For  the  blood  is  the  life 
(lit.  the  soul) ;  and  thou  shall  not  eat  the  soul  with  the  flcsh\ 
similarly  in  P,  Gn.  9*^  "only  flesh  with  the  soul  thereof,  even 
its  blood,  shall  ye  not  eat"  ;  and  in  H,  Lev.  17^^  "for  the  soul 
of  the  flesh  is  in  the  blood,"  and  hence  "the  blood  atoneth  by 
means  of  the  soul,"  v.^'^  "  for  as  reg"ards  the  soul  of  all  flesh, 
its  blood  is  with  its  soul  [i.e.  it  contains  its  soul),"  and  "the 
soul  of  all  flesh  is  its  blood"  (cf.  Hanidsa,  52-;  Wellh.  Arab. 
Held.  217).  As  the  blood  flows  from  a  wounded  animal,  so  its 
life  ebbs  away ;  hence  the  blood  was  regarded  as  the  seat  of 
the  vital  principle,  or  "soul"  (Heb.  t^*?P) ;  in  virtue  of  this  it 
possessed  an  atoning"  efficacy  (for  it  contained  the  pure  and 
innocent  life  of  the  animal,  which  could  be  accepted  by  God  as. 
a  substitute  for  the  sin-stained  soul  of  a  man:  see  Lev.  17^^, 
where  it  is  expressly  described  as  reserved  for  this  purpose)  ; 
but,  further,  it  was  also  too  sacred  to  be  applied  to  ordinary 
human  uses,  or  employed  as  food:  it  was  to  be  "poured  out 
on  the  earth  as  water,"  that  so  the  "soul"  which  it  contained 
might  be  restored,  as  directly  as  possible,  to  God  who  gave  it. 

the  principal  verb  in  the  sentence  takes  place  (Germ,  indevi);  so  v."'-^ 
13"*  14-'  i6'5  i9'5-i'  2i3  28--»-i3  3oio  3i=»'\— -;!;'2:  ni.vn]  so  14-fi.  With  njx  the 
use  of  B-sj  is  idiom.  :  v.  Lex. — 22.  '3sn  nx  "^rN']  G-K.  §  121.  i. — 23.  nii]  3-. 


XII.  21-27  149 

See  fiiitlier  Oehler,  OT.  Tlieol.  §  127;  Schultz,  OT.  Theol.  pp.  35i-o^>' 
[i.  3S4-396] ;  Dillm.  on  Lev.  pp.  392  f.,  416,  538  f.  ;  Smith,  Rel.  Seiii.  pp. 
215-217,  2JO,  319-327.  W'hatever  may  have  been  the  primitive  idea  undcr- 
lyingf  the  proliibition — whetlier  it  was  a  mere  superstition,  or  whetiicr  it 
was  that  the  blood,  having-  been  once  the  special  share  of  the  deit}',  was 
deemed  too  sacred  to  be  used  as  ordinary  food  (Smith,  I.e.  pp.  215  f.,  220) : 
among-  the  Hebrews  a  ground  partly  ph)\siological,  partly  theological,  as 
stated  above,  came  ultimately  to  be  assigned  for  it. — The  Hcb.  nephesh, 
it  should  be  explained,  is  a  wider  term  than  the  English  "soul,"  denoting' 
the  sentient  principle  possessed  by  animals  g^nerall^' ;  the  same  phrase 
"living-  soul"  is  thus  used,  not  only  of  man  (Gn.  2'),  but  also  of  the 
humblest  marine  or  terrestrial  organisms  (Gn.  i20. 2-1.30  ^lo.  12. 15. 16  Lgy_  jj 
111.46  £2.  47", — "creature"  (AV.),  in  these  passages,  being-  lit.  "soul"). 
See  Oehler,  I.e.  §  70 ;  and  comp.  the  Aristotelian  idea  of  4'"Z'^' 

25.  T/iou  shall  not  eal  it\  repeated  a  third  time  for  emphasis, 
and  in  order  to  annex  the  promise  that  follows. — Thai  il  may 
he  well,  <2r'c.]  the  same  motive,  as  4*0  520(29)  6^8,  cf.  s^'^\~That 
ivhich  is  right,  &c.\  6^^. — 26-27.  Nevertheless  the  permission 
thus  granted  is  not  to  be  extended  to  the  case  of  animals  slain 
for  sacrifice :  the  flesh  and  blood  of  these  must  be  presented 
at  the  central  sanctuary,  and  there  disposed  of  according-  to 
the  prescribed  ritual.  A  caution,  attached  to  v.-*'-^,  just  as 
v.''*"-  is  attached  to  v.^^^-.- — 26.  Thy  holy  things  ("["CHp)]  a  general 
designation  of  sacred  gifts,  whether  such  as  were  dedicated  on 
a  special  occasion  (i  K.  7^^  151^  2  K.  12^'^:  cf.  2  S.  8'^),  or  recog- 
nized dues,  as  tithes  (261^),  sacrifices,  &c.  (cf.  in  P,  Ex.  28'^8 
Lev.  222-3  Nu.  igs  al.).  In  the  Priests'  Code,  the  term  has  a 
special  sense,  being  distinguished  from  the  CCHp  "ti^np,  or 
"most  holy  things"  (see  on  Lev.  21^2);  but  no  account  is 
taken  of  this  distinction  here. — Thy  vozvs\  v.*^-  ^^- 1''. — 27.  Off^er\ 
lit.  do  (n'''J'V'i),  in  a  sacrificial  sense,  as  often  in  P  {e.g.  Ex.  29^^- 
••''*) ;  and  occasionally  besides.  There  follows  a  brief  descrip- 
tion of  the  ritual  of  the  burnt-  and  thank-offering  (l^riDT :  see  on 
v.^),  in  so  far  as  concerns  the  disposal  of  the  flesh  and  the 
blood  :  of  the  former,  the  flesh  and  the  blood  alike  are  to  come 
upon  the  altar  (strictly  the  blood  of  both  these  ofl"erings  was 
thrown  in  a  volume  (p"il)  against  the  altar) :  see  on  Lev.  i^;  of 
the  latter,  cnily  the  blood  is  to  be  poured  out  against  the  altar 
(comp.  Lev.  32.8.13  y^^^  nnTDH  bv  •  •  ■  "ipiT")))  the  flesh  is  to  be 
eaten,  at  a  sacrificial  feast,  by  the  worshipper  and  his  family 
(Lev.  7^5"2^). — Poured  out  against  (by  "Hr^")]   not  the  technical 


150  DEUTERONOMY 

term,  which  is  ?"}]  to  Ihrow  in  a  voliaiic  (cf.  pi*^  a  bo7vl,  pro- 
perly a  vessel  for  throiving  or  tossing),  2  K.  16^'''',  and  in  P, 
Lev.  32.8.13  a,-jcl  often. — 28.  A  closing-  promise,  commending- 
the  present  injunctions  to  the  Israelite's  observance. — That  it 
inay  be  well,  <Sr'c.]  \.^^^. — Good  and  righi\  6^^. 

29-31.  Israel,  after  it  has  taken  possession  of  the  Promised 
Land,  is  not  to  imitate  the  unholy  rites  practised  by  the 
previous  inhabitants.— =-29,  When  Jehovah  thy  God  shall  cut  off 
the  nations\  so  19^,  cf,  Jos.  23*  (D-), —  Whither  thoti  goest  in, 
&r'c.'\  cf.  on  4^. — To  possess  theni\  v. 2. — 30.  Lest  thou  be  ensnared 
after  theni\  cf.  y^''-  ^5, — And  lest  thou  inquire  after  (2  S,  1 1^)  their 
gods,  saying.  How  used  these  nations  to  serve  their  gods  ?\  let 
the  Israelites  beware  lest,  after  the  occasion  of  temptation 
appears  to  have  passed  away,  the  desire  arise  in  their  breast  to 
serve  the  gods  of  the  country  with  the  same  rites  which  their 
predecessors  had  observed.  The  inquiry  would  be  prompted 
by  the  feeling,  not  uncommon  in  antiquity,  that  the  gods  in- 
digenous to  a  country  may  not  be  neglected  with  impunity  (cf. 
2  K.  1723-28;  I  S.  26I'').— 3L  Thou  shall  not  do  so  to  Jehovah  thy 
God]  the  rites  by  which  these  gods  were  worshipped  are  not 
to  be  transferred,  in  whole  or  in  part,  to  the  service  of  Jehovah. 
The  injunction  is  aimed  against  the  syncretistic  admixture  of 
heathen  rites  with  the  service  of  Jehovah,  such  as  the  un- 
spiritual  Israelites  were  specially  prone  to.  The  reason  follows: 
the  rites  in  question  are  of  a  kind  which  Jehovah  cannot 
tolerate.  For  the  expressions,  cf.  725  23^^  (i«)  (n:2yin) ;  1622b. — 
I^or  even  their  so/is  and  their  daugJiters  do  they  burn  in  the  Jire 
to  their  gods]  an  extreme  example  ("for  evcfi")  of  the  enor- 
mities practised  by  the  Canaanites :  cf.  Jer.  7^^  19-'',  and  (of 
the  Sepharvites)  2  K.  17^1;  and  see  on  iS^". 

XIIL  1-19  (AV,  XIL  32-XIIL  18),  All  solicitations  to 
idolatry  are  to  be  met  at  once   by   the    sternest   repressive 

30.  ^~iZ-)i-]  used  io  serve  :  the  impf.  as  11^". — ':n  c:]  in  the  discourses  of  Dt. 
the  fuller  and  more  emph.  form  of  the  i  pcrs.  pron.  is  uniformly  emplo^-ed 
(56  times),  except  here  and  29'  (see  note).  'J.x  here  is  in  accordance  with 
usag-e,  which,  when  the  pron.  is  appended  to  a  verb  for  emph.,  prefers 
nearly  always  the  lig-hter  form  (Jud.  1*  8^  2  S.  i8'--"  &c.  :  v.  Lex.,  and 
JPh.  xi.  223,  226).  The  other  cases  of  'J.x  in  Dt.  are  3221- so.  so.  39. 39  (t^g 
Song),  and  32^"'  ''^  (P,  who  prefers  'J.x  just  as  D  prefers  'r:K  :  L.O.  T.  p.  127). 


XII.   2S— XIII.   5(4)  151 

measures. — The  chapter  continues  tlie  subject  of  122^-^'.  In 
the  other  Codes  there  is  no  parallel.  The  worship  of  "  other 
gods"  is  indeed  rig-orously  proscribed  {c'.£:  Ex.  20^  22^'' (-'^) 
23^^) ;  but  no  provision  is  made  for  the  special  cases  of 
seduction  into  idolatry,  here  contemplated. — XIII.  1  (XII.  32). 
The  Heb.  division  appears  to  be  preferable  to  the  English  ; 
for  this  verse  is  taken  most  naturally  as  a  preface  to  the 
ordinances  following. — T/iC  loJiole  word  (or  ihmg)  wliicli  I 
command  you,  that  shall  ye  observe  to  do,  &c.'\a.  repetition  of 
4'-',  in  a  slightly  modified  form,  with  particular  reference  to  the 
three  ordinances  following. — 2-6  (1-5).  No  invitation  to  go 
and  serve  other  gods,  even  though  it  proceed  from  a  prophet, 
possessing,  as  it  seems,  irrefragable  credentials,  is  to  over- 
rule the  fundamental  article  of  Israel's  creed,  that  Jehovah  is 
the  sole  object  of  the  Israelite's  reverence  :  the  prophet,  who 
conies  forward  with  such  a  doctrine,  is  to  be  put  to  death. — 
2  (1).  Arise^  34^*^  iS^^. — Or  a  dreamer  of  dreams^  comp.  Jer. 
2-j25. 27. 28. 32  27^  29^  Zcch.  IO-.  The  dream  might  be  the 
channel  of  a  genuine  revelation  (Nu.  12*^  Joel  3^:  cf.  Gn.  20^ 
31I1  &c.) ;  but  it  might  readily  become  a  source  of  self- 
deception  ;  and  in  the  passages  quoted,  dreams  are  referred 
to,  as  here,  in  terms  of  disparagement. — And  he  give  to  thee 
a  sign  or  a  portent^  viz.  in  attestation  of  the  truth  of  his 
affirmations;  comp.  Ex.  48- 9- so  7^  ("show,"  lit.  give  ^2^)  i  K. 
13^-^. — A  sign  or  a  portent^  on  4-'^. — 3(2).  Come  to  pass  (SH)] 
I  S.  id'''-  9. — Go  after  otiier  gods,  which  thou  hast  not  hnow?i\  6^*  ; 
ii^s. — 4(3).  Is  putting  you  to  the  test  (8^- 1")  to  know  whether 
you  do  (emph.)  love,  &c.^  C*  always  asserts  existence  with 
emphasis  {e.g.  Ps.  sS'^C^)  "that  there  is  a.  god  judging  the 
earth  ") :  hence  Q'^anx  □a^^Tl  is  more  than  D^>?  D''?n^['  (which 
might  have  been  said;  see  Jud.  2^^),  and  is  exactly  ex- 
pressed by  "whether  you  do  love."  Jehovah's  claim  upon 
the  Israelites'  love  and  obedience  (6'^)  is  a  paramount  and 
fundamental  principle  of  their  religion :  hence  the  fulfilment 
of  the  false  prophet's  affirmation  is  a  searching  test  of  the 
sincerity  with  which  Israel  holds  it. — 5  (4).  After  Jehovah  your 

XIII.  1.  wn]  resuming-  emphatically  the  obj.,  as  Jud.  11^  Is.  8^'  2  K. 
if^  (cf.  Dr.  §  123  Obs.).— 2-3.  8<ai .  .  .  |n:i .  .  .  np'  o]  on  4-'.— m3;;:i]  on  5'*. 


152  DEUTERONOMY 

God  shall  ye  walk,  &c.'\  an  emphatic  reaffirmation  of  the 
fundamental  duty,  binding-  upon  every  Israelite :  comp.  6'^ 
io20;  also  8«  10^2  iii3.22._6(5).  The  prophet  who  has  so 
misled  his  countrymen  is  to  be  put  to  death,  because  he  has 
been  disloyal  to  Israel's  Divine  deliverer,  and  in  order  that  the 
evil  which  he  secretly  meditates  may  be  checked  in  the  bud. — '■ 
Spoken  dejeetion  ('TJD  in"!)  agahist  Jehova1i\  the  same  expres- 
sion Jer.  28^^  (^x)  29'^2  (likewise  of  untrue  prophets),  cf.  Is.  59I'' : 
for  ""Jp  [tumtijig  aside  [comp.  the  verb  e.g.  i  S.  1220],  defection  ; 
AV.  rebellion  or  revolt^,  see  also  ig^''  Is.  i^  31^. —  Which  brought 
you  out,  &'c.\  cf.  8^*;  also  7^  9^'^  &c.  :  here  the  addition  of  the 
two  relative  clauses  emphasizes  the  fact  that  defection  from 
Jehovah  is  also  ingratitude. — To  draw  thee  aside  ("nn''li^?)]  v.^^ 
(10).  14(10);  cf.  ^^.— Out  of  the  way,  tSr'c.]  912.16  uSS;  also  530(3:0. 
— And  thou  shalt  exterminate  the  evil  from,  thy  midst  (ynn  mj,'31 
nanpo)]  so  177  19^9  2i2i  2221-24  34^;  and  with  "from  Israel" 
1712  2222  (of.  1913  21^), — always  at  the  close  of  instructions  for 
the  punishment  of  a  wrong-doer,  and  always,  except  igi'^, 
with  reference  to  capital  punishment.  A  formula  peculiar  to 
Dt.,  whereby  the  duty  is  laid  upon  the  community  of  clearing- 
itself  from  complicity  in  a  crime  committed  in  its  midst,  and 
of  preventing,  as  far  as  possible,  an  evil  example  from  spread- 
ing- (cf.  the  same  expression,  in  Israel's  mouth,  Jud.  2oi3). 

7-12  (6-11).  No  invitation  to  idolatry  is  to  be  listened 
to,  even  though  it  emanate  from  a  man's  most  intimate 
relative,  or  his  most  trusted  friend  :  the  author  of  such  a  pro- 
posal is  to  be  put  to  death. — 7  (6).  Entice  thee]  with  induce- 
ments such  as  an  intimate  relation  or  friend  can  apply  (Jud. 
i^*  I  K.  2i2''). — The  son  of  thy  mother]  i.e.  thy  own  brother 
(Gn.  272'J  Ps.  5020) :  G  Sam.  read  lOS  p  IX  H-nX  p,  including- 
expressly  the  half-brother  (comp.  Lev.  18^). — The  wife  of  thy 
boso?n]  28-^*-56;  cf.  ^iT!7  ^??^'  Mic.  f'.  The  term  slg-nlficant  of 
affection  is  chosen  Intentionally. — Thy  friend,  which  is  as  thine 
07vn  soul]  I  S.  18'  ("And  Jonathan  loved  him  iw'233  ")  3.— ZtV 
us  go,  &c.]  as  v.3(2). — 8(7).  Of  the  gods  of  the  peoples,  <5r'c.] 
6^*. — Or  far  off  from  tliec]  the  danger  therefore  mig-ht  threaten 
not  only  from  Israel's  neighbours  (i  K.  1 1^-  "),  but  from  nations 
6.  m;'3i]  for  the  verb,  cf.  also  zG^'^-  ^^  i  K.  14'"  2\-^  22*''  2  K.  2y*  (Deut.). 


XIII.  6-14(5-13)  153 

at  a  distance  (eg:  from  Syria,  or  Assyria). — nvp  Hi"!  |*~isn  r\'^p^D 
)'~iNn]  28^'*. — 9-12  (8-11).  The  sternest  measures  must  at  once 
be  adopted  to  check  the  evil  :  not  only  is  the  tempter  not  to 
be  listened  to,  but  even  though  the  temptation  have  only  been 
expressed  by  him  in  secret  (v.'''),  he  is  to  be  treated  without 
mercy  or  compunction  ;  for  his  attempt  to  seduce  a  brother 
Israelite  from  his  loyalty  to  Jehovah,  he  is  to  be  stoned 
to  death.— 9  (8).  Neither  shall  thine  eye  pity  hi»i\  f<^.— 
10(9).  Thi/ie  hand  shall  he  first,  ^i-'c]  so  ly*"  (of  the  wit- 
nesses ag'ainst  a  man  convicted  of  idolatry) :  in  spite  of  thy 
relationship  to  him,  thou  art  both  to  denounce  him  (v.-'C*^)''), 
and  also  to  be  the  first  to  carry  out  the  sentence  against  him. 
The  severity  with  which  the  Writer  seeks  to  check  every 
encouragement  to  idolatry,  shows  that  he  was  sensible  of  it  as 
the  pressing  danger  of  the  time. — 12  (11).  And  all  Israel  shall 
hear  and fcar\  similarly  17^^  19^0  21-I:  the  example,  the  legis- 
lator trusts,  will  have  a  deterrent  effect  upon  others,  and  tend 
to  prevent  a  repetition  of  the  same  offence. 

13-19  (12-18).  Any  Israelitish  city,  which  has  permitted  itself 
to  be  seduced  into  idolatry,  is  to  be  treated  with  the  utmost 
rigour,  its  inhabitants  being  put  to  the  sword,  its  spoil  burnt, 
and  its  site  abandoned. — 13  (12).  If  thou  hearest  in  one  of  thy 
cities  ivhieJi  JeJiovah  tliy  God  is  giving  thee  (i^*^)  to  dnvell  there, 
saying,  Men  have  gone  forth,  c^rt.]  apparently  an  inversion  for 
"  If  thou  hearest,  saying.  In  one  of  thy  cities  which  J.  thy  God 
is  giving  thee  to  dwell  there,  men  have  gone  forth,  &c.,"  nnX3 
'j1  y\V  being  brought  up  from  the  subordinate  into  the  prin- 
cipal clause  (like  TlID  ''"ins  31-^^,  compared  by  Dillmann),  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  it,  as  the  most  important  part  of  the 
sentence,  a  more  emphatic  position.  For  "  to  hear,  saying," 
cf.  Jos.  22"  I  S.  13^  I  K.  1 61'-.— 14(13).  Base  fellonvs\  so  RV. 
rightly;  comp.  the  rend,  of  ^yS^  in  the  RV.  of  15'*  Ps.  lor' 
Pr.  612  1 6'^'. 

Lit.  sons  of  uiiprojilahh'iicss,  i.e.  good-for-notliing,  ivorlhless  felloivs. 
hv^^  is  not  a  proper  name  (in  spite  of  2  Cor.  6'*) ;  though  the  expression 

9.  *?  ~:n]  Pr.  i*\ — 11,  h]id\  idiom.  =fro7n  attachment  to  :  Jer.  2''  32** 
Ez.  6»  8"  ii''*  14'*  44^"-^',  cf.  Hos.  9^  Is.  56=5. —  14.  "ryb  '33  d'b-jn]  for 
the   seemingly   pleonastic   D'ti'^x,    comp.    Gn.    13*  Nu.    13''  Jud.    i8-   i   K. 


154  DEUTERONOMY 

"  sons  of  Belial "  has  become  so  naturalized  in  En_tflish  that  it  has  been 
sometimes  retained  even  in  RV.  Except  is'-*,  the  word  does  not  occur 
besides  in  the  Hex.  ;  but  ^"^3  ('C':n)  c"K,  or  hil'h2  ('33)  p,  is  common 
elsewhere  as  a  desijjnation  of  unprincipled,  low-minded  characters  {e.£^. 
Jud.  19--  I  S.  10'-'''  25-5  30"  1  K.  2i'"-'"). 

Are  gone  out  from  the  midst  of  thce\  the  suggestion  is  repre- 
sented as  emanating  from  native  Israelites,  who  have  succeeded 
in  leading  astray  their  fellow-citizens. — Let  us  go^  (Sr'c]  v.  •'(-)• 
"'(''). — 15  (14).  And,  behold,  the  thing  is  tme  (and)  certain,  this 
abomination  hath  been  do  fie]  the  same  words  in  17*. — Abomina- 
tion (nnyin),  of  idolatrous  practices,  as  17'*  18^  20^^  j^r.  22--' a l.  : 
cf.  on  72'"'.— 16  (15).  With  the  edge  of  the  sword  (ann  'D^)]  lit. 
according  to  the  mouth  of  the  s7vord,  i.e.  as  the  sword  can  devour 
(2  S.  2^0  1 1^5),  without  quarter.  The  phrase  is  a  common  one. 
— Devoting  it]  see  on  7-.  Devotion  to  the  ban,  in  which  (as 
here)  the  spoil  also  was  destroyed,  was  of  the  most  severe  and 
rigorous  type  (Jos.  6-7,  of  Jericho;  i  S.  15^):  more  commonly 
the  spoil  was  retained  by  the  Israelites  for  their  own  use  [2"^^- 
Jos.  8--  -'^^-  al.). — And  all  that  is  in  it]  the  expression  is  an  in- 
definite  one ;  butprobably  human  beings  are  intended  :  cf. 
Jos.''^3y3^^*^  see  belowT^l?  (16).  I?iio  the  midst  of  its  broad  place] 
not  its  street :  the  3ni  was  the  broad,  open  space  in  an  Eastern 
city,  something  like  a  modern  market-place,  where  public 
gatherings  were  held,  and  justice  was  sometimes  administered 

21^"  (the  same  phrase:  cf.  v.-'^)  2  K.  2^®;  used  without  a  defining-  ad- 
junct, such  as  a  numeral,  it  imparts  to  the  expression  the  sense  of  some 
or  certain,  Gn.  37'-'^  (cf.  Ex.  16-"  i  K.  20'^^'). — 15.  aa'n]  9-1.— jidj  nox  n:ni 
~a-\r\\  render  as  above.  n:n,  as  17^  19'^  al.  nearly  =  //"  (Z^.r.  r\:,n  d).  The 
second  clause  ('Ji  nntfj;:),  airuvSsTiw;,  just  as  17*  19"*  (n:v  ip::'))  22-":  that  in 
AV.,  RV.,  is  gratuitous  and  wrong-. — nr^a]  faithful iicss,  the  subst.  or  pred. 
(in  lieu  of  the  3.d].  faithful,  true) :  so  i7-*,  cf.  ini.T  n'r\  ncN  22^'  i  K.  10''  (Dr. 
§  189.  2). — p33]  lit.  established:  cf.  Gn.  41^-. — 16.  cini]  on  3^ — nrx  ^2  nxi 
ni]  the  expression  may  denote  only  the  spoil  (/.^.  the  domestic  property  of 
various  kinds),  as  20^^,  or  it  may  include  human  beings  and  cattle  (Jos.  6-') 
as  well:  as  the  spoil  would  hardly  be  "devoted"  with  the  svord,  it  is 
probably  to  be  understood  here  of  the  human  beings  resident  in  the  git}' : 
observe  also  that  the  emphatic  position  of  "  spoil "  in  v."  ('•')  j-opn  rhh-cf  h^  nsii 
implies  a  tacit  contrast  with  something-diHerent  which  has  been  named  in 
v.i''(i5).  It  is  true,  the  words  3nn  '2"?  nnana  Ware  not  represented  in  G  ; 
and  Dilhn.  would  omit  them  as  a  gloss  :  but  the  omission  makes  the 
verse  rather  short ;  and,  if  na  "iwX  h^  be  understood  as  explained  above, 
there  is  no  difliculty  in  connecting^  it  with  cnn.i :  for  3nn  '2!?  cvin  of  cattle, 
see  Jos.  6-^.  ^"-^ 


XIII.   I5(I4)-XIV.  155 

(cf.  2  Ch.  32'''  Ezr.  10"  Neh.  S'-  -^  Is.  59^^  Job  2iy).—As  a  ivJiolc- 
offcn'iig-  ('?  :^)  unto  Jc]iovali\  cf.  RV.  viarg.  h'h'^  (a  rare  word) 
appears  elsewhere  (33!'^  Lev.  6^^-  ^^  i  S.  f^  mn''^  b'^3  nbiy  n^y^i, 
Ps.  51-^  ^"'^31  n^iy)  as  a  term  either  descriptive  of,  or  synonym- 
ous with,  '"l^iy  (burnt-offering") :  here  it  is  applied  figuratively 
to  denote  a  sacrifice  of  another  kind,  the  characteristic  of 
which  was  likewise  to  be  that  it  should  be  rendered  ivliolly  to 
Jehovah.  Cf.  Jud.  2o'o  (n?o'?3L"n  -\'vr\  hh;2  nSy  n^m),  where  the 
same  sense  of  the  word  is  at  least  alluded  to. — Unto  JeliovaJi\ 
comp.  Nu.  25^  Jos.  6^"  2  S.  21'^;  "before  Jehovah"  2  S.  21^. 
An  heap  for  ever  (dSi>'  Si)]  only  a  desolate  mound  shall  mark 
its  site;  so  Jos.  8-^  (of 'Ai);  Jer.  49^  nD?OC  bo  (of  Rabbah).— ^ 
18-19  (17-18).  The  instructions  close  with  an  express  injunction 
that  none  of  the  "devoted"  spoil  (the  DlH)  is  to  be  reserved 
by  Israel  (cf.  7-^'-),  lest  Jehovah  in  His  anger  be  moved  to 
withhold  the  blessing-  which  He  has  promised. — 18  (17).  There 
shall  not  cleave  aught  of  the  devoted  thing  to  thy  ]iand\  the 
words  may  be  illustrated  from  Jos.  6^^  7^  (though  Jericho,  of 
course,  did  not  fall  within  the  class  of  cases  contemplated  in 
the  present  law). — Turn  from  the  heat  of  his  anger^  Ex.  32^2 
Jos.  7-''  (at  the  close  of  the  narrative  of  'Achan's  offence  with 
the  Ci"}n),  2  K.  2326  Jon.  3^. — And  multiply  thee,  <5r'c.]  cf.  7^^; 
V.  Gn.  22^^^  26'  Ex.  32^3. — 19  (18).  Because  (or  when)  thou,  shall 
hearkc?i,  &c.^  the  condition,  conceived  to  be  satisfied,  of  the 
promise  taking-  effect  (see  phil.  note  on  12-*').  For  the  expres- 
sions, cf.  4^-  2'^^'  6'^. 

XIV.   1-22.  Holiness  of  the  Laity. 

The  place  of  public  worship  having  been  fixed  (i2^-"^''),  and 
the  encroachments  of  heathendom  guarded  against  (122^^- 
j^iiKis))^  the  subject  of  the  present  section  follows  naturally. 

XIV.  1-2.  The  Israelites,  being  Jehovah's  children,  are  not 
to  disfigure  their  persons  in  passionate  or  extravagant  grief. 
• — The  Israelites,  being-  specially  dedicated  to  Jehovah,  must 
not  imitate  the  heathen   in  yielding-  to   excessive  grief,  and 

17.  T7rJ  773  occurs  as  the  name  of  a  species  of  sacrifice  in  Phoenici.an, 
CIS.  I.  i.  165^- 5- 7. 9.11  i5^.\ — 18.  'Ji  jnji .  .  .  aiB"  ]VT:h]  4'.— D'om  i?  ]n:i]  Gn. 
4o"' Jer.  42^-;  Is.  47"  (DC-). 


156  DEUTERONOMY 

mutilate  the  body  which  He  has  given  them,  or  imprint  upon 
their  person  the  visible  tokens  of  death.  The  prohibition  is 
grounded  upon  the  relation  subsisting"  between  Israel  and 
Jehovah,  with  which  the  heathenish  character  of  the  practices 
prohibited  is  reg'arded  as  incompatible.  There  is  no  law  on 
this  subject  in  JE  or  P  :  in  M,  Lev.  ig-^''-  is  parallel. — Sofis  are 
ye  to  Jehovah  your  Goc/\  what  is  affirmed  in  Ex.  ^--^-  (JE)  of 
Israel  as  a  nation  ("Israel  is  my  son,  my  firstborn")  is  here 
transferred  to  the  indi\idual  Israelites  :  they  are  Jehovah's 
children ;  and  while  on  the  one  hand  they  are  the  objects  of 
His  paternal  care  and  reg-ard  (i^^  8''),  they  owe  to  Him  on  the 
other  hand  filial  love  and  obedience,  they  should  conform 
their  character  to  His,  and  do  nothing-  that  is  unworthy  of  the 
close  and  intimate  relation  in  which  they  stand  towards  Him. 
Comp.  Hos.  11^"*  Is.  i^;  and  on  32^. — Ve  shall  not  cut  your- 
selves (mjnn  S^),  nor  make  baldness  (nmp)  between  your  eyes, 
for  the  deaif\  two  common  practices  sig^nificant  of  grief,  and 
especially  resorted  to  in  mourning,  which  prevailed  among  the 
Israelites  down  to  at  least  the  time  of  Jeremiah :  for  the 
former,  see  Jer.  16"  41^  47^  (among  the  Philistines),  prob.  also 
Hos.  7^^  (MSS.  (G  miinO;  for  the  latter.  Am.  8^0  Is.  32*  152 
(in  Moab),  22^2  (where,  in  spite  of  the  present  prohibition,  it  is 
said  that  '•'■  Jehovah  called  to  weeping,  and  to  mourning,  and 
to  baldness"),  Mic.  i^^  jgr.  16'^  Ez.  7I8. 

Both  practices  were,  and  still  are,  common  among  semi-civilized  races  : 
one  or  other,  if  not  both,  are  attested,  for  instance  (see  Knob,  or  Dillm. 
on  Lev.  ig*),  for  the  Armenians  and  Assyrians  (Xenoph.  Cyrop.  iii.  i.  13  ; 
3.  67),  for  the  Scythians  (Hdt.  4.  71  :  at  the  burial  of  a  king-  toZ  uto; 
a.Tora./j.vo*Tai,  Tpi^a;  •npixiipuvrai,  jipa^i^iovas  •npira.y.voi/Tai),  the  Romans  (the 
Twelve  Tables  forbade  the  Roman  women  geiias  radere,  Cic.  de  Leg:  2.  23), 
for  the  modern  Persians  (Morier,  Second  Journey,  p.  176),  and  Ab}ssinians 
(Riippcll,  Abyss,  ii.  57),  for  various  other  savage  races  (Encycl.  Brit.^  ix. 
825;  H.  Spencer,  Principles  of  Socioloq-y,  i.  180  ff.,  290 f.).  Among  the 
Arabs,  it  was  customary,  in  particular,  for  the  women,  in  mourning,  both 
to  scratch  their  faces  till  the  blood  flowed,  and  to  shave  their  hair  (Wellh. 
Reste  Arab.  Heidentumes,  p.  160:  Labid,  xxi.  4  (cd.  Huber  and  Brockel- 
mann)  sajs  to  his  daugliters,  "When  I  die,  do  not  scratch  your  faces,  or 
shave  off  j-our  hair"  (W.  R.  Smith,  MS.  note).  In  some  cases,  the  hair 
shaved  off  is  deposited  in  the  tomb,  or  on  the  funeral  pyre,  as  an  offering 
to  the  dead  ;  sometimes,  also,  the  blood  is  made  to  fall  upon  the  corpse, 
as  though  for  the  purpose  of  concluding  a  covenant  with  the  departed 
(Smith,  Kel.  Scni.  jjp.  304-306). 


XIV.    1-2 


157 


Both  practices  had  thus  heathen  associations,  even  if  they 
were  not  definitely  connected  with  heathen  superstitions ; 
comp.  the  use  of  iTijnn  to  denote  the  ritual  of  the  Ba'al- 
worshippers  in  i  K.  iS-^.  The  custom  of  hicerating"  the  person 
ill  grief  for  the  dead  is  prohibited  also  in  Lev.  19-**  (H),  though 
the  same  term  is  not  used  (D3nL"aa  l^nn  sb  t:'22^  D"iL"l) :  that  of 
making'  baldness  on  the  head  is  forbidden  in  Lev.  21-'  (H),  but 
only  for  the  priests. — Between  your  eyes\  i.e.  on  the  forehead 
(6^).  The  Hebrews,  it  appears,  did  not  on  such  occasions 
shave  the  entire  head,  but  only  the  front  of  it. — 2.  The  ground 
of  the  prohibition  is  stated  more  explicitly :  Israel  is  holy  to 
Jehovah,  and  stands  towards  Him  in  a  unique  relation  among 
the  peoples  of  the  earth.  The  verse  is  an  all  but  verbal  repeti- 
tion of  7''. 

3  20.  The  Israelites  are  not  to  defile  themselves  by  eating 
the  flesh  of  prohibited  animals. — JE  has  no  law  on  this  subject; 
in  P  the  parallel  is  Lev.  u---^  (not  improbably  an  extract  from 
H  :  cf.  more  briefly  20-''),  a  passage  with  which  the  law  of  Dt. 
is  in  large  measure  verbally  identical.  In  order  to  facilitate 
comparison,  the  two  passages  are  here  printed  side  by  side  in 
parallel  columns  : —  . 


Deut.  14. 
^  Thou  shalt  not  eat  any  abomin- 
able thing-  (n^jiin).     •"  These  are  the 
beasts  wliich  ye  shall  eat : 


the  ox,  the  sheep,  and  the  goat, 
^  the  hart,  and  the  g-azelle,  and  the 
roebuck,  and  the  wild  goat,  'and  the 
addax,  and  the  antelope,  and  the 
mountain-sheep.  ^  And  every  beast 
that  parteth  the  hoof  and  cleaveth 
the  cleft  of  the  two  hoofs,  that 
bringeth  up  the  cud  among  beasts, 
that  ye  shall  eat.  ''  Nevertheless 
these  }'e  shall  not  eat  of  those  that 
bring:  "P  the  cud,  and  of  those  that 
part  the  cleft  hoof;  the  camel. 


and  the  hare. 


Lev.  II. 
-  Speak     unto     the     children     of 
Israel,  saying  :  These  are  the 

living-  thing-s  which  ye  shall  eat 
among  all  the  beasts  that  are  on  the 
earth. 


•''  Every  (thing-) 
that  parteth  the  hoof  and  cleaveth 
the   cleft    of   the  hoofs,    that 

bringcth  up  the  cud  among-  beasts, 
that  ye  shall  eat.  ^  Nevertheless 
these  ye  shall  not  eat  of  those  that 
bring  up  the  cud,  and  of  those  that 
part,   the  hoof;     the    camel, 

because  he  bringeth  up  the  cud, 
but  doth  not  part  tlie  hoof;  he  is 
unclean    to   you.     ^  And    the   rock- 


'58 


Di;UTERONOMV 


and  the  rock-badtjer ; 
because  tliey  bringf  up  the  cud,  but 
have  not  the  hoof  parted  ;  they  are 
unclean  to  you.  ^  And  flic  swine, 
because  he  parteth  the  hoof, 

but  .  . 

not  the  cud  :    he   is   unclean 

to  you.  Of  their  flesh  ye  shall  not 
cat,  and  their  carcases  ye  shall  not 
touch. 

"  These  ye  shall  eat  of  all  that  arc 
in  the  waters  :  whatsoever  hath 
scales  and  fins, 

shall 
ye  eat.  ^^  And  whatsoever  hath  not 
fins  and  scales 


ye  shall  -not  cat  ; 


it  IS 
unclean  to  you. 

^'  Of  all  clean  birds  ye  may  eat. 

^-  But  this  is  that  of  which 

ye  shall  not 
cat : 

the  grifTon-vulture,  and  the  bearded 
vulture,  and  the  osprey  ;  '■'  [and  the 
.  .  .,]  and  the  falcon,  and  the  kite 
after  its  kind  ;  "  and  every  raven 
after  its  kind  ;  '^  and  the  ostrich, 
and  the  nij^ht-hawk,  and  the  sea- 
mew,  and  the  hawk  after  its  kind  ; 
'6  the  little  owl, 

and  the  great  owl,  and 
the  water-hen  ;  "  and  the  pelican, 
and  the  carrion -vulture,  and  the 
cormorant ;  "  and  the  stork,  and 
the  heron  after  its  kind,  and  the 
hoopoe,  and  the  bat. 

1"  And  all  winged  swarming  things 
are  un- 
clean to  j-ou  :  they  shall  not  be  eaten. 


badger,  because  he  bringeth  up  the 
cud,  but  parteth  not  the  hoof,  he  is 
unclean  to  you ;  *  and  the  hare, . 
because  she  bringeth  up  the  cud,  but 
hath  not  the  hoof  parted  ;  she  is 
unclean  to  you.  ''  And  the  swine, 
because  he  parteth  the  hoof,  and 
clcavcth  the  cleft  of  the  hoof,  but  he 
cheweth  not  the  cud  ;  he  is  unclean 
to  you.  *  Of  their  flesh  ye  shall  not 
eat,  and  their  carcases  ye  shall  not 
touch :  they  are  unclean  to  you. 
"  These  ye  shall  eat  of  all  that  are 
in  the  waters :  whatsoever  hath 
scales  and  fins,  in  the  waters,  in  the 
seas,  and  in  the  torrents,  them  shall 
ye  eat.  ^^  And  whatsoever  hath  not 
fins  and  scales,  in  the  seas  and  in 
the  torrents,  of  all  the  swarming 
things  of  the  waters,  and  of  all  the 
living  souls  that  are  in  the  waters, 
they  are  a  detestation  {\'P^')  to  you. 
^'  And  they  shall  be  a  detestation  to 
you  :  of  their  flesh  ye  shall  not  eat, 
and  their  carcases  ye  shall  have  in 
detestation.  ^-'Whatsoever hath  not 
,fins  and  scales  in  the  waters,  it  is 
a  detestation  to  you. 

^3  And  these  ye  shall  hold  in  de- 
testation of  fowl  ;  they  shall  not  be 
eaten  ;  they  are  a  detestation  to  you : 
tiie  griffon-vulture,  and  the  bearded 
vulture,  and  the  osprey  ; 

'■*  and  the  kite,  and  the  falcon 
after  its  kind  ;    '^  every  raven 

after  its  kind  ;  '®  and  the  ostrich, 
and  the  night-hawk,  and  the  sea- 
mew,  and  the  hawk  after  its  kind  ; 
^^  and  the  little  owl,  and  the  cor- 
morant, and  the  great  owl ;  i*  and 
the  water-hen,  and  the  pelican, 
and  the  carrion-vulture, 

'^  and  the  stork, 
the   heron   after   its   kind,  and  the 
hoopoe,  and  the  bat. 

^^  All  winged  swarming  things 
that  go  upon  all  four  are  a  detesta- 
tiori  to  you. 


XIV.  3-5  159 

-"  Of  all  clean  wiiiycd  ihings  yc         -' Yettheseyema}-catofall\ving;ed 
may  cat.  swarming-  thing's   that  g^o  upon  all 

four,  which  have  bending-  legs  above 
their  feet  to  leap  v^'ithal  upon  the 
earth  :  ^'  even  these  of  them  ye  may 
eat :  the  locust  after  its  kind,  and 
the  bald  locust  after  its  kind,  and 
the  cricket  after  its  kind,  and  the 
gfrasshopper  after  its  kind.  '^  But 
all  (other)  wing-ed  swarming  thing's, 
which  have  four  feet,  are  a  detesta- 
tion to  you. 

Here  v.^  is  introductory,  the  various  kinds  of  prohibited 
food  being"  classed  under  the  category  of  abomination  (nnyin), 
one  of  D's  characteristic  expressions  (on  7^5)^  There  follow 
provisions  respecting  clean  and  unclean  quadrupeds,  v.^**, 
aquatic  creattires,  v.^"^*',  birds,  \.^^-'^^,  Jlyiiig  insects,  v.^''^-.  On 
the  general  subject  of  these  provisions,  the  reader  is  referred 
to  the  commentary  on  Lev.  1 1  :  here,  only  the  differences  in 
Dt.,  or  other  points  of  particular  interest,  will  be  noticed. — 
4''-5.  There  is  nothing  in  Lev.  corresponding  to  these  words. 
The  difference  between  the  two  texts  is  this,  that  in  Lev.  (v.-') 
the  clean  animals  are  only  defined,  while  in  Dt.  they  are  both 
defined  (v.**)  and  exemplified  (v.^"^).  The  ox,  the  sheep,  and 
the  goat  are,  of  course,  well  known,  and  frequently  mentioned  ; 
the  hart  \T'^ :  fern.  np'X  hind)  is  also  often  named,  especially 
In  poetry,  as  a  figure  of  affection,  surefootedness,  and  rapidity 
{e.g.  Is.  35''  Song  2^;  in  the  fem.  Pr.  5^^  Ps.  18^^);  t\\G  gasellc 
C^V)  is  alluded  to  similarly  for  its  swiftness  and  beauty  [e.g. 
2  S.  2"^^  Is.  12)^^  Song  2'''), — the  hart  and  the  gazelle  are  also 
mentioned  together  as  common  kinds  of  game,  Dt.  12^5. 2.3  j^22^ 
The  roebuck  (1^-0])  is  named  i  K.  5^  (4^^)!,  by  the  side  of  the  hart 
and  the  gazelle,  among  the  delicacies  provided  for  Solomon's 
royal  table :  according  to  Conder  [Tent  Work,  ed.  1887,  p.  91), 
an  animal  bearing  among  the  Arabs  the  same  name  YaJtmfir 
is  found  now  in  the  thickets  on  the  sides  of  Carmel,  and  gives 

XIY.  5.  '2-i]  ^flr^-e/Ze  =  Aram.  N'2t:,  Arab,  c^^--  The  word  (as  Arab. 
Aram,  show)  has  no  etym.  connexion  with  '3s  attractiveness,  beauty,  the 
root  of  which  =  Aram.  N;i'i  to  desire,  will,  Arab.  \xk>  to  incline  towards, 
yearn/or  {comp.  Dr.  §  178,  p.  225  f.). — iDi]  the  etym.  is  unknown.     Arab. 


l6o  DKUTERONO.MY 

ils  name  to  a  larj^'c  vallcv,  the;  Jl'ui/j'  V(////iir/r,  in  the  wooded 
district  south  of  Carmcl :  a  specimen  sent  to  Prof.  Newton  at 
Canibridg'e  was  pronounced  by  him  to  be  the  true  Ccrvus 
caprcolus,  or  roebuck  [Proc.  Zoolu^.  Soc.  of  London,  May  2, 
1876).  Cf.  Bochart,  Hieror..  i.  910 IT.,  ii.  280 ff.  C  (codd.  A, 
F)  /Jov^uXos.  The  wild  f^out  (^P?^)  is  not  named  elsewhere : 
CIS  Py  the  ibex  (or  wild  goat),  which  is  common  in  Palestine 
(i  S.  24'',  near 'En-g-edi),  and  some  species  of  which  may  well 
be  meant  (Tristram,  NUB.  97;  DB.^'i.  1202).  (G  (codd.  A, 
F)  T/>aye/\a(^o9.  The  addax  (i"^""^),  also,  is  named  only  here ; 
the  identification  is  that  of  Tristram,  who  states  that  the 
Aulilopc  addax  is  common  in  Abyssinia,  Eg"ypt,  and  Arabia, 
and  is  well  known  in  the  'Arabah,  S.  of  the  Dead  Sea  [XJIB. 
127).  (B.  -uyapyos  (whence  AV.,  RV.),  a  white-rumped  species 
of  antelope  (of  which  there  are  several),  found  in  N.  Africa  [ib. 
126).  The  antelope  (i^^Jil),  Is.  51-^t:  lEt  opvf,  a  large  kind  of 
antelope,  "very  beautiful  and  graceful,  with  long  slender 
recurved  horns  "  {ib.  57  f.  ;  DB."  \.  464).  The  moitntain-slicep 
(lOT)  is  mentioned  only  here.  The  animal  meant  is  uncertain, 
but  some  kind  of  wild  mountain-sheep  (Col,  H.  Smith  ;  Tris- 
tram, DB."-  \.  556  f.)  may  well  be  intended.  ^  n:»"'1  (in  Pr.  51^ 
=  Heb.  xhr  wild  goat);  S  N3TX  inountai)i-goat.  (G  KafiiiXoTrdf)- 
8ttXi9,  a  niitive  of  Africa,  and  not  probable.  AV.,  RV. 
"  chamois,"  which,  Tristram  objects,  cannot  be  right;  as  the 
.  chamois  is  an  antelope  of  Central  Europe,  unknown  to  any 
Bible  lands. 

A  sing-ular  arg-ument  has  been  founded  (Tristram,  at  the  Hull  Church 
Congress,  Giinrclinn,  Oct.  15,  iSgo,  p.  1623  ;  Pal.  Expl.  Soc,  The  City  and 
the  La7id,  p.  80  ;  and  elsewhere)  on  the  animals  mentioned  in  Dt.  14^'',  in 
favour  of  the  Mosaic  authorship  of  the  Pent.  It  is  said,  "Nine  animals 
are  mentioned  in  Dt.  which  do  not  appear  in  Lev.  Of  these  5  or  6  at  least 
never  lived  in  the  Nile  valley  or  in  wooded  and  hilly  Palestine  :  they  are 
inhabitants  of  desert  open  plains,  or  of  bare  rocky  hcig'hts.  The}'  are  not 
mentioned  in  Lev.,  because  immediately  after  the  Exodus  they  would  be 
strang'e  to  the  Israelites  ;  but  after  39  years  had  been  passed  in  their 
haunts  they  would  be  familiar  to  them  all."  A  little  reflection  will  show 
how  inconclusive  this  arg'ument  is.  Had  there  been — as  the  PEFOuSf. 
1894,  p.   103,  very  inaccurately  says  there  is — a  list  of  clean  animals  in 

zamara,  to  spring,  quoted  by  Tristram,  does  not  exist :  the  meanings  is 
conjectured  by  Ges.  in  the  Tlies.,  merely  for  the  sake  of  explaining-  this 
word. — 6.  i'72Nn  ?in.x]  see  on  13^;  cf.  20-"  i  S.  15"''. 


XIV.  7-1 1  i6i 

Lev.,  to  which  in  Dt.  others,  having-  the  character  referred  to,  were 
added,  it  would  indeed  possess  plausibility  :  but  that  is  not  the  case  ;  no 
clean  animals  are  named  in  Lev.  ;  they  are  only  defined  (Lev.  ii") ;  in  Dt. 
they  are  Ao/A  defined  (v.")  and  named  (v.^-).  But,  except  by  assuming- 
wliat  the  argument  is  constructed  to  prove,  there  is  no  reason  for  supposing- 
that  the  writer  of  Lev.  1 1,  if  he  had  been  asked  to  name  the  animals  defined 
by  him  in  v.^,  would  not  have  mentioned  just  those  enumerated  in  Dt. 
I4'"*.  And  the  further  objection,  that  the  animals  in  question  could  not  be 
known  to  a  writer  living  in  Palestine,  is  open  to  the  retort  that,  if  so,  there 
would  be  no  occasion  to  forbid  the  Israelites  to  eat  them.  But  in  view  of 
I  K.  5^  (4""''))  the  allegation  itself  is  questionable. 

7.  The  particulars  respecting"  the  camel,  the  rock-badger, 
and  the  hare,  which  are  repeated  in  each  case  in  Lev.,  are 
condensed  into  a  single  clause.  The  |£"^'  is  named  besides  Ps. 
104^*  Pr.  30-'^:  it  is  the  Arab,  wabr,  the  Hyrax  Syriacus  of 
naturalists.  "Rock-badger"  is  a  rendering"  of  the  German 
name  Klippdachs;  but  there  is,  in  fact,  no  perfectly  suitable 
English  name  available.  "Coney"  is  the  old  English  word 
for  a  rabbit ;  but  being  now  practically  obsolete  in  that  sense, 
it  has  been  retained  in  RV.  as  the  rendering  of  the  Heb.  |DC', 
the  animal  which  this  term  properly  denotes  being  indicated 
in  the  margin.  As  the  hyrax  syriacus  is  in  appearance  and 
habits  not  unlike  a  rabbit  (Tristram,  NHB.  75  ff.),  though  be- 
longing to  a  different  family,  the  retention  of  "coney"  in  a 
popular  version  may,  under  the  circumstances,  be  excusable. 
— 8.  Cr  Sam.  supply  the  missing  words,  reading  exactly  as  in 
Lev.  ii^.  Whether  the  first  clause  be  necessary  or  not,  "he 
cheweth  "  must  certainly  be  restored:  see  below. — 9-10.  The 
description  of  the  lawful  and  prohibited  aquatic  animals  seems 
plainly  to  be  abbreviated  from  the  more  circumstantial  particu- 
lars contained  in  Lev.  In  the  last  clause,  Dt.  has  XOD 
tinclean,  where  Lev.  has  the  technical  term,  used  of  prohibited 
animals  (see  on  y^"^),  )'[?-'  detestation. — 11-18.  The  paragraph 
on  birds  does  not  differ  materially  from  the  corresponding- 
paragraph  in  Lev.     V.^^  is  an  introductory  addition :  in  v. ^2 

7.  ni]  with  a  colled ive  force:  so  v.**  (  =  Lev.  n*-»)  Jud.  2o"'-";  Job 
19'*. — '1?j^,T]  a  rare  orthogra])hic  variation  for  '^i'.s  ;  cf.  Gn.  47^  n^jn,  i  Ch. 
23"*  "rv  (Ew.  §  iG**). — 8.  mj  x"?]]  n-ij  is  elsewhere  always  a  subst.  ;  and 
nr  (Lev.  n'')  is  from  T13,  not  n-jj.  Read  nna  nr  n'?i,  or  (cf.  Sam.  G)  N?n] 
nv  x"?  n-i  j,  as  in  Lev.  n;:  will  be  Oal,  in  pause  either  for  n:;  (Kon.  p.  337  f ), 
or  better  (as  this  is  an  intrans.  form)  for  TJ:  (Sam.  T)j'),  cf.  G-K.  §  29.  ^c'. 
II 


t62  DEUTERONOMY 

the  words  TiP?'  and  Y\^}^  are  avoided,  and  it  is  merely  said,  Of 
'vohich ye  shall  not  eat. — 12.  The  griffon-vulture  {^'i-'})\  not  the 
eagle,  which,  though  adequate  (in  a  popular  version)  as  a 
poetical  equivalent  of  "iC'J,  is  not  really  the  bird  meant. 

As  Tristram  (I.e.  p.  172  fF.)  shows,  the  Arab.  7iisr,  which  corresponds  to 
the  Hebrew  nesher,  is  not  the  Eagle,  but  the  Griffon-Vulture,  or  Great 
Vulture  (distinct  from  the  ordinary,  or  carrion-vulture,  v.'^),  with  which 
also  the  Biblical  allusions  to  the  i^:  agree :  tJie  eagle,  for  example,  does 
not  congregate  around  carrion  (Job  2>9"^  ^^^^  24"*),  nor  has  it  the  neck  and 
head  "destitute  of  true  feathers,  and  cither  naked,  or  thinly  covered  with 
a  powdery  down,"  in  agreement  with  the  allusion  in  Mic.  i^"("  enlarge 
thy  baldness,  as  the  iicsher"),  whereas  both  these  characteristics  suit  the 
GrifTon-Vulture.  The  Griffon-Vulture  "is  a  majestic  bird,  most  abundant 
and  never  out  of  sight,  whether  on  the  mountains  or  the  plains  of  Palestine. 
Everywhere  it  is  a  feature  in  the  sky,  as  it  circles  higher  and  higher,  till 
lost  to  all  but  the  keenest  sight,  and  then  rapidly  swoops  down  again  " 
{DB.-^  i.  p.  815). 

The  bearded  vulture  (^"1??)]  or  Lanwier-geier,  the  "largest 
and  most  magnificent  of  the  vulture  tribe"  (NHB.  171).  TJie 
osprey  ip''^}X^)\  or  short-toed  eagle,  "by  far  the  most  abundant 
of  all  the  eagle-tribe  in  Palestine"  [ib.  184). — 13.  And  the  .  .  . 
(nsini)]  Lev.  1 1^*  has  nothing  corresponding.  The  word  is 
certainly  a  vox  nihili'.  see  below. — 15.  The  night-hawk  (DOnr.jj 
or  screech-owl  [ib.  191  f.). — The  sea-mew  ('inc')]  ox  petrel,  perhaps 
including  gulls  [DB.^i.  679 f.). — 16,  The  water-heii  (riri'j'pr)]  so 
(5  (7ro/D(/)u/3ioji') ;  NHB.   249  f.   water-hen  or  ibis ;   Knob.  al. ,   a 

13.  "nyrh  nnm  nwn  nxi  n.snni]  Lev.  ii^*  has  nvn"?  .tn.t  tki  nN^.^  nxi ;  and 
so  Sam.  (5  here.  The  text  of  Dt.  is  certainly  corrupt,  nx"!,  as  the  name 
of  a  bird,  is  not  otherwise  known.  nNin  was  miswritten  HNnn  :  this,  being 
a  vox  nihili,  was  corrected  rx^^'r,  (Is.  34''')  on  the  margin  ;  and  the  correction 
afterwards  found  its  way  into  the  text  beside  the  corrigendum.  On  the 
form  nn,  cf.  Ew.  §  45*1 ;  and  3'n  i  S.  22"---  for  JNn. 

15.  mrpp]  j'D  otherwise  occurs  only  in  P  (16  times  in  Gn.  i.  6.  7  ;  7 
times  in  Lev.  11),  and  Ez.  47"*,  13  of  the  occurrences  in  P  (Gn.  i'---'  «/., 
including  the  parallel,  Lev.  11^'')  being  with  the  same  peculiar  form  of  the 
suffix  as  here.  This  form  of  the  suff.  occurs  besides  (with  a  sing,  noun) 
only  Jud.  19-^  •\r\v:h'n,  Nah.  i^^  inaiD,  Job  25^  imix :  Wright,  Compar. 
Grammar  of  the  Seinitic  Languages,  p.  155,  compares  the  Aram,  p-i)^, 
and  traces  both  to  an  ancient  genitive  form,  malki-hu  or  nialki-hi,  the 
usual  form  n370>  ^sS?  originating  in  an  old  accus.  nialha-hu  (otherwise 
Stade,  §  345*=). — |"o]  in  Palest.  Syriac  (Payne  Smith,  col.  2094)  nation  ; 
in  the  Mishn.  species,  as  here  ;  in  the  Talm,  it  also  means  heretic,  schis- 
matic. The  root  may  be  the  Arab,  mdna  (med.  i),  to  split  (the  earth,  in 
ploughing):  see  Fleischer,  NHWB,  iii.  310. 


XIV,     I2-20  163 

species  of  owl. — 17.  21ie  carrio7i-viilturc  ('^'ffi'"!)]  ^^J^I^-  i79f- — 
19.  Unclean  again  corresponds,  as  in  v.^",  to  the  Ki?.^'  of  Lev. 
By  "winged  swarming  things"  (^iy^  p.^)  are  meant  winged 
insects.  H"^'  denotes  creatures  which  appear  in  swarms, 
whether  such  as  teem  in  the  waters  (Gn.  i^o  Lev.  11^"),  or 
those  which  swarm  on  the  ground  (Gn.  7-^  Lev.  ii4i-42  n  swarm- 
ing things  that  swarm  upon  the  earth  "),  i.e.  creeping  insects, 
and  reptiles.  t]iy  av&  JIviiig  things  generally,  not  birds  only; 
hence  *li>n  I'^l"  denotes  those  swarming  creatures  which  also 
lly,  i.e.  "winged  swarming  things,"  or  flying  insects. — 20.  Of 
all  clean  winged  tilings  ye  may  cat]  unless  the  verse  is  to  be  a 
mere  repetition  of  v.^i,  ^)ll  must  be  understood,  not  (as  in  AV., 
RV.)  of  "fowls,"  but  in  the  sense  just  noticed,  of  winged 
insects :  it  will  then  correspond  to,  and  be  an  abbreviation  of. 
Lev.  ii-^"22.  The  "clean"  insects  referred  to  are  in  particular 
(as  Lev.  ii2i-22  shows)  certain  species  of  "leaping"  locusts 
[Saltatoria) — a  group  possessing  two  posterior  legs  (^.''i'"}?,  Lev. 
ii-i)  of  great  strength  and  length  (shown  very  distinctly  in  the 
ilhistrations  in  Tristram,  NHB.  309,  311),  which  enable  them 
to  move  on  the  ground  by  leaps,  as  opposed  to  the  "  running" 
locusts  [Ctirsoria],  which  would  fall  under  the  category  of  "  un- 
clean "  insects,  mentioned  in  v.^^  [ib.  307  fif,).  The  locusts, 
permitted  in  Lev.  1121-22^  are  accordingly  alluded  to  in  Dt.,  but 
not  named  expressly. 

That  v.^"-"  is  not,  as  a  whole,  the  composition  of  D,  but  borrowed  by  him 
(with  slight  additions,  as  v.'^*^',  and  other  unessential  modifications)  from 
some  independent  source,  cannot  be  doubted  :  not  only  is  the  general  style 
unlike  that  of  D,  but  ]'p  kind  v.^-''*  ^^*  ^^  (v.^®  with  a  peculiar  suffix :  see 
below),  is  a  term  characteristic  of  P,  and  is  not  likely  to  have  been  adopted 
independently  by  D.     Kuenen  {Hex.  §  14.  5)  argues  that  the  provisions,  as 

17.  riDiJin]  with  unusual  tone  {tnU'el):  Lev.  has  criTn.  The  toneless 
ending  n  ^-  is  not  the  mark  of  the  fem.  (which  always  has  the  tone),  but 
an  obsolete  accus.  (G-K.  §  90.  2  R.  *'') :  the  iniVel  tone  here  may  therefore 
have  been  intended  by  the  IMassorites  to  preclude  the  word  being  treated 
as  a  fem.,  whether  on  the  ground  that  this  would  be  in  conflict  with  Lev., 
or  that  it  was  improbable  that  the  female  bird  alone  would  be  prohibited. 
The  Massorites  have  occasionally  done  the  same  elsewhere,  partly,  as  it 
seems,  for  the  sake  of  uniformity,  as  2  K.  15^^  n^'^an  (elsewhere  V'Vj.t  :  the 
fem.  would  be  r\h^S:ir\)^  Ez,  8-  n^cyo  (i*  '?'rY''?)>  partly  on  syntactical 
grounds,  as  Hos.  7^  n^;:i3,  Ez.  7^*  nn^jj  (the  masc.  na  follows).  Cf.  Ew. 
§  173''  note  ;  Stade,  §  308". 


164  DEUTERONOMY 

they  stand  in  Lev.  ir,  are  a  later  and  amplified  edition  of  those  in  Dt. 
(thoug^h  he  allows  that  the  latter  are  themselves  borrowed  from  a  priestly 
source) :  but  v.'*^''"-  '-•  '®--*  wear  rather  the  appearance  of  being  abridged 
from  the  more  circumstantial  parallels  in  Lev. 

The  point  of  view  under  which  these  prohibitions  are  here 
introduced,  though  not  expressly  stated,  may  be  inferred  from 
the  context  (v. 2-  2ib^  to  be  that  of  holiness  (so,  expHcitly,  Lev. 
ii^f.  20-'^);  Israel  is  a  holy  people,  and  is  therefore  to  avoid 
everything-  that  is  "  unclean." 

The  principle,  however,  determining'  the  line  of  demarcation  betweeti 
clean  animals  and  unclean,  is  not  stated  ;  and  what  it  is,  has  been  much 
debated.  No  single  principle,  embracing  satisfactorily  all  the  cases,  seems 
yet  to  have  been  found  ;  and  not  improbably  more  principles  than  one  co- 
operated. Some  animals  may  have  been  prohibited  originally  on  account 
of  their  repulsive  appearance  or  uncleanly  habits,  others  upon  sanitary 
grounds  ;  in  other  cases,  again,  the  motive  of  the  prohibition  may  very 
prob.ably  have  been  a  religious  one, — particular  animals  may  have  been 
supposed,  like  the  serpent  in  Arabia  {Rel.  Sem.  p.  122  ;  Wellh.  I.e.  137),  to 
be  animated  by  superhuman  or  demoniac  beings,  or  they  may  have  had  a 
sacramental  significance  in  the  heathen  rites  of  neighbouring  nations  ;  and 
the  prohibition  may  have  been  intended  as  a  protest  against  these  beliefs. 
Sacred  animals  were  a  common  feature  in  many  ancient  religions  {Rel. 
Sem.  272  ff.,  446  if.) ;  Ez.  8^*"'  mentions  the  superstitious  worship  of  various 
creeping  things  and  quadrupeds — described  as  Y\>}y  "detestations,"  the 
same  word  used  in  Lev.  1 1  ;  and  Is.  65^'*  66'^  allude  to  the  flesh  of  the 
s-d.'ine,  the  mouse,  and  other  "detestations"  (again  i'i^'f?),  as  eaten  sacra- 
mentally  (cf.  O'fJC.'-Tp.  366 f.). — Analogous  prohibitions  are  found  in  many 
other  Eastern  lands,  as  Egypt,  India,  &c.     See  further  on  Lev.  11. 

21*.  The  Israelites  are  not  to  eat  the  flesh  of  any  animal 
dying  of  itself. 

21*.  Ye  shall  not  eat  anything  Ex.  22^^ i^"*  (JE).  And  holy  men 
that  dieth  of  itself  {jhiy'^'z) :  thou  shall  ye  be  unto  me ;  and  flesh  in 
mayest  give  it  to  the  stranger  (ij)  the  field  that  has  been  torn  of  beasts 
that  is  within  thy  gates,  and  he  shall  (■ist.:)  ye  shall  not  eat ;  ye  shall  cast 
eat  it,  or  thou  mayest  sell  it  to  a  it  unto  the  dogs, 
foreigner  :  for  thou  art  a  holy  people 
unto  Jehovah  thy  God. 

Lev.  I7'^''  (H  or  P).  And  eveiy  soul  which  eateth  that  ivhich  dieth  of 
itself  {^^'^i),  or  that  'ivhich  is  torn  of  beasts  {nsta),  of  the  home-born  or  of 
the  si  rangers  {j\j) — he  shall  wash  his  clothes,  and  bathe  himself  in  water,  and 
be  unclean  until  the  evening ;  and  then  he  shall  be  clean.  But  if  he  wash 
them  not,  nor  bathe  his  flesh,  then  he  shall  bear  his  iniquity. 

n^2?,  lit.  a  carcase,  is  used  technically  of  animals  that  have 
died  a  natural  death,  without  being  properly  slaughtered :  the 
21.  nio  in]  cf.  Lev.  25"  Nu.  30^  (G-K.  §  113.  4"). 


XIV.  21  165 

ground  upon  which  their  flesh  w  as  prohibited  being-,  doubtless, 
partly  because  it  might  be  unwholesome,  but  principally  because 
it  would  not  be  thoroughly  drained  of  blood  (see  on  1 2^'' ;  and 
note  the  position  of  the  corresponding  law  in  Lev.  i7^^'^-,  im- 
mediately after  the  prohibition  to  eat  blood,  v.^i-^^).  The  law 
of  Dt.,  it  is  evident,  is  closely  related  to  that  of  Ex. ;  it 
does  not,  however,  directly  conflict  with  it,  for  the  one  relates 
to  i^;??,  the  other  to  '^Q^.P-  But  it  is  in  conflict  with  the  law 
of  Lev. ;  for  in  Dt.  what  is  prohibited  to  the  Israelite  is 
allowed  to  be  given  to  the  "stranger,"  or  foreigner  resident 
in  Israel  (on  lo^^),  whereas  in  Lev.  it  is  forbidden  to  both  alike 
(except  under  the  condition  of  a  subsequent  purification) ;  the 
Israelite  and  the  stranger  are  thus  placed  on  different  footings 
in  Dt.,  they  are  placed  on  the  same  footing-  in  Lev.  The  law 
of  Lev.  must  certainly  therefore  belong  to  a  different  ag^e  from 
the  law  of  Dt. :  the  only  open  question  being-,  which  is  the 
earlier? 

The  difference  is  in  harmony  with  the  distinction  which  prevails  g-ener- 
ally,  between  Dt.  and  P,  as  reg-ards  the  status  of  the  Ger.  In  Dt.  the  Ger 
does  not  stand  formally  on  an  equality  with  Jehovah's  people  :  he  is  de- 
pendent (p.  126)  upon  the  Israelite's  forbearance  and  charity  (cf.  in  H, 
Lev.  igii'-*'f');  and  thoug-h  some  conformity  with  Israel's  religion  is  ex- 
pected of  him  (29^'*  (1''),  the  only  command  laid  expressl)^  upon  him  is  the 
observance  of  the  sabbath  (s'*).  In  P  the  Gcr\s  placed  practically  on  the 
same  footing-  as  the  native  Israelite  :  he  enjoys  the  same  rights  (Nu.  3^'-'', 
cf.  Ez.  47"--))  3^'id  is  bound  by  the  same  laws,  whether  civil  (Lev.  24--), 
moral  and  religious  (18-®  20"  24^'',  cf.  Ez.  14"),  or  ceremonial  (Ex  12^^  Lev. 
J 6-^9  1^8.10.12.13.13  22IS  Nu.  1514- -'6. 30  jgio) .  <.jig  principle,  "One  law  shall 
there  be  for  the  home-born  and  for  the  stranger,"  is  repeatedly  affirmed 
(Ex.  12^"  Lev.  24"  Nu.  9^-*  i^i5-i'''-29)^ — the  only  specified  distinctions  being 
that  the  Ger,  if  he  would  keep  the  Passover,  must  be  circumcised  (Ex.  12^"), 
and  that  an  Israelite  in  servitude  with  him  may  be  redeemed  before  the 
jubile  (Lev.  25""^^-),  a  privilege  not  granted  in  the  case  of  the  master's  being- 
an  Israelite  (v.**"-).  Indeed,  in  P  the  term  is  already  on  the  way  to  assume 
the  later  technical  sense  of  ■xf.ntrny.vToi,  the  foreigner  who,  being  circum- 
cised and  observing  the  law  generally,  is  in  full  religious  communion  with 
Israel  (Schiirer,  NZg.-  ii.  §  31,  esp.  p.  566  f.).  The  analogy  of  other  cases 
makes  it  probable  that  the  law  of  Dt.  is  the  earlier,  that  of  P  reflecting  the 
greater  strictness  of  a  later  age,  when  the  Ger,  who  desired  to  share  the 
advantages  which  residence  in  Israel  might  offer,  must,  it  was  held  more 
strongly  than  before,  subject  himself  to  the  same  laws.  Dillm.  is  only 
able  to  maintain  the  opposite  view  (EL.  p.  540  ;  NDJ.  pp.  304,  606),  by  the 
not  very  natural  su]5position  that  the  law  of  Lev.  is  part  of  an  ideal  consti- 
tution constructed  by  P.  not,  like  that  of  Dt.,  based  upon  actual  practice, 


I 66  DKUTERONOMY 

and  hence  not  necessarily  the  creation  ot"  an  ag^e  subsequent  to  Dt.  Cf. 
further,  Kucncn,  Hihh.  Led.  pp.  182-187;  Smend,  AT.  Theol.  p.  333; 
Benzinger,  Hebr.  Archdol.  (1894),  p.  340  f. ;  Nowack,  Hebr.  Archciol.  §  62. 

Foreigner^  on  15^. — An  holy  people]  v.^ :  the  law  in  v.^'*  is 
referred  to  the  same  general  principle  as  the  law  in  v.^^. 

21''.  A  kid  not  to  be  seethed  in  its  mother's  milk- -This 
law  is  repeated  verbatim  from  Ex.  23^^*^  34"''''.  The  prohibition 
may  have  been  aimed  ag'ainst  the  practice  of  using  milk  thus 
prepared  as  a  charm  for  rendering  fields  and  orchards  more 
productive.     See  more  fully  on  Ex.  23^^^. 

XIV.  22-29.  Tithes. 
XIV.  22-29.  The  law  of  tithe. — Israel  is  to  show  its  devotion 
to  Jehovah  by  rendering  Him  a  tithe  of  all  the  produce  of  the 
soil,  to  be  eaten  by  the  offerer,  with  his  household,  at  the 
central  sanctuary,  at  a  sacred  feast,  to  which  the  Levite  is  to 
be  invited  as  a  guest :  those  resident  at  a  distance  may  take 
with  them  the  value  of  the  tithe  in  money,  and  expend  it  at 
the  sanctuary  in  such  food  as  they  desire,  to  be  consumed 
similarly  at  a  sacred  feast,  v.22-2".  Every  third  year,  howe\er, 
the  tithe  is  not  to  be  consumed  at  the  central  sanctuary,  but 
to  be  stored  up  in  the  Israelite's  native  place,  as  a  charitable 
fund  for  the  relief  of  the  landless  and  the  destitute,  v.-s--9.  In 
the  legislation  of  JE  there  is  no  mention  of  tithe.  On  the 
relation  of  Nu.  i8-'^--2  Lev.  27^0-33  (P)  to  the  law  of  Dt.,  see  p. 
169  f.— 22.  All  the  increase  of  thy  sccd\  the  tithe  is  exacted 
only  on  the  produce  of  the  soil,  in  v.--'  corn  and  wine  and  oil 
(7' ')  being  particularized  :  nothing  is  said  of  the  tithe  oi  cattle, 
referred  to  in  one  passage  of  P  (Lev.  27-'2). — 23.  This  tithe  is 
to  be  brought  to  the  central  sanctuary  (as  had  already  been 
prescribed  incidentally  in  another  connexion,  I2*'-^^),  and  con- 
sumed there  at  a  sacred  feast.  For  the  expressions  used,  see 
on  125-7.  From  the  stress  laid,  both  here  and  v.^i^  i2*"'''-i\  on 
this  provision,  it  would  seem  that  the  custom  had  prevailed 
(cf.  Am.  4^)  of  presenting  the  tithe  at  the  local  sanctuaries. — 

22.  r\-\v;n  Nivn]  n-^',  of  plants,  as  1  K.  5" ;  the  art.  in  N-Jvn  shows  that 
mc.T  is  construed  not  as  a  gen.  but  as  an  accus.  (on  8") :  cf.  r\n  n^'  Gn.  44' 
Ex.  Q-»*^^    -njty  .njc]  G-K.  §  123  a',  1. 


XIV.  2I-2S  1 67 

The  firstlings  of  thine  oxen  and  of  thy  sheep\  these  are  mentioned 
here,  only  because  their  disposal  was  similar  to  that  of  the 
tithe,  perhaps  also  because  it  was  usual  to  offer  them  at  the 
same  time  (Dillm.,  Keil).  The  law  relating  properly  to  first- 
lings follows  in  15^9-23. — That  thou  viayest  learn  to  fear,  &fc.\ 
cf.  4^".  The  regular  observance  of  the  duties  just  prescribed 
is  to  be  the  means  of  keeping  alive  and  exercising  the  religious 
feeling  of  the  Israelite. — 24-27.  Facilities  granted  in  the  case 
of  the  offerer's  home  being  too  distant  from  the  central  sanctu- 
ary to  allow  of  the  tithe  being  conveniently  carried  there  in 
kind. — 24.  When  Jehovah  thy  God  shall  bless  thee\cL  "f^ .  The 
difficulty  is  likely  to  be  the  greater,  when  Jehovah's  blessing 
increases  the  productiveness  of  the  soil,  and  augments  in  con- 
sequence the  bulk  of  the  tithe. — 26.  TJiy  soul  desireth  .  .  . 
asheth]  ' '  soul  "  is  here  nearly  synonymous  with  appetite :  cf. 
Nu.  11*5  ^tiie  ''soul"  dry)  Is.  29^  (the  "soul"  empty,  and  eager 
for  food)  32*5  Pr.  23-  ("^"£3  P>3  lit.  "a  possessor  of  a  soul,"  i.e. 
"a  man  given  to  appetite").  Comp.  on  12^0  23^5, — Shalt  eat 
there  before  fehovah,  and  rejoice^  12^. — 27.  The  Levite  that  is 
within  thy  gates^  the  Levites  resident  in  the  various  cities  of 
Israel  (12^-)  are  not  to  be  forgotten  on  the  occasion  of  sacred 
festivity  (cf.  on  12^-). — 28-29.  But  in  every  third  year — called 
in  26^-  the  "tithe-year" — a  different  disposition  of  the  tithe 
is  prescribed  :  it  is  to  be  devoted  to  the  relief  of  the  necessitous 
in  the  Israelite's  native  place. ^ — 28.  Thon  shall  bring  forth  .  .  . 
and  deposit  withiyi  thy  gate s\  i.e.  the  tithe  of  the  third  year  is 
to  be  "brought  forth  "  from  the  owner's  granaries — the  verb 
may  suggest  the  collateral  idea  of  its  being  brought  forth 
publicly,  cf.  N'i'in  17^  2ii^  2215- 21- 21  (Dillm.) — and  "deposited" 
— perhaps  in  some  public  storehouse — in  his  native  city.  Lay 
up  (AV.,  RV.)  is  an  old  English  expression,  often  used  where 
we  should  now  rather  say  lay  down,  or  deposit :  see  (also  for 
n'?n)  Ex.  i6^3.S3.3i  Xu.  i7--(")  i(f.— All  the  tithe]  all,— as  though 
to  guard  against  the  possibility  of  the  tithe  in  this  year  being 

24.  -Tin  1C2  nar  t]  19''  -pin  n^T  'd  ;  i  K.  19"  -m.!  -co  m  '2 ;  Jos.  9"  Is. 
57^*. — 25.  1DD3  nnn:i]  give  it /or  money  (the  Be/h  prelii),  i.e.  excliang-e  it 
for  money:  not  "turn  it  into  (*?),"  R.V.  So  v. ^.—26.  CJ^  tiSdni]  G-K.  §§ 
49.  3  R.*= ;  20.  2. 


I 68  DEUTKRONOMY 

in  part  diverted  to  other  purposes.  So  26^2^ — 29_  yj;/^/  tJic 
Levite,  cSr'c,  shall  cotne,  and  they  shall  eat  and  he  satisfied  (6")] 
of.  26^2  *«  and  they  shall  eat  it  •within  thy  gates,"  i.e.  not  at  the 
central  sanctuary,  but  in  the  various  cities  in  which  they  dwell. 
In  what  manner  this  was  to  take  place  is  not  stated  :  it  may 
have  been  in  public  feasts  provided  from  time  to  time  by  the 
local  authorities,  or  the  tithe  thus  reserved  may  have  been 
dispensed  in  doles  to  individuals  who  came  and  showed  that 
they  were  in  need  of  a  meal.  The  ordinary  tithe  was  in  part 
(v.^'')  applied  to  the  maintenance  of  the  landless  Levite ;  the 
triennial  tithe  was  applied  entirely,  something-  in  the  manner 
of  a  poor-rate,  to  relieve  the  needs  of  the  landless  and  desti- 
tute classes,  whose  sufferings  so  often  excite  the  compassion, 
or  indignation,  of  the  prophets  (cf.  OTJC^  p.  362). — The 
styanger,  the  fatherless,  and  the  isoidoiv^  these,  not  less  than 
the  Levite  (on  x^P-),  are  constantly  the  objects  of  the  Writer's 
philanthropic  regard  :  see  10^^  \(P-  1*  24^'^- 1^-  2f>-  21  26^--  ^^  271^ : 
comp.  before  (in  JE)  Ex.  2220-  21(21.  22)^  ^.^^  jj^  Yi  (of  the  stranger) 
Lev.  ig'^^-^^;  so  in  the  prophets,  as  Is.  i^""  Jer.  7*^  22^  Zech. 
7^** :  comp.  allusions  to  their  oppression.  Is.  i^^  lo^  Jer.  5^8  Ez. 
22"  Mai.  35 ;  also  Job  62'  22^  243-9  29^2. 13  2,i^G.n.2\^_xhat  Jehovah 
may  bless  thee,  ^c.^  so  24^^,  cf.  2321  (2''):  comp.  the  same  promise 
on  Israel's  obedience  7^^  15^^28^30^*^;  and  see  on  2".  The 
tithe  mentioned  in  these  two  verses  was  called  by  the  later 
Jews  ''jy  "ir'J!'?  "the  tithe  of  the  poor."  The  importance  attached 
to  it  by  the  legislator  appears  from  26^"^-,  where  the  Israelite  is 
commanded  to  acknowledge  solemnly  before  Jehovah  the  due 
payment  of  it.  From  the  subject  of  the  law  next  following, 
15^^-,  it  may  be  conjectured  that  this  triennial  tithe  fell  due 
every  third  and  sixth  year  in  each  sabbatical  period  :  in  the  7th 
year  (in  which  the  land  lay  fallow)  it  would  naturally  not  be 
exacted. 

A  sacred  tithe,  especially  one  exacted  on  the  produce  of 
the  soil,  w^as  a  common  institution  of  antiquity.  Of  the  Greeks, 
for  instance,  it  is  often  stated  that  they  rendered  a  tithe  to  the 
gods  of  spoil  taken  in  war,  of  the  annual  crops,  of  the  profits  of 
mines  and  commercial  industries,  of  confiscated  property,  &c. 
(Pi?^.2  xvii.  429;  Hermann,  Gottesdienstl.  Alterth.  d.  Griecheny 


XIV.  29  169 

§  2o.  4).  Originally  llie  tithe  will  have  been  rendered  volun- 
tarily, as  an  expression  of  gratitude  to  God,  the  giver  of  all 
g'ood  things :  and  no  doubt  with  religious  minds  the  same 
feeling  will  have  continued  throughout  to  operate  at  its  pay- 
ment ;  but  it  was  often  exacted,  whether  by  the  priesthood 
or  the  community  generally,  as  a  fixed  impost,  payable  by  the 
landowners  in  a  particular  district,  for  the  purpose  of  main- 
taining public  worship  at  a  sanctuary.  In  the  East  it  was  more- 
over not  unusual  for  the  revenues  of  the  sovereign  to  be  derived 
in  part  from  tithes,  6'.^.  in  Babylonia  and  Persia  (Arist.  Occon. 
pp.  1345^,  1352^'):  comp.  I  S.  S^^-  ^''.  The  oldest  Hebrew  legisla- 
tion (Ex.  21-23)  requires  the  payment  of  first-fruits  (22"''^(-^)), 
but  makes  no  mention  of  tithes :  it  may  be  either  that  the 
scale  on  which  in  old  times  public  worship  was  conducted  was 
not  such  as  to  require  this  impost,  or,  so  far  as  the  Temple  at 
Jerusalem  is  concerned,  that  the  expenses  of  its  maintenance 
were  defrayed  largely  out  of  the  king's  revenue.  The  Deutero- 
nomic  law  of  tithe  is,  however,  in  serious,  and  indeed  irrecon- 
cilable, conflict  with  the  law  of  P  on  the  same  subject.  In  Nu. 
j82i-2s  ti^e  tithe  is  appropriated  entirely  to  the  maintenance  of  the 
priestly  tribe,  being  paid  in  the  first  instance  to  the  Levites, 
who  in  their  turn  pay  a  tenth  of  what  they  receive  to  the 
priests ;  in  Dt.  it  is  spent  partly  at  sacred  feasts  (partaken  in 
by  the  off"erer  and  his  household),  partly  in  the  relief  of  the 
poor, — in  both  cases  the  Levite  (by  which  in  Dt.  are  meant  the 
members  of  the  tribe  g"enerally,  including"  priests  [see  on  18^]) 
sharing  only  in  compan}'  with  others  (v.^'-f-  29),  as  the  recipient 
of  the  Israelite's  benevolence.  Further,  in  Dt.  the  tithe  is 
exacted  only  on  the  vegetable  produce:  in  Nu.  18,  though  it 
is  not  expressly  so  stated,  the  impression  produced  by  the 
terms  employed  (note  the  similes  in  v.^""^*'),  is  that  here  also 
only  a  veg^etable  tithe  is  intended  :  if,  however.  Lev.  27''-''-  be 
rightly  regarded  as  an  original  part  of  the  legislation  of  P, 
so  that  it  may  be  legitimately  used  in  the  interpretation  of 
Nu.  18,  the  tithe  levied  on  the  annual  increase  of  cattle  will 
be  included  as  well.*     But  in  either  case,  a  large  proportion 

*  Except  in  so  far  as  it  may  be  included  in  the  "all"  of  Gn.  28--',  the 
only  other  allusion  in  the  OT.  to  a  tithe  on  cattle  is  in  the  late  passage 


170  DEUTERONOMY 

of  what  in  Numbers  is  devoted  exclusively  to  the  support  of 
the  priestly  tribe,  remains  in  Dt.  the  property  of  the  lay 
Israelite. 

From  an  early  date,  endeavours  have  been  made  to  har- 
monize this  discrepancy.  The  supposition  most  commonly 
made,  which  is  found  as  early  as  Tob.  i^  (cf.  Dt.  26'^  G  [see 
note]),  and  Jos.  Aniiq.  iv.  8.  22,  and  is  adopted  generally  by 
Jewish  legalists,  is  that  the  reference  in  Dt.  is  not  to  the  tithe 
named  in  Lev.-Nu.  at  all,  but  to  a  second  or  additional  tithe, 
levied  (after  the  deduction  of  the  Levitical  tithe)  on  the  remain- 
ing nine-tenths  of  the  vegetable  produce  only,  and  appropriated, 
not,  like  the  first  tithe,  to  the  support  of  the  priestly  tribe,  but 
to  public  feasts  celebrated  at  the  sanctuary,  and  to  charity.* 
It  must  be  frankly  owned,  however,  that  this  interpretation 
is  not  consistent  with  the  language  of  Dt.,  or  with  the  terms 
in  which  the  tithe  is  there  spoken  of.  Were  it  the  intention 
of  Dt.  to  introduce  a  second  tithe,  in  the  manner  supposed,  the 
fact  must  surely  have  been  indicated  expressly  by  the  terms 
used  :  it  is  incredible  that  a  second  tithe  should  have  been 
instituted  in  Dt.  for  the  first  ti?ne,  without  a  word  to  indicate 

2  Ch.  31®  ( I  S.  8^''  referring'  only  to  the  secular  tithe,  exacted  by  the  king) : 
indeed,  even  in  post-Biblical  notices  (except  in  the  expanded  text  [cod.  n] 
of  Tob.  1*),  including  those  in  Philo  and  Josephus,  there  is  no  reference  to 
such  a  tithe  prior  to  the  treatises  of  the  Mishnah  {c.  200  A.D.).  Lev.  27^-, 
it  seems,  must  represent  a  claim  asserted  on  the  part  of  the  priests,  which 
deviated  too  widely  from  prevalent  usage  to  be,  as  a  rule,  successful!)' 
enforced.  It  is,  however,  remarkable  that  the  only  express  notice  of  a 
tithe  on  cattle  in  the  law  should  be  found,  not  in  the  primary  and  constitut- 
ive enactments  of  Nu.  i8  and  Dt.  14,  but  in  a  chapter  (Lev.  27)  dealing 
only  with  the  subordinate  subject  of  the  commuiation  of  sacred  dues  ; 
and  hence  the  suspicion  may  not  be  ill-founded  that  Lev.  27^-'"  is  a  late 
insertion  in  P  (Baudissin,  Priestertlium,  p.  173;  and  others.  Cf.  Nowack, 
Hehr.  Arch.  ii.  258,  n.  3). 

*  The  '^  third  tithe,"  of  which  mention  is  made  in  Tob.  i^  and  in  Jos. 
Antiq.  iv.  8.  22,  is  that  prescribed  in  Dt.  14-^'-  (cf.  26^-'-)  for  paj^mcnt  in 
the  third  year,  which  was  held  by  many  of  the  Jews  to  be  not  the  same 
tithe  as  that  of  v.^'-'-^,  difTorenth'  applied,  but  an  addifional,  or  (from  tlu-ir 
point  of  view)  a  "  third"  tithe,  levied  triennially  for  the  relief  of  the  poor. 
This  interpretation  was,  however,  not  universal  even  among  the  Jews  ; 
and  it  is  generally  allowed  by  modern  commentators  (including  those  who, 
as  Keil,  still  treat  v."-"^'  as  referring  to  a  "  second  "  tithe)  to  be  incorrect ; 
it  maj'  thus  be  taken  for  granted  that  the  charitj'-tithe  of  Dt.  14^'-  is  simply 
the  festival-tithe  of  v.^-'^,  applied  to  a  different  purpose. 


XIV.  29  I /I 

that  it  was  an  innovation,  or  anything-  different  from  what 
would  be  ordinarily  understood  by  the  word  "tithe."  The 
language  of  261-''-,  also,  makes  it  exceedingly  difTicult  to  sup- 
pose that  the  tithe  referred  to  in  Dt.  is  a  "second"  tithe: 
had  a  tithe  been  paid  regularly  every  year  to  the  Levites  (Nu. 
iS-i""-),  it  is  inexplicable  that  every  third  year  should  have  been 
called,  Kar'  €$ox)p',  "the  year  of  the  tithing  "  ;  and  when  in  this 
same  year  the  whole  tithe  of  the  produce  has  been  stored,  and 
the  Hebrew  makes  a  solemn  profession  that  it  has  been  pro- 
perly disposed  of  by  him,  it  is  not  less  inexplicable  that  there 
should  be  no  allusion  to  his  disposition  of  the  first  and  principal 
tithe,  supposing  this  to  have  been  really  due  from  him.  The 
two  laws,  it  is  impossible  to  doubt,  speak  of  one  and  the  same 
tithe ;  and  the  discrepancy  between  them  arises  simply  from 
the  fact  that  they  represent  different  stages  in  the  history  of 
the  institution.  The  only  question  remaining  open  is,  which 
of  the  two  stages  is  the  older  ?  * 

Riehm,  who  holds  the  legislation  of  P  to  be  older  than  that  of  Dt. 
(though  not,  in  its  existing  form,  Mosaic),  supposes  {HWB.^  p.  17935.) 
the  custom  of  spending  the  tithe  upon  sacred  feasts,  of  a  joyous  character, 
to  be  an  old  one,  and  so  firmly  established  among  the  people,  that  the  legis- 
lation of  P  failed  to  supersede  it ;  the  legislator  of  Dt.  therefore,  abandon- 
ing the  endeavour  to  enforce  the  provisions  of  P,  was  content  to  Icavp  the 
custom  as  far  as  possible  as  he  found  it,  merely  accommodating  it  to  the 
general  scope  of  his  legislation  by  insisting  that  these  feasts  shall  only  be 
held  at  Jerusalem,  and  bj'  making  the  institution  conducive  at  the  same 
time  to  the  ends  of  philanthropy  and  charity  {\^-"-~^-"^).  Dilhnann  (on 
Lev.  27^^ ;  and  following  him,  Ryssel  in  PRE.^  xvii.  442  f.)  argues  that  the 
tithe  being  an  offering  rendered  to  the  Deity,  its  being  paid  directly  to 
His  ministers  would  be  a  more  natural  and  primary  disposal  of  it,  than  its 
being  appropriated  either  to  a  feast,  in  which  the  offerer  himself  would  of 
course  retain  the  lion's  share,  or  (as  in  every  third  year)  to  the  relief  of  the 
poor.  It  may  have  been  the  custom,  he  conjectures,  for  the  payment  of 
the  tithes  to  be  accompanied  by  sacred  feasts,  which  P  however  ignores  : 
the  Deuteronomic  appropriation  of  the  tithe,  in  two  out  of  every  three 
years,  to  such  meals  exclusively,  and  only  once  in  three  years  to  the 
support  of  the  Levites  and  other  destitute  persons,  is  most  easily  under- 
stood as  a  diversion  from  its  original  purpose,  introduced  at  a  time  when 
altered  circumstances  rendered  the  older  system  impracticable  :  the  laity, 

*  That  the  "second"  tithe  is  no  genuine  element  of  Hebrew  law,  but  a 
li.-irnionistic  device  of  the  Jewish  legalists,  is  admitted  by  the  most  moderate 
critics  {c.if.  by  Ewald,  Antiq.  p.  346  (E.  T.  301)  «.;  Dillm.  on  Lev.  27''*; 
Riehm,  IIWB.^  p.  1794'' ;  Ri'ssel  in  PRE.''  xvii.  440). 


172  DEUTERONOMY 

when  not  impelled  by  qfenuine  reli.^ioiis  feeling',  would  naturally  seek  as 
far  as  possible  to  relieve  themselves  of  a  burdensome  impost  (comp.  Mai. 
27-9  .  Neh.  i3'"''-),  and  would  readily  acquiesce  in  an  arrangement  by 
which  the  tithe  was  reserved  largely  for  their  own  consumption,  but  which 
at  the  same  time  was  so  far  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  the  age  that  it 
did  not  leave  the  destitute  altogether  unprovided  for. 

It  may  be  doubted  whether  either  of  these  theories  is  satisfactory. 
Both,  for  instance,  are  open  to  the  objection  that  they  assume  a  "latent" 
existence  of  P  for  many  centuries,  during  which  its  provisions  remained  a 
dead  letter,  no  attempt  to  put  them  in  force  being-  made  even  by  the 
reforming  legislation  of  Dt.  Dillmann's  theory  is  open  to  the  further 
objection,  that  it  does  not  adequately  account  either  for  the  prominence 
given  in  Dt.  to  the  sacred  meal,  or  for  the  fact  that  the  third  year  is  called 
xitr  ilaxnv,  "the  year  of  tithing^."  The  diversion  of  the  tithe  from  its 
original  purpose,  which  the  same  theory  presupposes,  is  also  violent  and 
improbable :  if  the  priesthood,  from  whatever  cause,  had  been  unable  to 
enforce  their  claims,  to  which  (by  the  law  of  P)  they  were  justly  entitled, 
the  tithe,  it  is  easy  to  understand,  might  have  fallen  into  desuetude 
altogether ;  but  is  the  Deuteronomic  disposition  of  it  a  probable  substitute 
for  its  original  application  ?  and  would  the  legislator  have  inculcated  so 
earnestly  this  disposition  of  the  tithe,  had  it  been  the  case  that  he  was 
thereby  supporting  the  Israelites  in  depriving  the  priestly  tribe  of  its 
legitimate  due  ? 

The  data  at  our  disposal  do  not  enable  us  to  write  a  history 
of  Hebrew  tithe :  but  the  disposition  of  the  tithe  in  Dt.  wears 
the  appearance  of  being-  more  primitive  than  that  of  P ;  and 
the  transition  from  the  prescriptions  of  Dt.  to  those  of  P  seems 
easier  to  understand  than  one  in  tlie  contrary  direction.  The 
earliest  historical  notice  of  the  payment  of  tithes  in  Israel  is  in 
connexion  with  the  Ephraimite  sanctuary  of  Bethel  (Am.  4'') ; 
and  the  custom  of  paying  tithes  here  seems  in  Gn.  2S--  to  be 
referred  to  the  example  of  Jacob,  the  patriarch  to  whose 
experiences  Bethel  owed  its  sanctity.  The  tithes  paid  to 
ancient  sanctuaries  were  not  necessarily  appropriated  to  the 
maintenance  of  a  priesthood  ;  they  might  be  employed  for  any 
purpose  connected  with  the  public  exercises  of  religion.  In 
Amos  the  tithe  seems  to  be  mentioned  not  as  a  due  paid  under 
compulsion  to  the  priests,  but  by  the  side  of  thank-offerings, 
freewill  offerings,  and  vows,  as  something  ofTercd  spontan- 
eously, and  forming-  probably,  like  these,  the  occasion  of 
a  festal  meal  at  the  sanctuary  (cf.  Riehm,  p.  i793^')-  To 
such  a  practice  the  law  of  tithe  in  Dt.  might  naturally  be 
understood  as  attaching  itself,  though  the  exact  manner  in 


XIV.  29  173 

which   it   mav  have   arisen   out  of  it  must  remain  matter  of 
conjecture. 

Prof.  Smith  (^Rel.  Sent.  226-236)  supposes  that  the  tithe-feasts  at  the 
Northern  sanctuaries  were  public  ones,  maintained  by  the  tithes  paid  by 
the  community  generally,  and  intended  for  rich  and  poor  alike,  but  that 
owing  to  the  power  possessed  by  the  great  nobles,  which  they  used  in 
aggrandizing  themselves  (cf.  Amos  2^-^-^  5^'  S^"*^),  the  poor  held  a  very 
subordinate  position  at  them,  and  they  were  monopolized  chiefly  by  the 
ruling  classes.  A  similar  application  of  the  tithe,  accompanied  by  similar 
abuses,  prevailed  also,  it  is  not  unreasonable  to  suppose,  in  Judah.  The 
law  of  Dt.,  Prof.  Smith  thinks,  was  intended  to  remedy  these  abuses.  It 
did  this,  by  leaving  the  offerer  free,  in  two  out  of  every  three  years,  to 
organize  his  tithe-feast  himself  at  the  central  sanctuary,  for  his  household 
and  the  destitute  Levite,  and  in  the  third  year,  as  a  substitute  for  the 
abolition  of  the  communal  fund  (which  theoretically  maintained  a  public 
table),  by  appropriating  the  tithe  entirely  to  the  support  of  the  dependent 
classes,  viz.  the  landless  poor  and  the  landless  Levite. 

Dt.  26^2  (cf.  Am.  4^*)  seems  to  authorize  the  inference  that 
some  ancient  custom,  connected  with  the  payment  of  the  tithe, 
must  have  led  to  every  third  year  beings  called,  Kar'  liox>'jv,  the 
"tithe-year."  It  maybe  noticed  that  it  is  only  in  the  third 
year  that,  according-  to  Dt.,  the  whole  tithe  is  actually  paid 
away  by  the  Israelite ;  in  the  other  two  years  it  is  consumed 
principally  by  the  offerer  and  his  family.  The  Levite  is  specially 
mentioned  as  entitled  to  a  share  of  the  tithe  in  every  year  ;  and 
on  the  basis  of  this  provision  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand  how 
in  process  of  time  the  claims  of  the  priestly  tribe  could  be  ex- 
tended until  at  last  (as  in  the  leg-islation  of  P)  the  entire  tithe 
was  appropriated  to  its  maintenance,  and  the  sacred  feasts 
disappeared  altogether. 

The  other  references  to  tithe  in  the  OT.  are — Gn.  14-"  2  Ch.  si"*^'  Neh. 
io38f.(37f.)  i2«  135.10-12  Mai.  38-10 :  cf.  also  Sir.  32  (35)"  Judith  iii-*  (Ss^araj 
Tou  olvav  xa)  rov  iXa'iov),  Tob.  5^'*  (codd.  BA),  I  Macc.  3'*^.  See  further, 
especially  for  some  account  of  the  minuter  regulations  contained  in  the 
Mishnah,  Ryssel,  s.v.  Zehnten,  PRE.'^  xvii.  428 ff.;  also  W.  R.  Smith, 
Proph.  382  f.,  Pel.  Sem.  226  ff. 

*  At  least,  as  usually  understood  ("every  three  daj's"  an  ironical 
exaggeration  of  "every  three  years,"  as  "every  morning"  of  "every 
year").  But  see  Wellh.  Die  Klein.  Proph.  p.  78;  Nowack,  Hebr.  Arch.  ii. 
258. 


1 74  DEUTERONOMY 

XV.  1-18.    Three  Lazvs  desig'tied  to  ameliorate  the  Condition 
of  the  Poor. 

XV.  1-6.  The  year  of  Release — Every  seventh  year  is  to  be 
a  "year  of  release,"  i.e.  a  year  during-  which  tlie  rights  of  a 
lender  are  to  be  in  abeyance,  and  repayment  of  a  loan  is  not  to 
be  exacted  by  him  of  a  brother  Israelite,  v. ^■2.  This  privilege, 
however,  is  not  to  be  extended  to  foreigners,  v.^.  The  law 
concludes  with  a  promise,  v.'*"''^,  that  in  the  event  of  Israel's 
obedience,  the  relief  afforded  by  the  present  law  will  not  be 
required.  On  the  relation  of  this  law  to  Ex.  2'^^^-  (JE)  Lev. 
25^-'^  (H),  see  p.  i77f. — At  the  end  of  (every)  seven  ycars\  the 
word  "end,"  it  seems,  is  not  to  be  pressed,  the  meaning  being, 
apparently,  not  "at  the  end  of  every  seventh  year"  (though 
this  rendering  could  be  defended  by  the  supposition  that  it  was 
at  the  end  oi  the  year  that  debts  were  called  in),  but  "at  the 
end  of  every  period  of  seven  years,"  which  was  understood  by 
usage  to  mean  "when  the  seventh  year  has  arrived"  (iTi  f^i' 
kirra.  eroiv) :  5031^";  comp.  especially  Jer.  34^^  where  "«/  ///c 
endofs&vGn  years"  corresponds  to  "  z«  the  seventh  year"  of 
Dt.  15^2^  and  where  the  period  thus  denoted  is  plainly  con- 
ceived to  have  begun  as  soon  as  the  six  years  are  terminated. 
— Thou  shalt  make  a  release  ('^^?V")]  ^^V  ^^  to  fling  down  (2  K. 
g:i.{  mop-_")j  let  drop,  let  fall:  it  is  applied  fig.  Ex.  23^1  (riT^'^'m 
nn-'L331  njO'X'n)  to  letting  t\\Q  land  drop,  i.e.  leaving  it  unculti- 
vated, every  seventh  year:  comp.  Jer.  17*  (read  prob.  1']"'^  for 
^;i)  "and  thou  shalt  let  thy  hand  fall  from  thy  inheritance" 
{i.e.  shalt  have  to  desist  from  its  cultivation,  with  allusion  to 
the  law  of  Ex.  23^^) :  v. 2  it  is  applied  to  letting  loans  drop,  i.e. 
allowing  them  to  remain  in  the  hands  of  the  debtor ;  and  the 
year  in  which  this  was  done  is  called  (v.^  311°!)  ni^pp'n  nrj"  "  the 
year  oi dropping,''''  or  "of  release."  On  the  question  whether 
the  intention  of  the  law  is  that  loans  were  to  be  cancelled,  or 
whether  it  is  merely  that  the  power  of  calling  them  in  was  to_ 
be  suspended  during  that  year,  see  p.  179  f. — 2.  The  nature  of 
the  "release":  every  creditor  is  to  "let  drop,"  i.e.  renounce 

XY.  2.  .Tjc:;'n  -a-\  nn]  cf.  19^  i  K.  9^',  and  tlie  Siloain  Inscr.  1.  i  {Samuel, 
pp.  XV,  xvi)  napj.T  n3T  .t.t  mi;  also  .  .  .  na-x  •l3^^  n?  Jos.  5*  i  K.   11'-^:  nai 


XV.  1-3  175 

—  whether  for  the  time,  or  permanently  —  his  claim  upon 
tliat  which  he  has  lent  to  his  neighbour :  it  is  the  season  of 
"Jehovah's  release,"  which  must  be  observed  with  the  for- 
malities which  He  has  prescribed.  On  the  constructions  in 
this  verse,  see  below. — His  hivi]ier\  a  synonym  of  "  his  fellow- 
countryman,"  which  has  the  effect  of  bringing  strongly  before 
the  Israelite  the  claims  of  kinship.  So.  v.^-  7. 9.  ii.  12  lyisb  i^is.  19 
22I.  2. 3.  4  2320. 21  253,  and  in  H,  Lev.  19"  2525-  35. 36. 39.  47 ;  but  the 
usage  does  not  occur  in  the  laws  of  JE  or  of  P.  In  the  pi.  the 
corresponding  application  is  more  common,  and  not  so  dis- 
tinctive; comp.  e.g.  10^  17^^^*-  2°  iS^^-  IS  24'''-  ^^  (and  often  in  other 
books). — ^Pn?c/flz>«e^]  by  a  formal  proclamation :  cf.  Lev.  232-4.27 
Is.  6ii-2  Jer.  34S  36^;  also  Lev.  25^  (of  the  jubile  year). — Unto  '• 
/c/wva/i]  i.e.  in  His  honour,  as  Ex.  i2ii-  ^'^-  ^^  Lev.  25^,  and  often. 
— 3.  A  foreigner  thou  may  est  press  for  payment;  hut  •whatsoever  of 
thine  ts  7mth  thy  brother,  let  thine  hand  release  (^^''^  '^tr^'^)]  the 
"foreigner"  [nokhri) — to  be  distinguished  from  the  Ger  [10^'^) 
— is  the  foreigner  who  merely  visits  Canaan  temporarily,  for 
trade,  &c.:  he  is  not,  like  the  Israelite  (Ex.  2310^),  under  the 
obligation  of  surrendering  the  produce  of  his  land  every  seventh 
year :  there  is  no  reason,  therefore,  in  his  case,  for  any  relaxa- 
tion of  his  creditor's  claims. — 4-6.  Reflections  of  the  Writer. 
There  will,  however,  be  no  poor  in   Israel,  and  consequently 

nearly  =  the  Lat.  ratio,  account,  nature,  reason. — ticu*]  the  inf.  abs.  (G-K. 
§  113.  4"^),  with  the  subj.  (exceptional!)')  attached  {ib.  R.) :  cf.  Lev.  6'  Ps. 
17'  Pr.  1712.  Construe  (with  Ges.,  Schultz,  Ke.)  "  Every  possessor  of  a 
loan  of  his  hand  shall  let  drop  that  which  he  lendeth  to  his  neighbour"  : 
for  'jj'n  in  a  forensic  application,  cf.  Ex.  24"  onm  '7^2=  "one  who  has  a 
cause"  ;  Is.  50**  'J2rc'D  h]!i  "my  litigant."  For  nij'n  loan,  cf.  24'"  Neh.  5^. 
The  suff.  in  n'  can  hardly  refer  to  anything  but  "^lya  :  the  meaning,  there- 
fore, will  be  "the  loan  which  his  own  hand  has  given,"  and  which,  there- 
fore, it  has  a  right  to  call  in  (v.^^) :  cf.  Neh.  lo''^  X'^^  '^v''?'  (see  other 
views  in  Ges.  Thes.  p.  920  f.). — 3  n^:]  24I'' ;  in  Qal,  24"  al. — UJi]  prop,  to 
press  hard  upon,  by  exacting  repayment  of  a  loan  (so  v.^) :  cf.  2  K.  23-^ 
Is.  5S''. — NTjj]  the  implicit  subj.  is  the  cognate  ptcp.  Nlpn,  as  always  in 
such  cases,  e.g.  Gn.  48^  ^jCv'?  icx'i,  sc.  nsixn,  Is.  8-*  Nf:,  sc.  Niyijn  :  see  on 
I  S.  16' ;  G-K.  §  14^.  3»  R.  Cf.  17^  with  note.  English  idiom  often 
requires  a  change  of  form  ;  and  the  passive  voice  has  to  be  employed  (as 
RV.  here). — 3.  nx]  iviih,  iti  the  possession  of:  Lev.  5-^  Jud.  17^. — IT  BD^n] 
notice  the  jussive  form.  The  punctuators  prob.  intended  kcbti  to  be  the 
2nd  person,  "cause  thine  hand  to  let  drop."  But  perh.  ebyfi  "thine  hand 
shall  let  drop"  should  be  read  (cf.  v.'^). 


I  76  DEUTERONOMY 

no  occasion  for  the  present  law  to  come  into  operation,  if  only 
the  nation  so  comports  itself  as  to  merit  Jehovah's  blessing ; 
then  the  Israelite,  so  far  from  having"  occasion  to  borrow  of  his 
neighbour,  will  be  in  a  position  to  lend  to  men  of  other  nations. 
— riowbeit  there  shall  he  no  poor  in  thee  {^for  Jehovah  1/0  ill  surely 
bless  thee  in  the  land^  <2r'6-.),  if  only  thou  diligently  hearken, 
cSr'c]  so  RV.,  limiting  the  promise  to  the  event  of  Israel's 
obedience,  and  treating  the  intermediate  clause  as  parenthetic. 
This  rendering  seems  to  be  the  best. 

Schultz,  Keil,  and  Dillin.  render,  "  Ilowbcit  there  should  he  no  poor  in 
thee  ;  for  Jehovah  will  surely  bless  thee,  &c.,  if  only  tiicjii  hearken,"  &c., 
supposing  the  meaning  to  be  either  (Schultz,  Keii)  that  Israel  should  exert 
itself  to  prevent  the  pauperization  of  its  members,  or  (Dillm.)  as  express- 
ing" the  abstract  truth  that  poverty  ou^ht  not  to  exist  in  the  nation,  if  it  be 
obedient,  after  Jehovah  has  promised  His  blessing  upon  it.  But  "should 
be  "  is  not  (in  this  context)  a  very  natural  sense  of  ~'.T. 

In  whatever  sense,  however,  the  words  are  understood, 
V.7- 11  show  that  the  prospect  held  out  in  them  is  an  ideal  one, 
which  the  Writer  did  not  contemplate  as  likely  to  be  realized 
in  practice. — In  thee]  of  Israel  collectively  [i^^)  —  i7i  thy  midst: 
so  vJ  71^  (Heb.),  1810  2311- 15  a<^- 1^)  25I8  28""'.  With  thee  (AV.)  is 
not  correct :  this  would  express  ^rtX  (Lev.  25^^),  not  ^3. — For 
Jehovah  will  surely  bless  thee]  cf.  on  2''. — "f^i  |n3  "["Tibx  '^  it:'X 
rbn:]  4^1  (cf.  ^8)  igio  20I6  212a  24*  25I''  (  +  ^n:^'•^b>>  as  here),  261. — 
5.  '••  h)?n  "Wmn  J?DtJ'  Ds]  28I;  in  JE,  Ex.  1526  fy  195  2322.—^// 
this  commandment,  &fc.]  on  S^. — 6.  Will  have  blessed  thee]  viz.  in 
the  case  contemplated  :  so  v.^"*  12'^. — As  he  spake  iinto  (i^i)  thee] 
Ex.  2325  Dt.  7I'. — And  thou  shall  rule  over  many  nations,  &c.] 
thou  shalt  enjoy  a  position  of  financial  and  material  superiority 
to  them.     Cf.  28I. 

The  law  embodies  a  new  application  of  the  institution  of 

4.  '3  den]  save  that,  ho7i<be!t,  introducing  a  qualification,  Nu.  13^  Jud.  4^ 
Am.  9*. — S.  ex  p-\'\  =  i/otily,  pi  being  prefixed  to  the  clause  introduced  by 
DN  for  emphasis.  So  1  K.  S-''  2  K.  ai**. — 6.  C3j;  (24^''t)  is  properly  to  give  a 
pledge  {sc.  on  the  occasion  of  borrowing),  hence  io  borroiv  on  pledge,  cavn 
(here  and  v.^1")  is  thus  lit.  to  cause  to  give  pIedges=to  lend  on  pledge  to. 
Cf.  B135;  a.  pledge  24^""^^t ;  dt^v  Hb.  2®t.  h2n  (24"-'')  is  the  more  usual 
word.     Perh.  oay  is  an  Aram,  loan-word  (Wellh.  Klein.  Proph.  p.  207), 

introduced  in  commerce  :  if  so,  it  would  =  Arab.  isJu*  lo  hold  firmly —Yi^. 
t32s  to  hold  out  (with  the  regular  phonetic  change :  Dr.  §  178). 


XV.  4-6  177 

the   fallow  year   of  Ex.    23^^^-  (JE),  and  of  the  "Sabbatical 
year  "of  Lev.  25^-7- 20-22  (h). 

The  law  of  Dt.  is  connected  with  that  of  Ex.  by  tiie  coninK^n  verb  DCC 
(though  in  Ex.  the  object  is  the  land  [or  its  produce],  while  in  Dt.  it  is  the 
debt) ;  but  the  name  "  year  of  release  "  is  peculiar  to  Dt.  (15''  31'")  :  in  Ex. 
the  year  bears  no  special  name.  The  term  "sabbatical  year"  is  based 
upon  Lev.  25" ^-^  (cf.  zG^-'*^),  where  the  fallow  year  is  called  a  "sabbath," 
or  rest,  for  the  land.  The  three  laws,  as  will  appear  immediately,  present 
different  aspects,  or  applications,  of  the  institution. 

In  Ex.  23  it  is  provided  that  in  every  seventh  year  the 
fields,  vineyards,  and  olive-gardens  are  to  remain  uncidtivated, 
such  produce  as  they  bear  naturally  being  not  g'athered  by  the 
owners,  but  left  to  the  poor.  The  terms  of  this  provision  do 
not  leave  it  perfectly  clear  whether  (as  is  generally  supposed) 
a  year  common  to  the  whole  land  is  intended,  or  (Riehm, 
HWBJ  p.  131V';  Wellh.  I/isf.  p.  iiyf.)  one  varying  for  the 
different  properties  ;  but  even  if  it  be  the  latter,  the  year  must 
afterwards  have  become  a  fixed  one,  for  in  Lev.  2^^-''-  20-22^ 
where  substantially  the  same  regulation  is  repeated  (with 
variations,  chiefly  of  form,  accommodating  it  to  the  aims,  and 
literary  style,  of  H),  the  institution  is  described  as  "a. 
sabbath  of  rest  for  the  land,"  and  is  clearly  designed  to  be 
operative  through  the  whole  country  simultaneously. 

A  discussion  of  the  g-rounds  upon  which  the  custom  arose  of  allowing 
the  land  to  remain  untillcd  once  in  7  years  belong-s  more  properly  to  a 
commentary  on  Exodus  or  Leviticus  than  to  one  on  Deuteronomy  :  here 
it  must  suffice  to  say  that  analogous  usages  in  other  countries  (see  Sir  H. 
S.  Maine,  Village  Coviviiinities  in  the  East  and  West,  pp.  77-99,  107-113, 
&c.  ;  J.  Fenton,  Early  Hebrew  Life,  1880,  pp.  24-26,  29-32,  64-70)  make  it 
probable  that  it  is  a  relic  of  communistic  agriculture,  i.e.  of  a  stage  of 
society  in  which  the  fields  belonging  to  a  village  are  the  property  of  the 
villagers  collectively,  individuals  only  acquiring  the  use  of  a  certain 
portion  for  a  limited  period,  and  the  rights  of  the  community  being  recog- 
nized by  the  individual  landowners  being  obliged,  at  stated  intervals,  to 
renounce  their  claims  to  the  use,  or  produce,  of  the  soil,  in  favour  of  the 
body  of  villagers  generally.  The  "sabbatical  j'ear  "  of  Ex.  and  Lev.  is 
similarly  an  institution  limiting  the  rights  of  individual  ownership  in  the 
interests  of  the  community  at  large.  Such  a  limitation,  it  is  evident,  might 
readily  be  adapted  so  as  to  minister  to  the  needs  of  the  poorer  classes ; 
and  this  is  the  point  of  view  under  which  the  institution  is  regarded  in  Ex. 
23'*'-.  The  land  would  at  the  same  time  benefit  by  being  allowed  to 
remain  periodically  uncultivated ;  and  it  is  this  aspect  of  the  institution 
which  is  prominent  in  Lev.  25^'^. 
12 


I  78  DEUTERONOMY 

In  the  law  of  Dt.  the  same  institution  is  made  the  basis  of 
a  provision  desig^ned  for  the  relief  of  the  distressed  debtor.  In 
so  far  as  the  cultivation  of  the  land  was  actually  suspended 
during-  the  7th  year,  the  landowner  and  his  dependents  would 
be  deprived  largely  of  their  usual  means  of  obtaining-  a  liveli- 
hood :  associated  trades  would  also  probably  be  slack :  hence 
it  would  be  a  time  when  borrowers  would  be  less  able  than 
usually  to  meet  their  liabilities  ;  and  it  would  be  not  more  than 
reasonable  that  the  more  wealthy  creditor  should  be  restrained 
from  pressing-  them  for  payment.  The  principle  of  the  law  of 
Ex.  ("  and  the  poor  of  thy  people  shall  eat ")  is  thus  expanded, 
and  applied  so  as  to  meet  the  requirements  of  a  more  de- 
veloped state  of  society  than  that  contemplated  in  Ex.  21-23, 
its  benefits  being-  extended  to  a  class,  who,  in  the  more  hig-hly 
organized  civic  life,  and  the  increasing  opposition  between  rich 
and  poor,  which  prevailed  under  Solomon  and  his  successors, 
were,  it  may  be,  even  more  in  need  of  relief  than  those  origin- 
ally benefited  by  the  law  of  Ex.  Comp.  other  laws  designed  in 
the  interests  of  debtors,  Dt.  23'-o*'-  (i'"-)  2410-13. 

The  present  law — or  at  least  the  feeling-  which  still  prevailed  when  it 
originated — dates  from  a  time  when  commercial  relations  were  much 
simpler  than  they  are  now,  and  when,  it  is  probable,  the  system  of  com- 
mercial loans,  as  practised  in  modem  times,  had  not  yet  sprung-  up,  and 
all  loans  were  virtually  charitable  ones  (comp.  on  23-'*'').  The  loans  which 
it  contemplates  appear  thus  to  be  not  advances  of  money,  such  as  might 
be  needed  by  a  trader  to  enable  him  to  carry  on,  or  extend,  his  busi- 
ness, but  advances  intended  for  the  relief  of  some  temporary  difficulty 
or  impoverishment  (cf.  the  reference  to  the  poor  in  v.-*) :  no  interest 
could  be  demanded  on  them  (23-'^  (^^J)  ;  they  fall  accordingly,  as  the 
context  and  the  terms  of  v.^'"  show,  under  the  category  of  deeds  of 
philanthropy  and  charity.  Whether  any  security  was  offered  by  the 
debtor  for  such  loans,  and  if  so,  what,  is  not  stated  :  but  Neh.  5^'*  (cf.  2  K. 
4^  Is.  50^)  shows  that  the  lands  and  familj'  of  a  debtor  might  constitute 
the  security  for  a  debt ;  and  Lev,  25"'-'-  -"^  suggest  at  least  the  possibility 
that  (as  at  Athens  before  Solon,  and  in  Rome,  practically,  till  the  time  of 
Justinian)  even  the  debtor's  own  person  might  form  the  security.  The 
need  of  protective  legislation  on  the  subject  is  well  illustrated  by  the  dis- 
tressed condition  to  which  the  people  of  Attica  were  reduced  in  the  6th 
cent.  B.C.,  and  by  the  reforming  measures  which  Solon  found  it  necessary 
to  introduce  (see  Grote,  Hist,  of  Greece,  Part  II.  ch.  xi.,  whose  comments 
on  the  subject  of  debt  in  the  ancient  world  are  instructive). 

Opinions   have   differed   as  to  whether  the   '"i^r*^'  was   an 


XV.  6  1  79 

actual  remission  of  loans,  or  merely  the  suspension,  for  one  year, 
of  the  creditor's  right  to  demand  payment.  The  former  inter- 
pretation is  found  as  early  as  Philo,  de  scptenario,  §  8  (Mangey, 

ii.   -84),  Kara  yovv  e/SSofJiov   ivtaVToi'   del  ;^p€WK07riai'  cto-r/yetTa/.  :    it 

is  adopted  also  in  the  Mishnah  [S/iebiith  10,  i),  and  by  Jewish 
authorities  generally,  as  well  as  by  some  Christian  scholars 
[e.i^:  Ges. ;  Wellh.  Hisi.  117;  Benzinger,  Hebr.  Arehiiol.  (1894) 
p.  350 f.;  Nowack,  Hebr.  Archciol.  (1894)  i.  356);  but  most 
modern  commentators  ag-ree  in  favour  of  the  latter  alternative 
(Biihr,  Symbolik,  ii.  570  f.;  Saalschutz,  JSIos.  Recht,  i.  162  f., 
Schultz,  Knob.,  Keil,  Dillm.,  Riehm,  HWB.^  1315^;  Ochler, 
OT.  Theol.  §  151.  10;   OrelU  in  Pi?^.2  xiii.  168;   &c.). 

The  modern  interpretation  has  all  h  priori  considerations  in  its  favour ; 
but  we  are  not,  perhaps,  sufficiently  acquainted  with  the  circumstances 
which  the  law  was  originally  designed  to  meet,  or  under  which  it  was 
carried  out  in  practice,  to  be  able  to  feel  perfectly  confident  that  it  is  cor- 
rect. The  cancelling  of  debts — x.?-'^^  a.Toxo'^r,,  as  the  Greeks  called  it — was 
a  revolutionary  measure  (cf.  Plato,  Eep.  566  A,  Legg.  736  C  ;  Demosth. 
c.  Tiniokr.  p.  746),  adopted  sometimes,  as  under  Solon,  at  Athens  (Grote, 
I.e.),  under  circumstances  of  extreme  necessity,  but  not  one  likely  to  be 
enforced  periodically  by  law  in  a  well-ordered  community.  A  law,  more- 
over, contemplating:,  not  to  say  (v.^)  encouraging  loans,  but  at  the  same 
time  cancelling  the  debts  thus  contracted  every  seven  years,  regardless  of 
the  fact  that  the  debtor  might  in  the  interim  have  recovered  his  prosperity, 
would  seem  calculated  to  defeat  itself;  for  upon  such  conditions  it  is 
difficult  to  understand  how  any  would  have  been  found  ready  to  lend. 
The  analogy  of  the  landowner  surrendering  for  one  year  in  seven  the 
produce  of  the  land,  and  of  the  creditor  surrendering,  likewise  for  one  year 
in  seven,  his  claim  upon  his  loan,  is  also  attractive,  and  appears  to  offer  a 
plausible  rationale  of  the  law.  On  the  other  hand,  the  term  DCE'  seems  to 
favour,  though  not  perhaps  decisively,  the  opinion  that  a  remission  of 
loans  is  intended  :  it  is  remarkable,  also,  if  the  creditor's  rights  were  only 
suspended  for  a  year,  and  afterwards  resumed,  that  this  is  not  more  dis- 
tinctly indicated  in  the  terms  employed  :  the  consideration  in  v..^  is  also 
evidently  more  forcible  upon  the  same  supposition.  On  the  whole,  while 
as  a  law  regulating  commercial  loans  generally  it  can  have  been  a 
practicable  one  only  upon  the  modern  interpretation,  it  is  possible  that  in 
its  original  intention  its  application  was  so  limited  by  circumstances  that 
the  ancient  interpretation  may  be  the  correct  one. 

Nevertheless,  in  view  of  our  imperfect  knowledge  of  Hebrew  commerce 
and  finance,  it  must  be  admitted  that  an  uncertainty  still  rests  upon  the 
real  scope  of  the  law.  Others  accordingly  think  that  interest  on  money 
lent  for  commercial  purposes  was  permitted  between  Israelites,  and  that 
the  prohibition  of  interest  (23-"*' ;  cf.  Ez.  iS^-^"-!"  22^-  Ps.  \^')  applies  only 
to  the  money-lender's  dealings  with  the  poor  (Neh.  5).     If  this  were  so, 


I  So  DEUTERONOMY 

tliu  cflccL  of  the  present  law  will  li.'ivu  been  to  prevent  the  creditor  fi^oin 
recoverhig',  in  every  seventh  year,  either  the  interest  or  the  principal  of 
financial  loans,  or  the  principal  of  charitable  loans.  The  analog-y  of  the 
field  suffered  to  lie  fallow  for  a  year  is  iirg^ed  in  support  of  this  view  :  the 
interest,  or  annual  produce  (roxt;)  of  money,  corresponds  to  the  harvest, 
the  annual  produce  of  the  land  :  money,  like  land,  was  to  be  unproductive 
every  seventh  year.  The  terms  of  22''"'  Ez.  iS**  &c.  are,  however,  quite 
general :  can  they  be  limited  in  the  manner  proposed?  And  it  is  remark- 
able, if  the  reference  here  be  primarily  to  interest,  that  this  is  not  in  some 
way  indicated  :  the  lang'uag'c  both  of  v."  and  of  v.'''  seems  naturally  to 
describe  merely  the  loan  itself. — The  only  notice  in  the  OT.  bearing'  on  the 
observance  of  the  law  is  the  obligation  undertaken  by  the  Jews  in  Neh. 
io''-(-"):  (Dt.  15-)  T  hj  Ny'3i  n'i!'2cn  nic-n  nx  (H^x.  23^')  c'eji. 

In  later  times,  when  commercial  relations  became  more  extended  and 
complex,  the  law,  which  w'as  then  hold  to  apply  not  merely  to  charitable 
loans,  but  also  to  loans  contracted  in  commerce,  was  found  impracticable  ; 
and  expedients  were  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  evading  its  provisions. 
Thus  debts  contracted  upon  security  of  a  pledge  were  considered  to  be 
exempted  from  its  operation  ;  the  debtor,  when  the  year  of  Release  arrived, 
would  offer  repayment  of  his  loan,  which  the  creditor,  while  going  through 
a  form  of  refusal,  would  end  by  accepting;  and  Hillel  (1st  cent.  B.C.), 
finding  that  many  were  deterred  from  lending  by  the  consideration  Dt. 
15'',  instituted  the  Tinma  (-rfioirlioXy,),  i.e.  a  formal  document,  signed  before  a 
judge,  in  which  the  creditor  reserved  the  right  to  call  in  his  loan  whenever 
he  pleased,  irrespectively  of  the  year  of  Release  (see  Shebiifh  10,  if.; 
3!'.,  8f., — the  latter  explained  in  Geiger,  Lesestiicke  aus  dcr  Alisclniah, 
pp.  4f.,  77  f.  ;  cf.  Levy,  Netihehr.   WB.  s.v.  Vums ;  Schiirer,  Nsg.-  ii.  299). 

7-11.  The  year  of  Release  is  not  to  check  liberality :  the 
Israelite,  when  called  upon  to  do  so,  is  to  assist  cheerfully 
his  brother  in  need. — A  caution,  rendered  necessary,  in  the 
Writer's  jiidgrnent,  by  the  law  of  v.^"^ :  the  benefits  afforded 
by  the  year  of  Release  are  not  to  be  neutralized  by  the  thought 
of  its  near  approach  deterring  the  wealthy  Israelite  from 
coming  forward  to  assist  his  less  prosperous  brother  in  his 
need.  The  spirit  in  which  these  verses  are  conceived  is  in 
harmony  with  the  philanthropic  motive  conspicuous  elsewhere 
in  Dt.  [e.g-.  v.^-^'"-  24^0-13.  i4f.^_ — rj/_  y^^  tJiee]  as  v.*. — In  one  of  thy 
gatcs\  i.e.  in  one  of  thy  cities  (12^2^. — Is  giving  thee\  i^o. — 9. 
Take  heed  to  thyself\a^. — A  base  thought\  on   131^(1''). — Thine 

7.  "i'n.s  nnNo]  any  one  qfthy  brethren.  For  this  peculiar  use  of  jc,  comp. 
Lev.  4-  if  he  doeth  n:nQ  nnxD  any  one  of  these  things,  Ez.  18^"  i  S.  14'*''  m>rD 
ifxn  any  single  hair  of  his  head  (see  ad  loc,  or  Lex.  ja  IbS,  where  an 
analogous  Arab,  usage  is  referred  to). — j'DNn]  as  2'". — 9.  123^  □>']  on 
8''. — '?r'?3]  in  appos.  with  nan,  "a  word,  baseness "=a  base  word  (Dr. 
§  189.   i;  G-K.  §  131.  2»').— V3fn  n:^]  cf.  Nu.  zf^  ^  Ch.  26^1 ;  and  often 


XV.  7-1 1  i8i 

eye  be  evil  agai'nsf]  i.e.  be  envious  or  grudg-ing-  towards  :  so 
28s-*-5ti|_  Comp.  Tob.  4"  (quoted  by  Ges.)  /x>/  ^^ovco-aro)  nov  6 
6(f>6aX.fios  iv  T<2  TTouiv  ere  iXerjiioa-rvrji'. — And  he  cry  og'ainst  tlicc 
vnto  Jchova]i\  Ex.  22— ^-3). — And  it  be  sin  in  thee  (sDH  "jn  n''n'i)] 
so  23-- ("-')  2415,  cf.  21^2;  with  not  23-''(--\  The  expression  is 
not  found  elsewhere.  Lev.  19^"  (cf.  22^  Nu.  18''-)  has  xcn  xS 
X*on  V^jy. — 10.  And  thine  heart  shall  not  be  sad\  Ht.  be  evil  (>"]..)  : 
so  I  S.  iS;  cf.  the  ^"1  3^  (sad  heart)  of  Pr.  25-0.  It  is  the  cor- 
relative of  3i:^  (ovod),  3tp'',  3VlD,  said  also  of  the  heart,  and  im- 
plying^ cheerfulness:  e.^.  Jud.  ig*^-^  i  S.  25'^'^'  2  S.  13-^  i  K.  8*"^ 
Dt.  28-*"  2P  31D, — Givest]  understood  usually  (in  view  of  v.^^^) 
as  =  lendest.  But  possibly  v."-ii  is  meant  generally  :  the  pro- 
spect of  a  reduced  income  in  the  near  future  is  not  to  check 
the  Israelite's  liberality  towards  any  who  solicit  from  him 
pecuniary  aid. — Shall  bless  thee,  &c.]  cf.  on  2"^  12'^.  For  the 
thought,  cf.  Pr.  19^''  28^''. — 11.  The  ground  of  the  preceding 
injunction:  the  poor  will  never  cej  s:;  out  of  the  land,  and 
hence  it  will  never  become  superfluous. 

12  18.  The  law  of  slavery. — Hebrew  slaves,  male  or  female, 
unless  they  elect  to  remain  with  their  master,  are  to  receive 
their  freedom  in  the  seventh  year  of  service. — The  condition 
of  a  Hebrew  slave,  it  is  probable,  was  relatively  favourable 
(cf.  Ex.  2i20.26f.  Lev.  25-''^'"-  43.53  Qt.  514b  12I8  i6n) :  yw  contem- 
plates the  case  of  his  "loving"  his  master  as  of  likely  occur- 
rence; and  the  law  (Ex.  21'*)  that,  if  his  master  gave  him  a 
wife,  the  wife  and  her  children  were  not  to  receive  their  liberty 
with  him,  would  often  act  as  an  inducement  to  him  to  renounce 
his  right  of  freedom  after  6  years  of  service.  The  present  law 
is  based  upon  the  corresponding  one  in  JE  {Ex.  21-'*^),  with 
parenetic  additions  (v.^^-^^- ^''),  in  the  manner  of  Dt.,  and  with 
two  not  unimportant  modifications  (see  on  v.'-- '"). 

'-  If  thy  brother,  on  Hebrew,  or  Ex.  21-  If  thou    l)uy   an   Hebrew 

an  Mebrewess,  be  sold  un*o  thee,  he  bondman, 

shall  serve  thee  six  years ;    and  in  six  years  shall  he  sen'e ;    and   in 

the  seventh  year,   thou   shalt   send  the  seventh  year,   he   shall   go  out 

him  a.way  free  from  thee.  .  .  .  free  for  nothingf.      ^'*  If 

without  the  art.  {e.g.  1  K.  15-').— 10.  hhu^]  i^''  iS^-.— 11.  ^',}vh]  "is  sing-., 
the  —  being  for  the  purpose  of  avoiding  sh-n'o-'  after  the  double  yod' 
(DiUm.). 


162  DEUTIiRONOMY 

he  came  in  by  himself  he  shall  ero 
1"  And  it  shall     out  by  himself,  &c.  .  .  .  «  But  if  the 
be,  if  he  sny  unto  Ihee,  bondman  sa^,  I  love  my  master, 

my  wife,  and  my  children, 
/  7£i///  not  go  out  from  thee,  because     /  "will  not  go  out  free, 
he  /oz^^/A  thee,  and  thyhouse, because 

it  is  well  for  him  with  thee  ;  ^^  Then  '  Then 

thou  shalt  take  an  aivl,  and  put  it  his  master  shall  bring- him  unto  God, 
into  his  ear  and  into  the  door  {i.e.  and  he  (or  one)  shall  bring-  him  to 
pin  them  together),  and  he  shall  the  door  or  to  the  door-post,  and  his 
be  a  bondman  to  thee  master  shall  bore  his  ear  with  a« 

for  ever,     a-n'l,  and  he  shall  serve  hxmfor  ever. 
^  And  if  a  man  sell  his  daughter  to 
And  also  unto  thy  boiidii'onian  thou      be   a  bondwoman,  she  shall  not  go 
shalt  do  likewise.  out  as  the  bondmen  do. 

12.  Or  an  f/ebrc'-cvcxs]  this  addition  marks  a  sigriificant 
difference  from  the  law  of  Ex. ;  for  in  Ex.  (v. 3),  although  a 
woman  who  comes  into  service  with  her  husband  is  to  receive 
her  freedom  when  he  does,  a  daughter  sold  by  her  father  as  a 
bondwoman  is  on  a  different  footing,  she  is  not  to  go  free  as 
bondmen  do  (v."). 

Various  attempts  have  been  made  to  harmonize  the  two  laws.  Thus 
one  supposition  is  (i)  that  the  law  of  Ex.  2i"^  is  intended  tacitly  to  include 
women  ;  (2)  that  the  law  of  Dt.  does  not  abrogate  Ex.  21^,  but  enforces 
the  extension  thus  tacitly  implied  in  v.^.  But  the  notice  of  the  special  case 
in  v.-*,  and  the  law  v.-*,  that  even  a  female  slave  married  to  a  bondman, 
during  his  period  of  service,  is  not  to  go  free  with  her  husband,  render  it 
improbable  that  this  tacit  extension  of  Ex.  21-  can  be  designed.  The 
addition  "or  an  Hebrewess "  in  Dt.  15^'-  is  also  a  pointed  one,  which 
would  hardly  have  been  made,  unless  some  material  modification  of  the 
law  of  Ex.  had  been  intended  by  it.  According  to  another  supposition 
(Hengst.  Beitrcige,  iii.  439),  Ex.  2i^''^  relates  only  to  the  case  of  a  woman 
sold  to  be  a  concubine,  while  Dt.  i5^-"^"  contemplates  the  case  of  a  woman 
who  enters  servitude  for  purposes  other  than  that  of  concubinage.  But  the 
terms  of  Dt.  i5^''"''^  are  perfectly  general ;  so  that  the  case  of  a  woman  sold 
for  concubinage  must  be  included  in  them, — unless  (which  is  just  the  con- 
clusion that  the  harmonistic  supposition  is  designed  to  avoid)  the  law  of 
Dt.  belongs  to  an  age  so  far  removed  from  that  of  Ex.  that  the  case  no 
longer  practically  occurred  of  a  woman  being  sold  into  slavery  for  that 
purpose. 

No  doubt  the  true  explanation  of  the  variation  is  that  the 
law  of  Dt.  springs  from  a  more  advanced  stage  of  society  than 

12.  ""ixi'i]  Ex.  21-  makes  it  probable  that  the  apod,  begins  here 
(Dr.  §  136  a) :  it  might  begin  at  n'i'orai,  but  this  would  be  unusual  {ib. 
Ob^     I,  and  §  124). — 14.  'Ji   ^^^3   nrx]   •\c'K  =  as,  in  cases  where  it  cannot 


XV.  I2-I6  1 8 


J 


the  law  of  Ex.  ;  it  thus  reguhites  usage  for  an  ag"c  in  which 
the  power  of  a  father  over  his  daughter  was  no  longer  so 
absolute  as  it  had  been  in  more  primitive  times,  and  places  the 
two  sexes  on  a  position  of  equality. — Whether  any  further 
difference  is  intended  by  the  substitution  of  he  sold,  or  (as  ">3f2'' 
might  also  be  rendered ;  see  Lev.  25^^^  scllcth  Innisclf,  for  buy 
is  uncertain ;  taken  in  its  natural  sense,  the  phrase  in  Ex. 
would  imply  that  the  purchase  of  a  Hebrew  slave  was  a  matter 
of  ordinary  occurrence:  the  phrase  in  Dt.  (cf.  Lev.  25^^)  viiglit 
imply  that  the  case  was  exceptional,  and  arose  only  when  a 
man  was  reduced,  by  misfortune  or  other  cause,  to  penury 
(cf.  2  K.  4I;  Is.  50^). — The  verse  is  quoted  (slightly  varied)  in 
Jer.  34I*  (cf.  v.^-  ^0^'),  upon  the  occasion  of  the  prophet's  rebuk- 
ing the  people  for  rescinding  their  agreement  to  put  the  law 
into  force  under  Zedekiah. — 13-15.  The  slave  at  the  time  of 
leaving  his  master's  service  is  to  be  dealt  with  handsomely : 
he  is  not  to  be  thrown  (so  to  say)  penniless  upon  the  world  ; 
he  is  to  receive  presents  of  cattle,  grain,  and  wine,  according 
to  the  prosperity  which  has  attended  his  master.  The  regula- 
tions in  Ex.  2\^-^  respecting  the  wife  and  family  of  a  slave 
are  disregarded  in  Dt.  ;  and  their  place  is  taken  by  the  present 
provision,  which  breathes  the  philanthropic  spirit  of  the  Deut. 
legislation. — 13.  Thou  shall  not  send  him  away  empty  (cp"'~)]  i.e. 
without  some  present  (cf.  Gn.  3i'*2  i  S.  6'  Job  22'^;  and  on 
1 61"). — 14.  Thou  shall  furnish  him  liberalh']  so  the  AV.  excel- 
lently paraphrases  the  Heb.  1^  p-iiyn  p^lV^.  V^V.  is  a  necklace 
(Jud.  S^*'  Pr.  i^  Ct.  4^t) ;  hence  p3y  is  to  surround  as  a  necklace 
(I's.  ys*"),  and  ^  PV^ri  to  make  a  necklace  for,  fig.  for  to  load 
honourably  or  liberally. — Fro7n  thy  threshing-floor,  and  from  thy 
-iV/nc-prcss^  16^^:  of.  2  K.  6-^  Hos.  9-. — As  Jehovah' thy  God 
Jialh  blessed  thee^  cf.  12^^  16^''. — 15.  The  motive  for  such  liber- 
ality is  to  be  the  thankful  recollection  of  the  deliverance  from 
the  servitude  in  Egypt.  Similarly  (almost  in  the  same  words) 
16^-  24I8. 22.  also  5^^  (see  note):  cf.  lo^^. — 16-17.  If,  however, 
properly  be  rendered  that  -which  (as  Jer.  48'  Ps.  106*^),  which  is  evidently 
here  not  the  case,  is  so  doubtful  (see  on  i  S.  16^ ;  Lex.  "if  n  8  e)  that  irxa 
should  most  probably  be  restored :  3  might  easily  have  fallen  out  after 
^3p■0,  at  a  time  when  the  final  letter  had  as  jet  no  distinctive  form. — 16. 
^Di•c]  v.^-  I  S.  14^''  18'".— in-a  nxi  lanj*  '3]  on  11^. — "h  31a  '3]  Nu.  ii^"  ilos. 


1 84  DEUTERONOMY 

the  slave,  throug-h  afTection  for  his  master,  prefer  to  continue 
in  his  service,  he  may  do  so ;  but  his  servitude  must  hence- 
forth be  for  Hfe  ;  and  this  is  to  be  formally  ratified  by  the 
ceremony  of  nailing  his  ear  to  the  door  of  his  master's  house. 
V.!*^  is  slightly  varied  from  Ex.  21'',  "because  it  is  well  for 
him  with  thee"  being  an  explanatory  addition,  like  "and  that 
it  maybe  well  for  thee"  in  5^". — 17.  In  Ex.  21^  (see  above)  the 
slave  is  to  be  brought  "unto  God," /.^.  to  the  sanctuary  at 
which  judgment  is  administered,  and  then  led  (probably  by 
the  judge)  to  the  door  or  the  door-post  (whether  of  the  sanctu- 
ary, or  of  his  master's  house,  is  not  clearly  expressed),  where 
the  ceremony  symbolizing  his  perpetual  servitude  is  performed 
by  his  master.  This  is  the  second  material  modification  of  the 
earlier  regulations  which  the  law  of  Dt.  contains.  In  Ex.  the 
ceremony  prescribed  is  a  public  and  official  one :  in  Dt.  it  is  of 
a  purely  domestic  character,  being  transacted  entirely  at  the 
master's  own  home.  It  seems  that  the  law  of  Dt.  reflects  the 
usage  of  a  time  at  which  the  judicial  ceremony,  enjoined  in  Ex., 
h.-id  fallen  into  disuse,  and  when  the  ceremony  was  performed 
entirely  at  the  master's  house. 

It  is  arg'ued  indeed  by  Keil  that  this  conclusion  is  a  mere  argiimentinn 
e  sileniio,  the  leg-islator  in  Dt.  meaning,  thoug-h  he  does  not  say  so,  the 
same  ceremony  as  that  prescribed  in  Ex.  But  tlic  absence  of  any  terms 
to  indicate  this,  makes  the  transaction  in  reality  a  different  one  ;  the  arg-u- 
ment  is  consequently  more  than  one  e  silentio  •  and  the  Writer  of  Dt.,  had 
he  contemplated  a  ceremony  transacted  at  a  sanctuary,  would  assuredly 
have  felt  it  incumbent  upon  him  to  state  (cf.  17**^-  19^")  at  -.vhat  sanctuary 
it  was  to  take  place  (comp.  Kleinert,  pp.  58-59). 

A  slave  for  ever  (qSij?  "12^)]  i  S.  27^-  Job  40-''  (41'*). — And 
also  unto  thy  bondwoman  thou  shall  do  likewise^  i.e.  perform 
with  her,  if  she  elects  to  remain  in  servitude,  the  same  cere- 
mony.— 18.  A  consolatory  thought,  addressed  to  the  Israelite, 
in  case  the  duty  of  letting  his  slave  go  free  should  seem  hard 
to  him.  Jer.  34^"'-  shows  how  apt  the  present  law  was  to  be 
disregarded  by  the  Israelites,  and  how  difficult  it  was  to 
enforce  in  practice  the  manumission  of  slaves  required  by  it. — 
To  the  double  of  the  hire  of  an  hireling  hath  he  served  thee  six 

2^  Jer.  22'-^- '" ;  c.  5''*'  19". — 17.  i'^iicn  nN']  =  n'M  awl  (G-K.  §  1 26.  4  ;  or  on  i  S. 
ig'"'). — rh^^2^  i^ixa  r.r^r\^^]  the  idiom  as  i  S.  iS"  19  ". — ys-i]  on  2". 


XV.    i7-iS  185 

rears]  because,  viz.  his  work  has  been  such  that,  had  a  hired 
hibourer  been  eng'ag'ed  in  his  stead,  he  would,  at  the  rate  of 
wages  then  current,  have  cost  his  master  twice  as  much 
(Schultz). — JeJiovah  ivill  bless  thee,  &c.]  viz.  if  thou  lettest  him 
g-Q  cheerfully  (cf.  v.^o). 

There  is  a  third  law  of  slavery  in  Lev.  2.c;^^'^°  (H  and  P).  By  this  law 
(i)  only  foreigners  are  to  be  held  by  Israelites_a§slaves  for  life  ;  (2) 
Hebrew  slaves  are  to  receive  their  liberty,  not,  as  in  Ex.  and  Dt.,  in  the 
7th  year  of  servitude,  but  in  the  year  of  Jubile.  The  usual  mode  of  har- 
monizing' tliese  discrepant  provisions,  is  by  the  assumption  that  the  law  of 
Lev.  is  intended  to  provide  that,  if  the  Jubile  year  arrives  before  a  Hebrew 
slave's  7th  year  of  service,  he  is  to  receive  his  liberty  in  it.  But  if  this  had 
been  the  true  explanation  of  the  discrepancy,  a  law  so  circumstantial  as 
that  of  Lev.  would  surely  have  contained  some  explicit  reference  to  the 
earlier  law,  and  the  case  in  which  it  was  intended  to  supersede  it  would 
have  been  distinctly  stated.  In  point  of  fact,  however,  the  legislator  of 
Lev.  betrays  as  little  consciousness  of  the  law  of  Ex.  (or  Dt.)  as  the  legis- 
lator of  Dt.  (if  this  be  the  later)  betrays  of  that  of  Lev.  Dillmann  supposes 
that  the  law  of  Lev.  contemplates  the  case  of  those  Israelites  only  who, 
being  completely  impoverished,  could  not  maintain  themselves  in  independ- 
ence, and  hence  would  not  be  benefited  by  a  release  in  the  7th  year  of 
service,  which  was  not  accompanied,  as  that  in  the  Jubile  was,  by  a  return 
(at  least  on  the  part  of  those  who  had  been  landowners)  to  their  hereditary 
possession.  But,  since  obviously  no  man  would  be  a  slave  if  he  could  help 
it,  can  it  be  said  that  the  impoverishment  expressed  in  Lev.  25"*  is  greater 
than  that  implied  in  Ex.  21"^?  The  discrepancy  between  the  laws  of  Ex., 
Dt.,  and  the  law  of  Lev.  can  be  satisfactorily  explained  only  by  the 
supposition  that  the  latter  is  a  provision  for  the  mitigation  of  the  servitude 
of  Israelites,  designed  without  reference  to  the  former,  and  originating-  at 
a  time  when  experience  had  shown  (cf.  Jer.  34^^*  i-Jb-isj  tXy^Lt  the  limit  of 
service  fixed  by  Ex.  and  Dt.  could  not  be  enforced.  The  law  of  Lev. 
lengthens  the  legal  period  of  service,  but  offers,  in  some  measure,  com- 
pensation for  this  by  insisting  (in  phrases  borroAved  from  H)  that  the 
Israelite  slave  is  to  be  treated,  whilst  in  servitude,  as  humanely  as  if  he 
were  a  free  man  (cf.  Riehm,  HWB.^  1503"^;  Ryle  on  Neh.  5'';  Nowack, 
Hcbr.  Arch.  i.  178  f.).    (On  the  analysis  of  Lev.  25'''9-*8,  see  L.  O.  T.^  p.  526  f.) 

XV.  19-23.  Firstlings. 
19-23.  The  law  of  firstlings. — The  firstling-  males  of  oxen 
and  of  sheep  are  to  be  dedicated  to  Jehovah,  and  to  be  eaten 
amuially  by  the  owner  and  his  household,  at  a  sacrificial  feast, 
at  the  central  sanctuary  (v.  ^'""•).  If,  however,  the  firstling-  have 
any  blemish,  Jehovah  cannot  accept  it  in  sacrifice ;  but  it  may 
be  used  by  the  owner  as  ordinary  food,  provided  care  be  taken 
to  eat  none  of  the  blood  (v.^i-^'^].     The  parallels  in  the  other 


1 86  DEUTERONOMY 

Codes  arc  Ex.  is^-'c  222«''-  C^'-'Q  341^^.  in  JI-,  Ex.  132  Nu.  iS^'-is 
(cf.  Lev.  ay-*"")  in  P.  In  general  principle  the  three  Codes 
agree :  but  there  are  some  variations  in  detail ;  and  the  dis- 
position of  the  firstlings,  prescribed  in  v.^o,  is  altogether 
different  from  that  which  is  laid  down  in  Nu.  18^^"^^  (see  p.  187). 
The  treatment  of  the  subject  in  Dt.  is  not  exhaustive ;  nothing 
is  said,  for  instance  (as  in  both  JE  and  P),  of  the  first-born 
of  men,  or  of  unclean  animals :  the  aim  of  the  Writer  is  to 
insist  upon  the  firstlings  of  the  most  common  domestic  animals 
being  presented  properly  at  the  central  sanctuary,  and  to  pro- 
vide for  the  case  of  such  firstlings  as  could  not,  on  account  of 
some  natural  defect,  be  accepted  in  sacrifice.  In  the  former 
connexion,  the  subject  has  been  already  noticed  incidentally  in 
J2''.  ivf.  1^23^ — ig_  j'/iou  shalt  sanctify  Jinto  J ehovali\  in  agree- 
ment with  Ex.  132  (P),i2. 15  QE),  3419  (JE).— 20.  Thou  shalt  cat 
it  before  Jehovah^  &fc.\  for  the  expressions,  see  on  \2^- ''.  From 
i2i''-  it  would  seem  that  the  Levite  (as  in  the  case  of  the  tithe- 
feast,  1427)  was  to  be  invited  also  as  a  guest. —  Year  by  year] 
in  Ex.  2229(30)  the  firstlings  are  to  be  presented  to  Jehovah  on 
the  eighth  day  from  birth  ("seven  days  it  shall  be  with  its 
dam  ;  on  the  eighth  day  thou  shalt  give  it  to  me  ") ;  according 
to  the  provision  here,  they  are  to  be  presented  annually.  The 
change  is  a  necessary  corollary  of  the  substitution  of  a  central 
place  of  sacrifice  (v. 20)  for  the  local  sanctuaries :  the  law  of 
Ex.  implies  that  an  altar  was  everywhere  near  at  hand  at 
which  the  firstlings  could  be  presented  on  the  eighth  day.  The 
law  of  Dt.  is  an  accommodation  of  the  older  usage  to  the 
institution  of  annual  pilgrimages  to  the  central  sanctuary. 
Most  probably  the  firstlings  were  offered  at  the  great  spring 
festival,  the  Passover.  For  another  similar  modification  of 
older  usage,  see  on  i2i'''"-. — 21-23.  Bi/t  if  there  be  in  it  a 
blc7nish,  dr'c.]  the  general  rule  that  animals  offered  in  sacrifice 
must  be  free  from  defects  (17^)  is  here  applied  to  the  special  case 
of  the  firstlings. — 22-23.  As  121^-^",  in  the  law  prescribing  how 
animals,  slaughtered  merely  as  food,  may  be  eaten. 

In  the  Priests'  Code,  an  entirely  different  disposition  of  the 

19.  -iiD3rt  "ja]  collect,  (on  11^).— 20.  nyc2  ny^]  idiom.=ycarly  (i  S.  V  al): 
cf.  Lex.  3  III.  3  b. — 21.  VT  cid  !?3]  a  generalizing- apposition :  cf.  on  iS'. 


XV.   17-23  187 

firstlings  is  prescribed.  Instead  of  being-  eaten  by  the  owner 
and  his  household  at  the  central  sanctuary,  they  are  assigned 
(Nu.  iS^^-^s)  to  Aaron  [i.e.  to  the  priests)  with  these  words 
(v.is) :  "And  their  flesh  shall  be  thine;  as  the  wave-breast 
and  the  heave-thigh  [the  parts  of  the  peace-offering  which 
were  the  perquisite  of  the  priest  who  offered  it,  to  be  eaten  by 
himself  and  his  family,  Lev.  7^*]  it  shall  be  thine." 

Two  explanations  of  the  discrepancy  are  offered.  According-  to  one 
(Heng-st.  Beitriige,  ii.  406  f.),  it  is  argued  that  the  words  in  Numbers  do 
not  mean  that  the  ivhole  of  the  firsthng  was  the  priest's,  but  only  the  parts 
specified  in  the  comparison  ;  the  rest,  therefore,  would  belong  to  the 
offerer,  and  might  be  consumed  by  him  in  the  manner  prescribed  in  Dt. 
But  the  text  says  distinctly  "their  flesh"  without  any  limitation  ;  and  this 
solution  of  the  difficulty,  though  once  accepted  by  Keil  (Havernick,  Einh'^ 
i.  2  (1856),  p.  430),  was  subsequently  seen  by  him  to  be  untenable,  and 
abandoned  {Comtu.  on  Dt.  is*").  According  to  another  explanation,  though 
the  firstlings,  it  is  allowed,  were  given  wholly  to  the  priest,  he  may  not,  it 
is  supposed,  have  consumed  the  flesh  of  them  himself,  but  may  have  been 
at  liberty  to  invite  the  offerer  to  share  this  with  him  at  a  sacrificial  meal 
(Keil ;  Green,  Moses  a7id  the  Prophets,  p.  84 ;  Bissell,  The  Pentateuch,  p. 
127  f.).  Whether  such  an  invitation,  not  prescribed,  is  likely  to  have  been 
given,  may  be  doubted  :  it  is  singular,  if  this  explanation  be  correct,  that 
Dt.  should  emphasize  so  strongly  the  secondary,  rather  than  the  primary, 
disposition  of  the  firstlings  ;  it  is  singular  also,  if  it  was  the  intention  of 
the  legislation  that  the  offerer,  as  well  as  the  priest — and  as  a  duty — should 
partake  in  the  firstlings,  that,  so  far  from  this  being-  at  all  implied  in  the 
terms  of  the  original  institution,  the  firstlings  are  assigned  absolute!}-, 
with  peculiar  emphasis  (Nu.  iS^'^^ ;  see  v.^^  Lev.  7^),  to  the  priest  and  his 
family. 

The  only  consistent  solution  of  the  discrepancy  is  that  which  we  have 
already  had  occasion  to  resort  to  before  (comp.  on  14-'  15^^) :  the  two  laws 
regulate  the  practice  of  different  periods  of  the  history.  Either  the  law 
of  Numbers  is  the  older,  and  it  must  be  concluded  (Riehm,  HWB.^  p. 
397  f.)  that  the  priests  being-  unable  to  maintain  their  claim  to  the 
dues  which  the  law  gave  them,  and  the  custom  having  arisen  of  dedi- 
cating the  firstlings  to  Jehovah  by  consuming  them  at  a  sacred  feast,  the 
Deut.  legislation  acquiesced  in  this  custom,  making-  no  attempt  to  reinstate 
the  priests  in  their  rights,  and  merely  providing  that  the  sacred  feasts 
should  be  held  exclusively  at  the  central  sanctuary :  or  the  law  of  Dt.  is 
the  older,  and  it  must  be  supposed  that  when  the  revenues  of  the  priest- 
hood were  more  distinctly  and  definitely  formulated  than  is  the  case  in  Dt. 
(18'"-*),  a  change  of  custom  had  supervened,  and  the  firstlings  were  now 
included  amongst  them  (cf.  Wellh.  Hist.  155  f.;  W.  R.  Smith,  O77C.-3S3, 
Pel.  Sem.  445).  The  latter  alternative  is  the  preferable  one,  the  change 
of  custom  which  it  implies  being  in  itself  more  probable  than  that  which 
is  involved  in  the  alternative  theory,  and  also  better  sujoported  by 
analogy. 


I 88  DEUTERONOMY 


XVI.  I-17.   TJie  three  aimual  Pilgriviages. 

The  three  "  Pilijriinages  "  (2'?^'),  viz.  Passover  and  Massoth 
(Unleavened  Cakes),  the  Feast  of  Weeks,  and  the  Feast  of 
Booths  (Ex.  2314  nrja  "h  inn  ^hy^  ^"d),  at  which  all  males 
were  to  present  themselves  at  Jehovah's  sanctuary  {ib.  v.^"  ^h^ 
mn"'  psn  "JD  ^x  Tiiar  b  nsi"-  r\V^1  DV.:i;D)  with  appropriate  offer- 
ings {ib.  V.15  Qp-i  tj3  "ij^i^  xh),  were  one  of  the  principal  and 
most  ancient  religious  institutions  of  Israel ;  and  each  of  the 
great  Codes  in  the  Pent,  has  its  regulations  respecting  them. 
The  oldest  and  simplest  are  those  contained  in  JE,  viz. 
Ex.  23i*-i8  34I8.  20  enrf.  22-23  (g-enerally) ;  1 221-27  (Passover),  133-10 
[Massoih] ;  next  come  the  regulations  in  Dt.  i6i"i'' ;  more 
elaborate  provisions  are  laid  down  in  Lev.  23  (H  and  P)  ;  the 
most  elaborate  of  all  are  those  of  P,  Nu.  28-29  (add,  on  the 
Passover  and  Massoth  in  particular,  Ex.  121-13-1^-20.43-49  jsju_ 
gi-i'^).  Lev.  23  and  Nu.  28-29  are  two  priestly  Calendars, 
dealing  not  only  with  the  three  Pilgrimages  (Q'!"]),  but  with 
other  sacred  seasons  (D''iyiD)  as  well  (viz.  the  Sabbath,  New 
Moons,  New  Year,  and  Day  of  Atonement),  and  prescribing 
considerably  more  minutely  than  is  done  in  either  JE  or  Dt. 
the  details  of  their  observance :  the  stress  in  Lev.  2^  resting 
chiefly  on  the  part  to  be  taken  in  them  by  the  people,  and  Nu. 
28-29  regulating  the  public  sacrifices  by  which  they  are  to  be 
marked.  Of  the  fnoaditn,  or  sacred  seasons,  specified  in  Lev. 
23  and  Nu.  28-29,  New  Year's  Day,  the  Day  of  Atonement, 
and  the  New  Moons  are  neither  mentioned  nor  alluded  to 
in  Dt. 

in  is  usually  represented  by  "feast"  in  AV.,  RV.;  but  this  rendering' 
loses  sight  of  a  distinctive  element  in  the  idea.  The  an  was  not  merely  a 
religious  festival,  such  as  our  Christmas  or  Easter,  but — like  the  HaJ 
(same  word),  or  great  annual  pilgrimage  to  Mecca,  in  which  it  is  the  duty 
of  every  Moslem,  once  in  his  life,  to  take  part — a  festival  consisting^  of  a 
pilgrimage  to  a  sanctuary.  (On  the  Mohammedan  I/aJ,  see  esp.  Wcllh. 
J?este  Arab.  Heidentumes,  pp.  66,  75-S9,  more  briefly  the  Eiic.  Brif.^,  s.v. 
Mecca  :  the  days  during  which  the  pilgrims  are  expected  to  be  present  at 
Mecca,  or  (more  strictly)  the  sacred  spots  in  the  neighbourhood,  are  the 
9th  to  the  13th  of  Dhu-lHijja,  the  last  month  of  the  Mohammedan  year, 
particular  ceremonies  being  prescribed  for  each  of  the  five  days.)  The  Jn 
was  of  a  joyous  character,  being  accompanied  by  music  and  dances  (Is. 


XVI.  1 89 

30'^  Jud.  2i"-2i :  cf.  Lev.  23^''^  Dt.  i6"-"-^5rafZ),  Qne  maybe  pcnnittcd  to 
wonder  whether  the  old  Hebrew  Hug  was  marked  also,  in  any  appreciable 
degree,  b}'^  the  same  secular  accompaniments — markets  and  fairs,  the 
formation  of  friendships  and  other  alliances,  displaj's  of  poetical  talent, 
the  interchansjfc  of  wit  and  repartee,  &c. — which  attended  the  Arabian 
IJaj  (see  Wellh.  pp.  83-86).  Only  three  D'Jn  were  observed  hy  the 
Hebrews,  those,  viz.,  mentioned  in  this  chapter  of  Dt.  "viyo  a  fixed  or 
stated  season  (from  -\T  to  Jix  or  appoint  a  time),  is  a  wider  term  (RV. 
usually  set  feasts,  or  appointed  seasons),  and  may  include  (see  Lev.  23)  the 
Sabbath,  the  New  Year,  and  the  Day  of  Atonement.  For  other  examjjles 
of  /noed,  see  Is.  1^*  Nu.  10'"  i^^  29'*^  Ez.  44^45''' ;  and,  more  g^enerally,  Gn. 
i'^  Ps.  104^"  (fixed  by  the  movements  of  the  heavenly  bodies).  In  AV. 
li'iD  was  often  rendered  "solemn  feasts,"  or  "solemn  assemblies"  (where 
"solemn"  had  the  sense  of  the  Lat.  soleninis,  i.e.  "  stated") :  in  the  RV. 
this,  being'  liable  in  modern  English  to  be  misunderstood,  has  been  usually 
chang-ed,  or,  if  the  old  rendering'  has  been  retained  in  the  text,  the  true 
sense  has  been  indicated  on  the  margin  (Hos.  2'^(")  Is.  2,3'**  Lam.  i^  2''). 

The  three  ni''an  appear  in  their  origin  to  have  possessed 
agricultural  significance :  they  are  an  acknowledgment  of 
Jehovah's  goodness  at  the  chief  seasons  of  the  year,  an  expres- 
sion of  thankfulness,  on  the  part  of  the  people  of  the  land,  to 
the  God  Who  is  its  Owner,  and  Who  blesses  it  with  fruitful- 
ness.  Passover  and  iI/<75;7o/Z',  held  in  the  month  of  "  yoimg 
ears  "  (Abib),  when  the  sickle  was  first  put  to  the  corn  (Dt. 
16^),  and  accompanied  by  the  presentation  of  a  sheaf  of  the 
first  ears  of  barley  at  the  sanctuary  (Lev.  2.'^-'^^  [H]),  marked 
the  appearance  of  the  ripening-  crops  in  spring ;  the  other  two 
feasts,  by  the  very  names  which  in  the  older  legislation  they  bear, 
the  Feast  of  Harvest,  or  of  First-fruits  (Ex.  23^^,  cf.  34^-  ;  also 
Lev.  231-5-^'' [H],  Nu.  2S"*'^  [P]),  and  the  Feastof ///^•«//^^r^V/^(Ex. 
23I''  34-^;  cf.  Lev.  23^^  [H]),  mark  respectively  the  completion 
of  the  wheat-harvest,  and  the  close  of  the  vintage,  when  all 
the  agricultural  operations  of  the  year  are  ended  (Dt.  \&-''').  In 
time,  however,  they  acquired  in  addition  a  historical  signifi- 
cance :  the  yearly  blessings  yielded  by  the  soil  reminded  Israel 
of  the  continual  g^oodness  of  Him  who  had  brought  His  people 
out  of  Egypt,  and  set  them  in  a  fruitful  and  pleasant  land 
(comp.  Dt.  26^"!*') ;  and  so  the  feasts,  in  virtue  of  the  season, 
or  the  manner,  of  their  observance,  were  treated  as  com- 
memorative of  stages  of  Israel's  deliverance.  The  Passover 
commemorated  the  sparing  of  the  firstborn  of  the  Israelites, 


IQO  DEUTERONOMY 

and  the  night  of  the  exodus  (Ex.  I2^3  P  ;  1227  JE  ;  Dt.  i6i-  ''■'') ; 
Maszoth,  the  Unleavened  Cakes  made  by  the  Israelites  at  the 
time  of  their  flight  (Ex.  1234-39  JK),  ^y^(\  ^^g  morning  after  the 
exodus  (Ex.  133-  «•■• ;  2-^^  =  2,^^^^  \  t)t.  i6'') ;  and  the  Feast  of 
Booths,  the  years  spent  by  them  in  the  wilderness  (Lev.  23-'^ 
H).  No  historical  significance  is  attached  in  the  OT.  to  the 
Feast  of  Weeks  ;  the  later  Jews,  computing,  or  conjecturing, 
the  date  mentioned  in  Ex.  19^  to  be  50  days  after  the  exodus, 
regarded  it  as  commemorating  the  delivery  of  the  Law  on 
Sinai.  Comp.  further,  on  the  subject  of  this  section,  Nowack, 
Hcb.  Archciol.  §§  99-100. 

The  characteristic  features  in  their  observance  on  which 
Dt.  insists  are  their  localization  at  the  central  sanctuary, 
and,  in  the  case  of  Weeks  and  Booths,  the  joyousness  and 
hospitality  to  be  shown  at  the  sacred  meals  accompanying 
them.  As  in  other  cases,  the  provisions  of  Dt.  are  an  ampli- 
fication of  those  contained  in  JE  ;  and  in  several  instances 
phrases  from  JE  are  transferred  entire. 

XVI.  1—8.  The  Passover,  and  Feast  of  Mazzoth. — These  are 
to  be  observed  at  their  appointed  season  in  the  month  of  Abib  : 
the  Passover  is  to  be  celebrated,  not  at  the  Israelite's  own 
home,  or  at  any  local  shrine,  but  only  at  the  central  sanctuary  ; 
the  animal  offered  is  to  be  wholly  consumed  on  the  night  on 
which  it  is  slain  ;  it  is  to  be  eaten  without  leavened  bread  ;  and 
Unleavened  Cakes  alone  are  to  be  eaten  during  the  seven  days 
which  follow.  In  the  other  Codes,  comp.  (for  the  Passover) 
inJE  Ex.  1221-27  23I8  3425,  in  P  Ex.  i2i-i3. 43-49  Lev.  23^  Nu.  gi-i* 
28I6:  (for  MaBzoth)  in  JE  Ex.  133-10  2315  34I8,  in  H  Lev.  239-14 
(the  "wave-sheaf,"  presented  during  Mazzotli),  in  P  Ex. 
1214-20  Lev.  2-^-^  Nu.  28^7-25^  jri  these  Codes,  Passover  and 
Mazzoth  are  distinct ;  in  Dt.  there  is  a  tendency  to  combine 
the  two  institutions,  and  to  treat  them  as  parts  of  a  single 
whole. — L  Observe  (5^2)  fJiQ  month  of  Abib\  the  month  of  Abib 
{i.e.  the  month  oi  \.\\&  fresh,  young  ears)  see  Ex.  931  Lev.  2I4) 
is  otherwise  mentioned  only  in  JE,  viz.  Ex.  134  and  23^  (nearly 
=  34!^),  each  time  as  the  period  of  the  departure  from  Egypt, 
and  the  season  for  the  observance  of  Mazzoth.  In  P,  agree- 
ably with  the  writer's  custom  to  designate  the  months  by 


XVI.  1-2  19 1 

numerals,  the  iiKJiilli  in  w  liich  the  Passover  was  celebrated  is 
termed  (Ex.  12-  &c.)  the  "first  month"  (viz.  of  the  priestly 
year,  as  opposed  to  the  ordinary  or  civil  year,  which  began  in 
the  autumn,  Ex.  23^')  ;  it  corresponds  to  the  post-exilic  Nisan 
(Neh.  2^  Est.  3"!). — A//d  /loM  [n'^'C']}))  the  passover  tinlo  Jehovah 
tJiy  Goi{\  nD2  nL"y  (lit.  make,  i.e.  organise,  hold)  is  a  technical 
expression,  used  chiefly  by  priestly  writers :  2  K.  232^-  -2. 2:'.  • 
Ex.  12^7.48  Nu.  g-^-^'- 10-1*  Jos.  510  (all  P) ;  2  Ch.  30I-3.5  351- lo-i') 
Ezr.  6^''t :  cf.  with  pilgrimage  \.^^-  ^^  Ex.  34^2  i  K.  8^'^  Ezr. 
3"*  al.  ;  with  sabbath  c.  5^^  Ex.  Si^*^!. — For  in  the  month  of  Abib 
Jehovah  thy  God  brought  thee  forth  out  of  Egypt\  Ex.  34IS  "  For 
in  the  month  of  Abib  thou  earnest  forth  out  of  Eg-ypt." — Bv 
iiight\  Ex.  12^1. — 2.  Thou  shall  sacrifice  the  passover  unto 
Jehovah  thy  God,  (even)  sheep  and  oxe7i\  in  P  (Ex.  12^-^)  the 
paschal  sacrifice  is  a  lamb.  The  two  laws,  it  is  evident,  repre- 
sent the  usage  of  two  different  stages  in  the  history  of  the 
feast:  when  Dt.  was  written  the  victim  might  be  either  a  bullock 
or  a  sheep ;  when  P  was  written,  the  choice  was  limited  to  a 
lamb  (cf.  Nowack,  Hebr.  Archdol.  ii.  pp.  147,  153,  n.  i). 

The  supposition  commonly  made  by  harmonists  is  that  the  passover 
alhided  to  in  Dt.  is  not  the  "passover"  properly  so  called,  but  the  private 
sacrifices  offered  during-  the  7  days  of  Mazzoth  (which  immediately  followed 
the  nis^lit  of  the  Passover),  alluded  to  in  the  Chronicler's  description  of  the 
passuxers  of  Hezekiah  and  Josiah  (2  Ch.  30'--"-^  including-  btdlocks ;  35'"" 
called,  in  the  plural,  D'nD?  "  passovers "),  and  analogous  to  the  peace- 
offerings,  termed  in  the  Mishnah  {Pesahim  &•*)  the  Hagigah  (nj'jn),  which, 
at  least  in  later  times,  it  was  usual  to  offer  on  the  same  day  as  the  pass- 
over,  or  on  the  following-  day  (the  former  were  voluntary,  the  latter  were 
treated  as  obligatory  :  Edersheim,  The  Temple,  its  Ministry,  &c.  pp. 
i86f.,  217).  But  even  though  the  authority  of  the  Chronicler  were  decisive 
as  to  the  usage  of  the  age  of  Hezekiah  or  Josiah,— for  it  is  his  habit  to 
attribute  to  the  period  of  the  kings  the  ceremonial  which  was  usual  in  his 
own  days, — this  explanation  must  be  regarded  as  highly  questionable  :  is 
it  credible  that  in  prescribing  directions  for  the  observance  of  an  important 
institution,  the  Writer  should  be  silent  on  its  central  and  crucial  element, 
and  notice  only  a  subordinate  and  secondary  feature  ?  The  opinion  that 
some  particular  and  special  sacrifice  is  the  subject  of  v.^,  is  supported 
further  by  the  sing.  pron.  ("with  it")  in  v.^. 

In  the  place  which  Jehovah  shall  choose,  cr'c]  12^.  That 
the  three  aiinual  Pilgrimages  are  to  be  performed  exclusively 
to  the  one  sanctuary  is  a  point  of  central  importance  to  the 
legislator ;  and  the  formula  expressing  it  is  repeated  by  him 


ig2 


DEUTERONOMY 


not  less  than  six  times  (v.^- c.  7.  n.  is.  ir,^_  'pj-jj^  Passover  loses 
consequently,  in  some  degree,  its  old  character  (Ex.  1221-27  in 
JE)  of  a  domestic  rite. 


Thou  shalt  not  cat 


leavened  bread  with  it : 


seveti  days  shalt  thoic  eat 
wkli  it  unleavened  cakes,  the  bread 
of  aflliction:  yyr  in  trepidation  than 
earnest  forth  out  o/"  the  land  of  ligypt ; 


in  order  that 
thou  mayest  renien/ber  the  day  of  thy 
coming- /'orth  out  o/the  land  of  Eirypt 
all  the  days  of  thy  life. 


Ex.  23^^  Tliou  shalt  not  sacrifice 
the  blood  of  my  sacrifice  with 
leavened  bread. 

Ex.  34-''*  Thou  shalt  not  slaughter 
the  blood  of  my  sacrifice  with 
leavened  bread.     (Cf.  in  P  Ex.  12*'.) 

Ex.  23'''  Seven  days  shalt  thou  eat 
unleavened  cakes,  according'  as  I 
have  commanded  thee,  at  the  fixed 
tirtie  of  the  month  of  Abib  ;  for  in  it 
thou  earnest  forth  out  of  Ei^ypt. 

Ex.  34'*  Seven  days  shalt  thou  eat 
-unleavened    cakes,    &c.    (nearly    as 

Ex.  13*  Remember  this  day  when 
ye  came  forth  out  of  Egypt  .  .  .: 
leavened  bread  shall  not  be  eaten. 

Ex.  13"  Seven  days  shall  thou  cat 
unleavened  cakes  ;  and  on  the  seventh 
day  shall  be  a  pilgrimage  unto 
Jehovah.  ^  U^ileavened  cakes  shall 
be  eaten  the  seven  days ;  and 
leavened  bread  shall  not  be  seen  by 
thee,  and  leaven  shall  not  be  seen  by 
thee,  in  all  thy  border.  (Cf.  in  P  Ex. 
,  ,15. 18--J0  Lev.  23".) 

Ex.  23'*''  And  the  fat  of  my  feast 
('30)  shall  not  remain  all  night  (j'*?') 
until  morning. 

Ex.  34'-^''  And  the  sacrifice  of  the 
feast  (3~)  of  the  passover  shall  not 
remain  all  night  {]-h-)  unto  the  morn- 
,„g.  ing.     (Cf.  in  P  Ex.  12'ONu.  9'-.) 

The  prohibition  to  eat  leavened  bread  either  with  the  Pass- 
over, or  during  the  7  days  following",  is  common  to  JE,  Dt., 
and  P.  Leavened  bread  was  forbidden  also  as  the  material 
of  any  meal-offering  (Lev.  2I1  6^0 (iT))^  the  ground  of  the  pro- 
hibition no  doubt  being  that,  as  inducing  a  species  of  fermenta- 
tion, leaven  was  regarded  as  a  source  of  putrefaction  and 
corruption  (cf.  on  Ex.  12^''  23I8  Lev.  2^^;  and  OTJC.^  p.  345, 
Rcl.  Se/n.  p.  203  f.).  Unleavened  cakes  (riilkVp)  alone  were,  as 
a  rule,  presented  as  offerings  (Lev.   2*- ^  8-  al.).     Their  use 


■*  And  leaven  shall  not  be  seen  by 
thee  in  all  thy  border  seven  days: 
and  aught  of  the  flesh  which  thou 
sacrificest  in  the  evening"  on  the  first 
day 


shall  not 
remain  all  night  (pS')  icnfo  the  morn- 


XVI.  3-7  193 

was  not,  however,  confined  to  sacred  purposes ;  as  they  could 
be  prepared  quickly,  they  were  made  in  ordinary  life  when  a 
meal  was  required  speedily  (i  S.  28^^;  cf.  Gn.  ig' Jud.  i6'''--^). 
— Seven  days  sJialt  iJiou  eat  ivith  //,  dr'c]  lit.  upon  it  (see 
below),  the  whole  period  of  abstinence  from  leaven  being- 
treated  as  conditioned  by  the  sacrifice  of  the  Passover  im- 
mediately preceding-,  and  regulated  by  the  same  principle 
established  in  the  first  instance  for  the  Passover.  As  remarked 
above,  the  Writer  shows  a  tendency  to  treat  Passover  and 
Mazzotli  in  combination. — TItc  bread  of  ajjlietioii  i^iV  ^0.'.)]  so 
called,  because,  according  to  tradition  (Ex.  122^- •^'■'  in  JE),  it 
was,  in  the  first  instance,  food  prepared  by  the  Israelites,  at 
the  close  of  a  long  period  of  servitude,  during  the  anxious 
moments  of  a  hurried  flight :  it  was  accordingly  adapted  both 
to  remind  Israel  of  the  "affliction"  (Ex.  3';  cf.  i^-)  endured 
by  their  forefathers  in  Egypt,  and  to  lead  them  to  a  grateful 
recollection  of  their  deliverance. — I)i  trepidation  (pl^ns)]  cf. 
Ex.  12^1  (P  or  H)  "ye  shall  eat  it  in  trepidation";  and  the 
allusion  in  Is.  52^2^  "Haste"  is  not  an  adequate  rendering: 
the  word  denotes  hurry  mingled  with  alarm  ;  cf.  the  verb  in  Dt. 
2o3  I  S.  232^  2  S.  4^  Ps.  ^S'''i->\—AU  the  days  0/ thy  life\  4'-*  6^. 

5-7.  The  principle  is  again  emphasized  that  the  Passover 
is  not  to  be  sacrificed  at  the  Israelite's  own  home,  but  at  the 
sanctuary  chosen  by  Jehovah. —  Within  any  of  the  gate s\  15^. 
— 6.  In  the  evening]  the  technical  phrase  used  by  P  is  "be- 
tween the  two  evenings";  see  on  Ex.  12*^. — CDt^'H  ^,123]  23^2 
2413J0S.  8-'^  (D2)  I  K.  2S-''^j.—At  the  fixed  time  (npo)  of  tJiy 
coming  fort  Ji  from  Egypt]  the  "fixed  time"  (Ex.  (f>  1  S.  c/-^  13^) 
of  the  departure  from  Iigypt  determines  the  hour  of  its  annual 
commemoration  by  the  Passover,  nyvo  denotes  here  not  the 
period  in  the  month  (Ex.  13^0  23^''),  but  the  hour  of  the  day,  at 
which  the  Passover  was  to  be  kept. — 7.  And  t/iou  sliall  boil]  or 
perhaps  cooli.     Vci  means   regularly  to   boil  (14-^   i    S.   2^'^-  i'^ 

XYI.  3.  r*?;]  upon  \\.=7vith  it,  used  idiomaticiilly  with  '^dn,  us  in  '71N 
c^.^  Vy  Lev.  19-''  i  S.  i^"*^  al.,  Ex.  12^  im'?;N'  oniD  '71;,  23^^  34^5  al. — 4.  l*?] 
with  the  passive  verb  =  6j':  Gn.  31^'  Ex.  12'"  i  S.  2*  Is.  65^  {Lex.  *?  5  d). 
— 5.  ^3in  >h\  as  f--. — 7.  n'?cai]  cf.  also  Nowack,  Hebr.  Arch.  ii.  153,  n.  3. 
ffi  (xai  i^r,cui  x.a.)  o-^Tr,(TUi)  exhibits  side  by  side  tlic  original  translation,  and 
the  correction  in  accordance  with  Ex.  12". 

13 


194  DEUTERONOMY 

&c.):  hence  it  is  difTicult  to  feel  assured  tliat  it  can  be  fairly 
translated  otherwise  here ;  and  it  is  in  any  case  remarkable 
that  the  term  employed  in  Dt.  is  the  one  which  is  used  in  V 
(Ex.  12^)  to  denote  the  process  that  is  wo/  to  be  applied  to  the 
paschal  sacrifice  ("eat  not  of  it  raw,  or  Iwilccl  in  wafer  ('^'^ 
d;q3  "pub^),  but  roast  with  fire").  Still  h'C2  does  not  in  itself, 
it  seems,  express  more  than  lo  mature  or  make  Jit  for  eating 
(hence,  of  fruit  or  corn,  to  ripen,  Gn.  401"  Joel  4^-^),  and  at 
least  in  2  Ch.  35'^  (at  a  time  when  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose 
that  the  law  of  Ex.  12''  was  in  operation,  and  the  Passover 
consequently  roasted)  C'{<3  7'J'3  is  used  of  the  Passover  (i^'j'n'"! 
t23u'D3  L"N3  riDSn) :  it  is  possible  therefore  that,  thoug-h  gener- 
ally applied  to  boiling-,  it  may  have  possessed  the  wider,  more 
general  sense  of  cooking-,  and  may  thus  have  been  applicable  to 
what,  properly  speaking,  was  roasted.  But  the  case  is  one 
in  which  it  is  difficult  to  speak  confidently ;  in  view  of  Ex. 
12^,  it  must  be  admitted  that  a  different  usage  may  here  be 
prescribed,  belonging-  to  an  age  when  the  Passover  was  not 
roast  (t^'if  yV),  but  '*  boiled." — Thou  sJialt  turn  in  the  morning, 
and  go  to  thy  tents]  the  Israelite  is  at  liberty  to  return  home, 
on  the  morning  after  the  Passover  has  been  eaten. —  Turn 
(n:2,  not  3VJ')  is  rather  a  favourite  word  with  D  (on  3^). — To 
thv  tents]  i.e.  to  thy  home.  The  expression  is  a  survival  from 
the  time  when  Israel  was  a  nomadic  people,  and  actually  lived 
in  tents  ;  it  remained  in  use  long-  after  the  "  tents  "  had  given 
place  to  permanent  "houses"  (see  e.g.  Jud.  7^  19^  1  S.  13^ 

2  S.    199  2022   I   K.    I21'''). 

8                           Six  (tdj's  s/iii/f //lOH  Ex.  I :f  (JE)  Seven  duj'ss/iatf  f/wtt 

eat  unteavened  cakes ;    and  on  the  eat   unleavened  cakes;   and  on   the 

seventh     day    shall    be     a     solemn  seventh  day  shall  be   a   pilgrimage 

assembly  {'as('reth)  to  Jehovah   thy  {hair)  to  Jehovah. 
God  ;  thou  shalt  not  do  work. 

The  six  days  meant  are  the  first  six  of  the  seven  specified 
in  v. 3.  The  seventh  day  is  to  be  marked  by  a  relig-ious  g-ather- 
ing,  and  abstention  from  labour.  In  JE  the  first  day  is  par- 
ticularized as  specially  commemorating  the  Exodus  (Ex.  13-'^'^-); 
but  the  seventh  day  (though  nothing  is  said  respecting  absten- 
tion from  work)  appears,  as  in  Dt.,  to  be  the  principal  day 
of  the  feast:  it  is  marked,  viz.,  by:  a /'(^^  to  Jehovah.     If  liag 


XVI.  s  195 

has  here  its  proper  sense  of  pi/on'i)in<^c,  it  must  be  supposed 
(Riehm,  IIIVB.^  432'' ;  Dillm.  on  Ex.  if)  that  this  is  assio-ned  to 
the  seventh  day  of  the  feast,  on  account  of  many  of  the  pilgrims, 
at  a  time  when  the  Passover  was  celebrated  as  a  domestic  rite, 
being-  only  able  to  reach  the  sanctuary  towards  the  close  of 
the  seven  days  of  J/trcoo/// :  possibly,  however,  /-^^denotes  here 
a  festal  gathering  of  pilgrims  (analogous  to  the  'ase/v///  of 
Dt.).  In  P  the  first  is  represented  as  the  principal  day  (Ex. 
12^^,  cf.  Lev.  23''  Nu.  28^");  and  a  "holy  convocation"  (^;-|p?2 
dp)  is  appointed  both  for  that  and  for  the  se\  enth  day  (Ex. 
12^*' Lev.  23"- s  Nu.  28^^- -■''),  all  work,  except  the  preparation 
of  food,  being  forbidden  on  both.  The  differences  between  the 
three  representations  are  not  very  important :  that  of  P,  being 
the  stricter  and  the  more  precise,  has  the  presumption  of 
being  the  later  (Delitzsch  in  Riehm,  HWB.^  ii4-")- 

t^lTJ..  (or  n-isy)  means  a  gatlterhig  or  assembly  (Jer.  9'  ('-'),  from  ni'V  to  Jtold 
in,  coufine,  enclose,  csp.  one  held  for  a  religious  purpose,  ^ranj^f^?,  as  2  K. 
10-"  (in  honour  of  Ba'al),  Is.  i^-^Joel  i^a^^  (all  m^y),  Am.  5-1 :  used  specially 
(rt)  of  the  g-atheringf  of  pilgrims  on  the  eig-hth  or  supernumerary  day  of  the 
Feast  of  Booths,  Lev.  23=^"  Nu.  2g-^  (both  P)  Neh.  S'*  2  Ch.  f^ ;  {b)  in  the 
present  passage,  of  the  gathering  on  the  seventh  day  of  Massotli  (not  so 
elsewhere)  ;  (c)  by  the  later  Jews,  of  the  Feast  of  Weeks,  Jos.  Ant.  iii.  10.  6 
{' \<Ta.fia),  in  the  Mishnah,  Hagigah,  ii.  4,  &c.,  Nu.  28-'^  ST,  and  in  the  Talm. 
(Le\y,  CJiald.  Lex.  s.v,  Nn"i'ii'.).  The  riTij;  mentioned  here,  as  also  that  at 
the  Feast  of  Booths,  was  held  as  a  fact  on  the  last  day  of  the  festival ;  but 
the  etymologj'  implied  in  the  rendering  "closing  festival"  (Lev.  23""  RV. 
viarg.  ;  cf.  G  s|oSi«»)  is  not  a  probable  one,  on  account  of  the  more  general 
meaning  which  the  word  has  (see  esp.  Jer.  9'  (-')). 

Thou  shalt  not  do  ivork  (hdn^O  ntJ'yn  ^h)]  similarly  Ex.  12'^ 
(ncT  x!?  n3Ni5D  b)  in  p.  The  phrase  nDvS^Q  ncy  to  do  work  or 
business  is  a  common  one  {c-g.  Jud.  16^1  2  K.  22^-  ^) ;  in  the 
prohibition  respecting  the  Sabbath,  Ex.  20^0  3iiJ>  is  <-//.,  and 
other  sacred  seasons.  Lev.  \Qr-'^  23"^  al. 

9-12.  The  Feast  of  Weeks. — In  the  other  Codes,  the  refer- 
ences to  this  feast  are— in  JE,  Ex.  23^"  34";  i"  H  (with 
additions  from  P  in  v.^*^-  ^•^-  -*^),  Lev.  23^^-20  (the  two  loaves  to  be 
presented  to  Jehovah,  prepared  with  leaven,  and  implying,  in 
contrast  to  the  barley-sheaf,  offered  during  Mazzoth,  the  com- 
pletion of  the  year's  harvest) ;  in  P,  Lev.  23-^  Nu.  28-'^-^^.  The 
name  "  Feast  of  Weeks"  (v.^^*-^^)  agrees  with  Ex.  34--  2  Ch. 


196  DEUTKRONOMY 

8i'5  (cf.  Nu.  282*''  D3*riVTJ'3) :  in  Ex.  23IC  it  is  called  the  "Feast 
of  Harvest"  {-\'^'ipn  jn) ;  and  in  Nu.  aS-'^  the  "Day  of  First- 
fruits  "  (nninnn  cv).  In  makings  no  allusion  to  the  firstfruits, 
Dt.  differs  from  all  the  other  Codes ;  in  the  calculation  which 
it  prescribes  for  fixing  the  date  of  the  festival  (which  in  Ex. 
23^*^  is  left  undetermined,  and  in  Ex.  34^2  jg  simply  presupposed 
by  the  use  of  the  term  "  weeks  ")  it  agrees  with  Lev.  23^^'^-  (ex- 
cept that  there,  instead  of  the  beginning  of  harvest,  which 
might  vary  from  year  to  year,  a  particular  day  is  specified  as 
that  from  which  the  computation  is  to  commence) ;  in  the 
emphasis  laid  upon  the  social  meals,  and  the  feelings  with 
which  they  should  be  attended,  it  manifests  the  same  interests 
which  predominate  in  Dt.  elsewhere. — 9.  Seveti  weeks  sJmlt 
thou  number  unto  thee  :  from  the  beginning  of  the  sickle  in  the 
standing-corn  shalt  thou  begin  to  number  seven  weeks^  cf.  Lev. 
23^5  (H)  "  And  ye  shall  number  unto  you  from  the  morrow  after 
the  sabbath,  from  the  day  that  ye  bring  the  wave-sheaf  [men- 
tioned v.^i]:  seven  sabbaths  shall  there  be  complete":  the 
more  precise  date  follows  in  the  next  verse,  DV  D"''J'Dn  (whence 
the  Rabb.  name  of  the  Festival,  nv  CU'Dn  DV,  NT.  TrevTrjKoaT;]). 

1"  And  thou  shalt  hold  (n'ri'i)  f/ie  Ex.  34"- (J  E)  And  f/ie  Pilgrimage 
Pilgrimage  of  Weeks  unto  Jehovah  of  Weeks  thou  shalt  hold  thee  (n^'jTi 
thy  God.  1*?),  the  firstfruits  of  wheat-harvest. 

Ex.  23"'  And  the  Piliifrimag-e  of 
harvest,  the  firstfruits  of  thy  labours, 
which  thou  sowest  in  the  field. 

Hold\  v.^. — After  the  measure  of  the  free-will  offering  of 

thine  hand  {12^^ y  which  thou  shalt  give;  according  as  Jehovah 

thy  God  shall  bless  thee]  the  offering  which  each  is  to  make 

is  to  be  fixed  by  himself,   according  to  the  degree  in    whicli 

Jehovah  has  blessed  him  in  the  year's  harvest  (cf.  v.^",  where 

the  same  rule  is  extended  to  the  other  two  feasts).     On  the 

word  rendered  measure,  see  below. — IL  And  thou  shalt  rejoice, 

&c.]    for   the   expressions,    see    12"- ^2  (<i  the  Levite")^^   142'-' 

("the   stranger,   the   fatherless,    and  the  widow"). — 12.  The 

motive  for  such  hospitality  towards  the  poor,  as  before  (15^^) 

9.  l"?  nsrn]  so  v.'^- ^^- *'-"(on  i^'). — 10.  nss]  only  here  in  Hcb.  :  in  Aram, 
common  in  the  sense  oi  sufficiency,  and  as  adv.  acc.=/>w  ralione,  according 
to:  eg   Ob.5  C5  (-Heb.  n);  Dt.  158  ^  ngp?  (='^),  Ex.  12-*  16-1  S(='2^). 


XVI.  9-13  197 

towards  the  manumitted  slave:  the  recollection,  viz.,  of  the 
bondage  in  Egypt,  from  which,  by  Jehovah's  mercy,  Israel's 
forefathers  had  been  redeemed. 

13-15.  The  Feast  of  Booths. — In  the  other  Codes,  comp. 
(JE)  Ex.  23!^'  34--;  (H)  Lev.  23''^^- '•o.  4ia.  4-2. 43 .  (p)  Lev.  2^^-^^ 
30a. c.  41b  Nu.  29^--3S.  This  fcast  was  held,  according-  to  JE,  at 
the  end  of  the  year:  according-  to  Dt.  (v.^-'-^'')  and  H  (Lev. 
2039.41.42^^  it  was  to  extend  over  seven  days,  which  are  fixed 
more  precisely  in  P  for  the  15th  to  the  21st  of  the  seventh 
month  (Lev.  23-'''^-'''"'),  a  supernumerary  day  (not  noticed  in  Dt.), 
marked  by  an  'ascrcth  (above,  on  v.^),  being-  observed  on  the 
22nd  {ib.  v.:^'^'; '"''  Xu.  2i^'^-^^Y  In  JE,  this  festival  is  called  the 
"Feast  of  Ingathering-"  (T?5<n  :n) ;  "Feast  of  Booths" 
(yis.  ui  3110^  is  tiie  name  used  also  in  P  (Lev.  23"'^),  and  gener- 
ally in  the  later  books  of  the  OT.  (Zech.  i4it'- 1-^- 19  Ezr.  3-* 
2  Ch.  S'^t)  :  being-,  as  it  seems,  the  most  popular,  and  widely 
observed,  of  the  three  festivals,  it  is  also  sometimes  called 
"  the  Feast  "  (or  "  Pilg-rimage  "),  kot  i$oxyi',  i  K.  8'--  ^'^  (=  2  Ch. 
53  78)  Ez.  45--^  Neh.  8^\  cf.  Lev.  23^9  (H)  i  K.  12:^^. 

The  name  "Feast  of  Booths"  is  adopted  in  Dt.,  as  ah-eady  known, 
without  explanation  :  it  is  explained  in  the  law  of  H,  Lev.  23"'"""'-"',  where 
the  Israelites  are  commanded  to  take  *'  the  fruit  of  goodh-  trees,  fronds  of 
palm-trees,  and  boughs  of  thick  trees,  and  poplars  of  the  wady  [above  on 
a'"'],"  and  to  dwell  in  booths  (nizr)  for  seven  da^-s  (cf.  Neh.  S''*"''*),  to  remind 
them  how  their  ancestors  had  dwelt  in  tents  during-  their  passage  through 
the  wilderness.  No  doubt  the  real  origin  of  this  feature  of  the  festival  is  to 
be  found  in  the  custom  of  the  villagers  during  the  vintage  taking  up  their 
abode  in  the  vine\-ards  in  temporary  booths  and  huts  :  comp.  Robinson, 
ii.  81,  who,  speaking  of  Hebron,  says,  "  The  vintage  is  a  season  of  hilarity 
[cf.  Is.  iG^**  Jer.  25""^']  and  rejoicing-  to  all ;  the  town  is  then  deserted,  and 
the  people  live  among  the  vineyards  in  the  lodges  and  in  tents  "  ;  and  see 
further  on  Lev.  23'**^*'*-. 

^*  The  Pilgrimage  of  Booths  thou  Ex.  23^"  And  the  Pilgrimage  of /«- 

shalt    hold    thee    (v.'")   seven    days,     ^-fT/Z/r/-/;/^  (f]"-Nn  :n)  at  the  going  out 
■when  thou  gaihercst  in  ("i:r.\'3)  from      of  the  year,  '^vJicn  thou  i^atlicrcst  in 
thy    threshing-floor    and    from    thy      (";r::N3)  thy  labours  from  the  field. 
wine-press.  Ex.  34--  And    the    Pilgrimage   of 

'  Inq-athering-,   at    the  coming-  round 

(change)  of  the  year. 

Lev.  23- '-'(H)  When   re  gather  in 

^^  Seven     days     thou     shalt    keep     (crrrN's)  the  produce  of  the  earth,  ye 

piltjriiiiii'i,  unto  Jehovali  your  God.       s\\a.\\  keep  Jehovah' s  Pilgri  niagc  seven 

days. 


198  DEUTERONOMV 

The  vintage  in  Palestine  falls  about  September,  some  four 
months  after  wheat-harvest. — 14.  A7id  thou  shall  rejoice,  &r'c.\ 
cf.  v.ii ;  also  Lev.  23^'^^  {^y — Because  (or  whcii)  Jehovah  thy 
God  shall  bless  thee]  14^^^. — The  imrk  of  thy  hands]  on  2^. — And 
thou  shall  be  altogether  joyful]  the  festival  is  to  be  an  occasion 
of  unalloyed  joy  for  the  blessing-  of  Jehovah  resting  upon  the 
produce  of  the  soil. 

16-17.  Concluding  summary.  Every  male  is  to  appear 
annually,  at  each  of  the  three  Pilgrimages,  at  the  Central 
Sanctuary,  with  an  offering  such  as  his  means  enable  him  to 
bring. — This  rule  of  old  Israel  is  repeated  from  JE,  with 
additions  accommodating  it  to  the  spirit  and  plan  of  Dt. 

^^  Three   times   in   the  year         Ex.  23^^  Three  times  in  the  year 

shall  all  thy  males  appear  in  tJie  shall  all  thy  males  appear  in  /he 
prese?ice  of  fehovah  thy  God  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  Jelwvah  (re- 
place which  he  shall  choose  .   .  .;  pealed  34-',  with  the  addition  of  "the 

God  of  Israel,"  at  the  end). 
and  none  shall         Ex.    23"'''=34-'"' yl«c?    none    shall 
appear  in  Jehovah's  presence  cmply.      appear     in     my     presence     empty 

(specially  of  Massotli). 

Appear  in  tJie  presence  of]  the  standing  phrase  for  visiting 
the  sanctuary  as  a  worshipper,  esp.  at  the  great  pilgrimages 
(Ex.  342-5.24  Dt.  3111  I  S.  1-'-').  but  also  besides  (Is.  ii'^).  It  is 
however  held  by  man}'  (see  below)  that  the  existing  punctuation 
do£s  not  represent  the  original  vocalization,  and  that  the  true 
sense  of  the  phrase  is  "see  the  face  of"  Jehovah,  i.e.  visit 
Him  as  a  Sovereign.  The  phrase  see  the  face  of  is  used  else- 
where of  courtiers  or  others  enjoying  access  to  the  royal 
presence  (2  S.  31-''  14-'^- 32  2  K.  251^  Est.  i'^^).     Cf.  Ts.  11"  1715 

15.  nK:'J^  ~ii(]  only  rejoicinsf,  i.e.  nought  but  rejoicing',  altoge/hcr  rc]o\c\ni:;: 
so  28'-'''  Is.  16^  19''  Jer.  32'"' Job  19'-'. — 16.  {bis)  '33  n.x]  in  presence  of,  as  i  K. 
12^  Ps.  jG^"  21''  al.  So  with  nxT-  Ex.  34^,  niN"]'?  Ex.  34-^  Dt.  31"  Is.  i'-^, 
nx-i:  I  S.  i^:  cf.  'js  in-i;.  Ex.  23'''  34-",  Tjs  •i?'!??  Ps.  42*;  ''  ':3  hx  nx-i.-.  Ex. 
23";  cnhii  "?«  HN-i'  Ps.  84^  The  constr.  of  Ex.  23''  Ps.  42^  is  however  diffi- 
cult:  niXT^  is  more  naturally  vocalized  nixi^;  and  hence  many  scholars 
(e.g-.  Ges. ;  Di.  on  Ex.  23'"';  Nowack  on  Ps.  42'';  Cheyne,  crit.  n.  ort  Is.  i'-) 
think  that  the  original  vocalization  in  all  these  cases  was  Oal,  for  which  in 
process  of  time  the  Nif.  came  to  be  substituted  (with  nxi:  in  i  S.  i--  for  n.\-i, 
and  hi<  for  nx  in  Ex.  23^")  on  account  of  the  objection  felt  to  the  expression 
"seeing  God."  The  possibility  of  this  view  bcingf  correct  must  be  recog- 
nized (cf.  Del.^  on  Is.  I'-'J :  more  can  hardly  be  said  ;  .^.x^:  (alone)=/o  appear 


XVI.    r4-i7  199 

(nrn)  ;  6f<-"')^.—T/iy  God]  i-K—ll.  Evc/y  mati  shall  give 
according  to  til c  gift  of  Ji is  haml,  cS^r.]  the  words  explain  the 
last  clause  of  v.^^' :  every  man  is  to  bring-  with  him  an  offering- 
such  as  his  "hand  "  (v.^o  i2*'')  can  afford  to  give  (cf.  Ez.  z^^'-^^). 

XVI.  18-XVIII.  22.  TJie  Office-Bearers  of  the  TJieocracy. 

The  above  is  a  convenient  title  for  the  section  here  begin- 
ning, the  subjects  dealt  with  \>€\\\^  fudges  (16^''-'''^  17^"^^),  King 
(171^-20),  Priests  (18^-8),  and  Prophets  (iS^-sa);  but  162^-17'  (on 
the  purity  of  religious  worship)  forms  an  intrusive  element, 
which  originally  perhaps  stood  elsewhere. 

XVI.  18-20.  Judges  are  to  be  appointed  in  the  various 
towns  of  Israel,  who  are  to  administer  justice  with  purity 
and  singleness  of  motive. — The  other  Codes  in  the  Pent,  pre- 
suppose the  existence  of  judges,  and  inculcate  the  duty  of 
administering  justice  impartially  (Ex.  23^"^-''"^  Lev.  iq'^^- ^''■')  : 
but  they  contain  no  provisions  respecting-  the  authority  in 
which  these  functions  are  to  reside. 

In  .1.  patriarchal  society,  the  natural  guardians  of  justice  are  the  men 
of  judgment  and  experience  in  a  tribe,  the  heads  of  families,  or  "elders' 
(see  on  19'-) ;    thus  in  a  modern  Arab  community  the  head  man  of  the 

place,  the  village  Kadi  (  ^iJJ  =  I'¥i3),  assisted  by  two  or  three  of  the 
principal  inhabitants,  judges  local  cases,  appeal  to  a  higher  tribunal  being 
granted  when  necessary  (Palgrave,  Arabia,  i.  228  f.).  From  Ex.  ai** 
227{.  (8f.)  ((;f_  J  s.  2-"')  it  may  be  inferred  that  in  ancient  Israel  judgment, 
especially  in  difficult  or  crucial  cases,  was  regarded  as  a  divine  decision, 
and  delivered  at  a  sanctuary:  comp.  Ex.  iS^^f-^^"--,  where  seeking  a 
decision  at  law  is  called  "  inquiring  of  God,"  and  civil  decisions  are  styled 
the  "statutes  and  laws  of  God."  (Cf.  the  Homeric  conception  of  fiy-KXTt;, 
as  judgments  divinely  dictated  to  a  judge  (//.  i.  238  f.),  Maine,  Ancient 
Laiv,  chap.  i.).  The  body  of  judges  whose  appointment  to  assist  Moses 
is  narrated  in  Ex.  18  do  not,  however,  appear  to  have  been  a  permanent 
institution:  we  hear  later  of  Samuel  and  his  sons  possessing  local  authority 
as  judges  (i  S.  ^'s-i^  s"-  \i--*):  after  the  establishment  of  the  monarchy, 
the  king  naturally  became  the  supreme  judicial  authority,  though  probably 
only  special  cases  were  adjudicated  by  him  in  person  (cf.  2  S.  8'^  14^'^''  \^^' 
"'•"  I  K.  3''-i6ff-  7' Jer.  22'-'^- ;  Is.  16^' Jer.  23-''''^;  "princes,"  and  members  of 
the  royal  house,  are  also  alluded  to  as  exercising  judicial  functions.  Is.  i"-^ 

at  a  sanctuary  occurs  Is.  16". — IT^']  so  Ex.  23":=34^  Dt.  20"  (n-;i3))t. 
The  usual  form  is  T3I  (but  never  with  a  suffix).  Whether  the  abs.  forna 
was  T?27  (B6.  g  664'!)  or  "ii:i  (Ew.  §  255^),  or  whether  indeed  it  was  in  use 
at  all,  must  remain  undetermined. 


200  Di:UTERONOMY 

3^'*  Mic.  s'-"  Jcr.  21"'-  22-'-  Ez.  45"  al.  (cf.  2  S.  15^);  and  "judges" 
in  Ilos.  'f  13'"  Is.  I-"  3"  Mic.  7^  T.c'^th.  3''.  According-  to  2  Ch.  19'"" 
Jehosliaphat  established  a  more  highly  organized  judicial  system, 
appointing,  viz.  judges  in  the  cities  of  Judah,  and  constituting  in 
Jerusalem  a  tribunal  consisting  of  Levites,  priests,  and  heads  of  families, 
possessing  supreme  authority  in  both  ecclesiastical  and  civil  cases.  In 
its  broader  features,  the  judicature  thus  established  by  Jehoshaphat  agrees 
remarkably  with  the  system  prescribed — or  rather  presupposed — in  Dt. 
17^'^^  ((j.v.\  The  details,  however,  of  the  judicial  institutions  of  the 
Hebrews  are  not  known  to  us  :  it  is  thus  uncertain,  for  instance,  whether 
the  "judges,"  whose  appointment  is  prescribed  here,  were  independ- 
ent deputies  appointed  by  the  king,  or  whether  they  were  presidents, 
or  assessors,  of  the  local  councils  of  "elders,"  qualified  by  their  superior 
technical  knowledge  to  direct,  or  assist,  the  latter.  The  two  are  mentioned 
as  acting  together  in  21'-. 

18.  Judges  and  officers  shalt  thou  appoint  thee  in  all  thy 
gates  (12^2^,  which  Jehovah  thy  God  is  giving  thee  (16^),  accord- 
ing to  thy  tribes  (i^'-i^)]  no  attempt  is  made  to  regulate  the 
details  of  the  institution,  such  as  the  method  by  which  the 
judg-es  are  to  be  selected,  their  numbers,  the  organization  of 
the  courts,  &c. ;  the  Writer  contents  himself  with  affirming 
the  broad  principle  that  provision  is  to  be  made  for  the 
administration  of  justice,  and  that  this  is  to  be  done  by  the 
appointment  of  judges  possessing  local  jurisdiction.  The 
course  to  be  adopted  in  the  treatment  of  a  difficult  case  is, 
however,  prescribed  in  ly^-^'^  Elsewhere  in  Dt.  "judges"  are 
alluded  to  179-12  (at  the  central  court),  ig^''^-  21^  252  (and  in 
the  Mosaic  age  i^^  29^00)  G;  cf.  in  D^  Jos.  8=^3  232  24I) :  but 
usually  (see  on  19^-)  the  "elders"  of  a  city  appear  as  the  local 
guardians  of  justice. — Officers  (Cl^:!"]]  i.e.  in  all  probability, 
subordinate  officials,  whose  duties  would  be  analogous  to 
those  of  the  modern  clerk,  warder,  police-sergeant,  &c. ;  see 
on  1 15. — And  they  shall  judge  the  people  with  righteous  judg- 
ment\th\s  is  their  primary  and  paramount  duty  (cf.  i^*');  the 
obligations  which  it  involves  are  stated  more  fully  in  the  two 
following  verses,  v.^^  being  repeated  largely  from  the  "Book 
of  the  Covenant"  (and  agreeing  also  in  thought  with  Lev. 
jgi5. 35a  fi^^  y_20  being  the  Writer's  own  parenetic  addition. — 19. 
Thou  shalt  not  wrest  judgmcnt\  Ex.  23*^  "Thou  shalt  not  wrest 

13.   p-i'i  a-rrs]  cogn.  ace,  as  Ez.  23^'^  Zc.  f  8'".— 19.  I^S'i]  Ex.  23^  Pr. 
13"  19"  2i}-  22^-  (with  nm)  Job  I2"'t ;  1  j"D  Pr.  11*  I5^t.     The  precise  mean- 


XVI.   iS-22  201 

the  judg-mcnt  of  the  poor  in  his  suit":  cf.  Dt.  24^"  27^^;  i  S. 
8'  Am.  512  Is.  icr.—TIiOJi  shall  nol  respccl  persons\  the  prin- 
ciple, as  Ex.  2f  (JE)  Lev.  ig^s  (H),  cf.  Ps.  822  Pr.  18^  Mai.  2^ 
2  Ch.  19'':  the  expression  (^V?  '^'r'?)>  ^s  i^'^  {q-'^-^- — /iw^  iJiou 
shall  take  no  bribe ;  for  a  bribe  blindelh  Ihe  eyes  of  the  wise, 
and  siibvei-teth  the  cause  of  the  righteous^  repeated  verbally 
from  Ex.  23^,  except  that  for  the  "open-eyed"  (Q''np2)  is  sub- 
stituted the  "eyes  of  the  wise."  An  epigrammatic  description 
of  the  fatal  effects  of  a  bribe.  For  allusions  to  this  most 
common  source  of  corrupt  justice  in  the  East,  see  10^'^  27^5 
Is.  i23  5^3  Mic.  3^1  Ez.  22^2  Pr.  1723;  Ps.  155  Is.  2,Z^\— Cause] 
lit.  words,  i.e.  statements,  arguments,  pleas,  which  in  the 
aggregate  are  tantamount  to  a  man's  "case"  or  "cause"; 
cf.  Ex.  24^'*  2  S.  15^  Jos.  20^. — 20.  Jtislice,  justice,  shall  thou 
follow]  the  repetition  expresses  emphasis  (cf.  2-~):  '■^justice, 
and  only  justice — justice  without  intermittence — is  to  be  thy 
constant  aim  in  judgment." — Thai  thou  viayest  live,  cSr'c.]  the 
same  promise  as  4^,  cf.  5"'0G'3)  8^. 

XV^I.  2I-XVII.  7.  Fo2tr  Eiiactiiicnts  designed  to  preserve  il/e 
Religion  of  JeJiovah  from  Corruption  or  Dishonour. 
XVI.  21-22.  No  Ashe'rah,  or  pillar  (obelisk),  to  be  erected 
beside  Jehovah's  altar. — These  two  prohibitions  are  entirely 
unrelated  to  the  subject  of  v.^*-^,  the  connexion  which  Schultz 
and  Keil  seek  to  establish,  that  they  are  meant  as  illustrations 
of  the  offences  to  be  taken  cognizance  of  by  the  "judges," 
being  too  forced  to  be  probable,  as  well  as  destitute  of  support 
in  the  terms  of  the  text.  As  the  subject  of  17S-1-  is  closely 
connected  wdth  16'^-'',  it  is  more  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
(unless  the  Writer  attached  little  importance  to  order)  the  in- 
termediate verses  1621-17"  have  from  some  cause  been  displaced 
from  their  original  position,— perhaps  (Dillm.)  before  132(1). — 
The  destruction  of  the  Asherahs  and  "pillars"  of  the  Canaan- 
ites  has  been  enjoined  in  7^  12-':  here  the  introduction  of 
similar  symbols  into  the  worship  of  Jehovah  is  prohibited.  In 
the  other  Codes,  the  only  parallel  is  the  more  generally  worded 

inj^  is  uncertain  ;  prob.  to  i-d'isf,  pervert,  fig-,  to  subvert,  ruin, — 20.  p"i:  pT:.'] 
gIk.  §  123  d\ 


202  DEUTERONOMY 

c-nactmcnt  Lev.  26^  (II)  D3^  vrpn  i6  niVCI  !5D£1.  Both  the 
Ash6rah  and  the  "pillar"  (^-5f.-)  arc  frequently  mentioned  in 
the  OT.  ;  and  the  nature  of  each  is  tolerably  clear  from  the 
terms  applied  to  them.  Here,  the  Asherah  is  expressly  de- 
scribed as  a  kind  of  "tree,"  "planted"  (VDj)  in  the  f^round ; 
Jud.  6^'>  it  is  said  to  be  of  "wood";  elsewhere  one  is  said  to  be 
"set  up"  (T^^n)  2  K.  17'",  "made  "  (n'J'i')  i  K.  14^-' al.  ;  when 
one  is  destroyed,  the  verbs  used  are  to  "cut  down"  (n"i2) 
Ex.  3413,  "hew  down"  (1"^3)  c.  y^,  "pluck  up"  (rnj)  Mic.  51-*, 
"pull  down"  (]'n:)  2  Ch.  34''^,  "break  in  pieces"  prV")  ^^-  '^'•'*» 
"burn  with  fire"  c.  12".  Some  of  these  references  would 
be  compatible  with  the  rendering"  of  (Ct  riAo-os  (whence  AV. 
"grove") ;  but  others  are  plainly  inconsistent  with  it.  From 
a  survey  of  all  the  passag'es  in  which  the  word  is  used,  it 
appears  that  the  Ash^^rah  was  a  post  or  pole,  planted  in  the 
ground,  like  an  Eng'lish  Maypole,  beside  an  altar,  whether  of 
Ba'al  (Jud.  6-"'-''0)  or  of  Jehovah,  especially  on  the  "high- 
places"  (i  K.  14--^  2  K.  ly'^^:  cf.  Jer.  17-),  and  venerated  as  a 
sacred  symbol.  By  the  ancient  Semites  trees  were  often 
revered,  as  the  abode  of  a  deity  (on  ii-"^),  and  altars  were 
built  beside  them  ;  and  (so  far  as  can  be  judg'ed)  the  Asherah 
appears  to  have  been  the  representative  of  the  sacred  tree, 
used  where  an  actual  tree  was  not  available,  first  by  the 
Canaanites,  and  then,  in  imitation  of  them,  by  the  unspiritual 
Israelites  (cf.  W.  R.  Smith,  J^c/.  Sem.  p.  171  f.)-  A  famous 
Asherah,  which  "stood"  in  Samaria,  under  Jehoahaz,  is 
alluded  to  2  K.  13*', — probably  the  one  "  made  "  by  Ahab,  i  K. 
i6'"^.  Manasseh  erected  one  in  the  Temple  of  Jerusaleni  (2  K. 
2i7),  which  was  destroyed  by  Josiah  [ib.  23'''- "), 

The  'AsJu'rah  (r\-\z'ii)  must  be  carofully  distinijuishccl  from  'AsJifunfh 
(mn::'i'),  Hie  Phccnician  consort  of  Ba'al :  in  the  Heb.  the  two  names  arc 
quite  din'ercnt ;  and  it  is  not  even  known  that  the  Asherah  was  a  symbol  of 
'Ashtoreth.  Whether  the  Asherah  was  solely  a  sacred  s3-mbol,  or  wliethcr 
there  was  also  a  deity  bearin_sr  the  same  name,  is  disputed.  In  most  of  (iie 
passages  where  the  term  occurs,  it  certainly  denotes  simply  the  fornu-r, 
but  there  are  a  few  (Jud.  3^  i  K.  \^'^  18'"  2  K.  21''  23^)  which  appear  to 
support  the  latter  view,  though  not,  perhaps,  quite  conclusively.  The 
Tell-el-Amarna  inscriptions  contain  a  name  Abad-Ashratu  (RP.-  v.  97,  vi. 
50;  Schrader,  Z.  f.  Ass.  iii.  363  f.),  which  is  considered  to  sliow  that  there 

21.  j"V  ^3  mrx]  an  Asherah,  (even)  any  tree  (cf.  on  18'). 


x\r.  21-22  203 

was  a  Semitic  g-ocklcss  Ashc^rali  ;  l)iil  (he  licnrini;-  of  (his  fact  upon  the 
Asii^rah  of  the  OT.  cannot  as  yet  be  said  to  be  perfectly  clear  (cf.  DB.- 
s.v.%  Smith,  I.e.  p.  173  w.).  The  name  Ashi^rali  has  (hitherto)  been  found 
only  twice  in  Phcenician  ;  in  an  inscription  from  Kition  [ZD]\IG.  1881,  p. 
424)  a  person  dedicates  a  statue  (if  read  correctly)  "  to  his  lady,  the  mother 
of  the  Asherah  "  (read  differently  in  the  CIS.  I.  i.  13) ;  and  one  from 
Ma'zub,  near  Ptolemais,  speaks  of  the  portico  of  a  temple  built  mnrj''? 
nsz-ai  " for 'Ashtoreth  in  the  Asherah"  (Clermont-Ganneau,  Rec.  d  Arc! idol. 
Orient.  \.  81),  which  is  explained  by  Max  Ohnefalsch-Richter,  Cyprus,  the 
Bible,  and  Homer,  pp.  165,  168,  as  referring-  to  an  image  of  'Ashtoreth 
standing-  in  a  small  niche  in  an  Asherah  (comp.  Plate  xvii.  2,  an  image  of 
Artemis  similarly  placed).  In  the  same  elaborate,  but  not  very  critical, 
work,  the  author  gives  numerous  representations  from  gems,  &c.,  partly 
of  Assyrian  or  Babylonian,  partly  of  Phcenician  origin,  of  what  he  con- 
siders to  correspond  to  both  the  Asherah,  and  (see  the  next  note)  the 
Mazzebah  of  the  OT.  (pp.  142-179,  with  the  Plates  there  referred  to)  :  the 
former  sometimes  having  the  appearance  of  a  tree,  but  generally  being 
little  more  than  a  pole,  and  both  standing  often  beside  an  altar,  with  an 
officiating  priest,  and  sometimes  with  a  divine  being  seated  in  front.  (One 
of  these  representations,  from  Khorsabad,  in  which  a  priest  appears  to 
be  anointing  the  sacred  emblem,  may  be  seen  also  in  Ravvlinson,  Anc. 
Mon.^  ii.  37.)  This  explanation  seems  to  be  not  improbable  ;  but  it  must 
be  remembered  it  is  not  more  than  a  conjecture  :  the  emblems  in  question 
being  nowhere  actuall}'  styled  either  Asherahs  or  Massebahs.  For  a  repre- 
sentation of  a  Phoenician  Masscbah,  as  well  as  (apparently)  of  a  sacred 
pole,  see  Benzinger,  Hebr.  Arch.  p.  380 f.,  or  Nowack,  Hebr.  Arch.  ii.  18 f. 

Whatever  the  precise  nature  of  the  symbolism  of  the 
Asherah  may  have  been,  the  heathen  associations  attaching- 
to  it  were  amply  sufiicient  to  explain  its  prohibition  in  con- 
nexion with  the  worship  of  Jehovah  (cf.  Is.  17^  27''  Mic.  5^^). 
The  prohibition,  as  it  here  stands,  may  be  borrowed  from  an 
earlier  statute-book :  as  Dillmann  observes,  it  presupposes 
by  its  wording-  ("beside  the  altar  of  Jehovah  thy  God  ")  the 
law  of  Ex.  20^^:  had  it  been  first  formulated  by  D,  it  would 
probably  have  contained  some  express  reference  to  "the  place 
which  Jehovah  should  choose." 

The  pillar  (i^^JfD,  lit.  something"  set  tip,  cf.  with  S'S^n  Gn. 
35^*)  is  mentioned  as  a  heathen  symbol  of  the  Canaanites  (Ex. 
23-^  Dt.  7^  12");  it  is  alluded  to  as  erected  in,  or  near,  a 
temple  of  Ba'al  (2  K.  3'^  lo-*^-  2"),  and  in  proximity  to 
Asherim  (i  K.  1423  2  K.  1710  iS"*  23I4).  Originally,  it  is 
probable,  the  77iazzC'bah  corresponded  to  what  now  would  be 
called  a  menhir;  consisting",  viz.  of  a  natural  boulder  or  block 
of  stone  (Gen.  28^^- ^^--^  3i'^^- ■''^'^-),  broader  at  one  end  than  the 


204  DEUTERONOMY 

other,  erected  perpendicularly,  which  was  regarded  by  the 
heathen  Semites  as  the  abode  of  a  deity  (cf.  Smith,  Rcl.  Sent. 
183-188:  the  Phoenicians  are  said  to  have  venerated  l\t.\\iv^oi 
XlOdi),  and  honoured  by  them  with  libations  of  milk,  honey,  oil, 
&c.  In  process  of  time,  however,  an  artificial  obelisk  took 
the  place  of  the  natural  boulder:  the  term  occurs  in  this  sense 
in  Phoenician  and  Palmyrene  (see  below) ;  and  the  lofty  stone 
obelisks  in  front  of  the  temple  of  Turn  (the  sun)  at  Heliopolis 
— one  of  which  is  the  so-called  "Cleopatra's  Needle" — are 
referred  to  by  Jeremiah  (43^-')  under  the  same  name.  An 
"obelisk"  was  the  disting-uishing-  mark  of  a  holy  place,  and 
often  stood  beside  an  altar  (cf.  Hos.  3"*  lo^-  -).  At  one  time, 
it  seems,  the  viasqcbah  was  employed  freely  as  a  religious 
symbol  in  the  worship  of  Jehovah  (cf.  Gn.  28'^- --  3145.  su'  g^. 
24'  Is,  19^-*);  but  ultimately,  like  the  Ashcrah,  it  came  to  be 
proscribed  on  account  of  its  heathen  associations  (cf.  Mic.  5^-). 
—  Which  Jehovah  thy  God  hate th^  12^'^. 

XVII.  1.  All  animals  offered  in  sacrifice  to  Jehovah  to  be 
without  blemish. — From  the  context  (which,  on  both  sides,  is 
directed  against  the  practices  of  idolatry),  and  the  use  of  the 
term  "abomination"  (comp.  on  7-''),  it  mav  perhaps  be  in- 
ferred (I)illm.)  that  in  the  idolatrous  sacrifices  with  which  the 
author  was  familiar,  no  importance  was  attached  to  this  point. 
There  is  no  corresponding  law  in  JE.  In  H,  the  parallel  is 
Lev.  22i''-25j  where  the  physical  conditions  that  must  be  satis- 
fied in  order  that  a  sacrifice  may  be  accepted  (P^*")?)  are  par- 
ticularized, and  an  enumeration  of  disqualifying  faults  is  given. 

22.  T\z-it]  HDSD  occurs  oft.  in  Phoen.  {CIS.  I.  i.  44'  46^  57^  58'  [all  from  Kit  ion 
in  Cyprus],  116^  [Athens]  al.),  mostly  of  a  commemorative  obelisk  (n3i3 
D'na,  i.e.  "cippus  inter  vivos,"  Nos.  58,  59),  erected  over  a  tomb  (cf.  Gn. 
35-"  2  S.  18'-),  but  once  (No.  44),  probably,  of  an  obelisk  erected  to  a  deity. 
No.  44  shows  what  a  n3!;D  was  :  for  it  is  inscribed  on  the  pedestal  of  an 
actual  obelisk,  made  of  marble,  about  5  feet  in  height  (see  the  photog-raph 
in  the  volume  of  plates  in  the  CIS.).  In  an  Inscription  from  Palmyra,  now 
in  the  British  Museum  [Vienna  Orient. Journ.  1894,  p.  11  fF.),  a  .s'2iC,  about 
i.\  ft.  high  by  i  ft.  broad,  with  a  bearded  warrior,  holding'  a  spear  and 
shield,  figured  upon  it,  is  described  as  erected  by  the  donor  n3U  xn'jx  NSii:;''? 
|n^3  nn'3  'jm  in  r\i  tj  kh'  n  "to  the  g-ood  god  Shadrapa  (Pausan.  vi.  25.  6 
'iarpik-rns '.  sccjourn.  As.  1877,  x.  157  ff.),  that  he  might  be  a  guest  (Cheyne 
on  Ps.  15')  with  him,  he  and  all  the  members  of  his  family." 


XVII.   1-2  205 

In  P  there  is  no  explicit  icguhition  on  the  subject ;  but  it  is  a 
standing- principle  (Lev.  r'- 1*^  &:c.)  that  the  animal  offered  in 
sacrifice  is  to  be  **  perfect"  (°'''P'^),  ^-c  unblemished.  From  a 
wtvr  comparison  of  the  two  parallel  laws,  it  is  impossible  to 
determine  whether  the  law  of  Dt.,  or  that  of  II,  is  the  earlier: 
the  former,  regarded  in  itself,  mig-ht,  for  instance,  be  a  sum- 
mary of  the  more  detailed  provisions  of  Lev.  22^''"25,  or  the 
latter  might  be  an  expansion  in  detail  of  the  principle  stated 
generally  in  Dt.  ;  the  question  of  the  relative  priority  of  the 
two  laws  can  thus  be  arg-ued  only  upon  independent  considera- 
tions. The  phrasing-  of  the  law  here  is  Deuteronomic 
("Jehovah  thy  Guir'  (i-i);  the  generalizing-  asyndeton  "any 
evil  thing-,"  see  on  iS^;  "abomination,"  725), —  Wherein  is  a 
blemish  (dv:^)]  cf.  Lev.  22^0  (p-^n;  x!?  ""^  in^pD  X^  DVO  U  -it;'X  b'2 
^"2^  rVT^'').  The  same  restriction  has  already  been  laid  down 
in  the  case  of  firstling's,  15-^,  where  lameness  and  blindness 
are  instanced  as  examples  of  disqualifying  "  blemish  "  :  here  it 
is  extended  to  sacrifices  in  general. — (Even)  any  evil  Ihing^ 
generalizing  the  idea  of  "  blemish  "  :   cf.  15-^  y"i  D"i?.D  7D. 

2-7.  An  Israelite,  convicted  of  idolatry,  to  be  stoned  to 
death. — In  JE  there  is  the  more  categorical,  but  less  explicit, 
enactment  (Ex.  22^9(20))  1^3^  nin^^  ^ri^3  D^iJ^  ^"i^"^^.  n^t.  The 
punishment  of  death  has  already  been  decreed  (13"")  for  the 
bare  attempt  to  seduce  into  idolatry ;  hence  it  is  not  more  than 
consistent  for  it  to  be  imposed  in  the  case  when  idolatry  has 
been  actually  practised.  Both  in  subject-matter  and  phrase- 
ology, the  present  section  is  closely  allied  to  c.  13  ;  and  perhaps 
(as  suggested  on  i6'-'i)  once  immediately  preceded  it.  In  any 
case,  its  position  here  cannot  be  naturally  explained  as  afford- 
ing an  example  of  a  capital  offence  likely  to  come  for  trial  before 
the  "judges"  of  i6i«-20._2.  If  there  be  found  in  tity  viidst\  cf. 
132(1)21!;  18^0  22^2  24'''. — In  one  of  tiiy  gates,  <2r'c.]  as  iG'^ :  see 
on  I2i2_ — That  ivJiieh.  is  evil  in  the  eyes  of  Jehovah^  on  ^^''. — /;/ 
transgressitig  ("layt?)  his  covenant]  Jos.  7"-  ^•' ;   and   (followed  as 

XVII.  1.  yT  nm]  "evil  thing-,"  of  a  physical  disfigurement,  as  c.  23^''  of 
something  conventionally  unbecoming  ;  2  K.  4-*'  Ps.  41'',  of  what  is  physic- 
ally harmful :  Ps.  64''  141''  of  what  is  morally  harmful. ^2-4.  .  .  .  ne-j;'  I^n 
Tirii  .  .  .  Ti^M.]  "who  doeth  ,  .  .  and  hulh  gone  .  .  .  ,  and  it  be  told"  (Dr. 
§  115,  5. c/.  i-K  Ohs.\ 


205  DKUTKRONOMY 

here  by  ^<ro  and  sci'vc  o/hcr  j^ods)  Jus.  22,^'''  (D-). — 3.  Cone  and 
served  other  gods^  cr'6-.J  tlie  same  phrase  as  i^"- ^^  (''•  i'>  29-''<'-''^ 
Jos.  23I6  (D-)  :  so  I  S.  26i»  i  K.  9"  (Deut.).— 77ie  sun,  or  the 
moon,  or  the  host  of  hcaven\  4^^. —  Which  I  have  not  com.manded\ 
the  first  person,  of  God,  as  7*.  For  the  litotes,  "have  not 
commanded,"  cf.  Jer.  7^^  19''  "^i-'^  also  7^2. — 4.  yl«^  it  be  told 
thee,  and  thou  hear  it,  and  inquire,  cSt'c]  the  expressions  as 
2^15(1))^  ill  '1  similar  connexion. — 5.  Then  thou  shalt  bring  forth 
.  .  .  unto  thy  gates  .  .  .  and  thou  shalt  stone  them,  &-c.\  simi- 
larly 22-^.  The  offender,  when  convicted,  is  to  be  brought  out 
(\iz.  for  execution:  Gn.  38-^)  to  the  g'ates  of  his  city,  in  order 
that  the  execution  may  take  place  outside  its  precincts  (comp. 
in  P  Lev.  24'^  Nu.  15-'";  also  Acts  f'^  Heb.  13'-).  For  the 
penalty  of  stoning-,  comp.  in  H  Lev.  20^  (for  Molech-worship). 
— 6.  No  accused  person  is,  however,  to  be  put  to  death  on  the 
testimony  of  a  single  witness.  The  provision  secures  the 
application  to  a  particular  case  of  the  same  safeg-uard  ag-ainst 
the  disastrous  effects  of  dishonest  or  mistaken  testimony, 
which  is  enunciated  more  g^enerally  in  19^^;  in  Nu.  35''*^  (F) 
the  same  protection  is  accorded  to  the  person  charg-cd  with 
murder. — 7.  It  is  to  be  the  duty  of  the  witnesses  to  take  the 
lead  in  carrying- the  sentence  into  effect:  cf.  13^^ ('-'^ — So  thou 
shalt  exterminate  the  evil  from  tliy  midst\  as  13'' (•''^,  where  see 
note. 

XVIL  8-XVin.  22.  The  Office-Bearers  of  the  Theocracy 
{resumed from  1 6'^""**). 
8-13.  On  the  jurisdiction  of  the  supreme  central  tribunal. 
— -When  a  case  arises,  whether  in  criminal  or  civil  law,  too 
difficult  to  be  adjudicated  by  the  local  courts  (16'^),  it  is  to  be 
referred  to  the  tribunal  of  the  central  sanctuary,  whose  decision 
is  to  be  final,  and  whose  verdict,  under  penalty  of  death,  is  to 
be  obeyed  implicitly  by  all.  The  paragraph,  it  is  evident, 
connects  immediately  with  16'''-''.  From  v.^,  compared  with 
19^^,  it  appears  that  the  supreme  tribunal  here  contemplated 
is  conceived  by  the  Writer  as   composed   partly  of  Levitical 

4.  3t:-n]  9-'. — 'y\  nox  n:ni]  i3'-''.- — 6.  non  nsv]  with  the  cog-nate  ptcp.  (on 
15-)  expressed  :  so  22^  2  S.  17'  Is.  28^  Ez.  18^-  ;i^*. 


XVII.  4-S  207 

priests  (iS^),  partly  of  lay  "judi^cs";  it  was  thus  similar  in 
constitution  to  the  court  appointed,  according;  to  2  Ch.  198-  11, 
by  Jehoshaphat  at  Jerusalem  (p.  200).  It  is  to  be  observed, 
ho\ve\er,  that  this  supreme  tribunal  is  not  here  instituted  for 
the  first  time  :  it  is  represented  as  already  existing-,  and  its 
constitution  is  supposed  to  be  known  :  the  law  of  Dt.  is  limited 
to  defining-  its  powers,  and  specifying-  the  class  of  cases  of 
\\  hich  it  is  to  take  cog-nizance.  The  g-eneral  principle  of  refer- 
ringf  serious  or  complicated  cases  to  a  hig-her  authority  is  in 
harmony  with  the  provision  made  in  the  case  of  the  judicature 
instituted  by  Moses,  Ex.  18----'^'  (Dt.  i^-"!').  igio-is  supplies  an 
example  of  a  case  so  referred  to  the  central  tribunal,  viz.  a 
charge  of  false  witness. 

For  />n'esfs  taking  part  in  the  administration  of  justice,  comp.  2r''  Is. 
28^  Ez.  44"''.  As  remarked  on  16'**,  judgment  in  ancient  Israel,  even  on 
secular  issues,  seems  often  to  have  been  administered  at  a  sanctuary  :  the 
priests  would  thus  possess  an  hereditary  knowledge  of  civil  and  criminal 
law  not  less  than  of  ceremonial  law,  which,  especiall3'at  a  time  when  Hebrew 
law  was  still  imperfectly  codified,  would  naturall}-  give  them  an  advantage 
over  either  the  local  "elders,"  or  the  ordinary  lay  judges.  Hence  they 
would  be  properly  represented  on  a  tribunal,  appointed  expressly  for  the 
I^urpose  of  dealing  with  diflficult  or  serious  cases. 

S.  /fa  matter  he  too  difficult  for  tJicc  ("TSO  N?9^)  in  judgment\ 
lit.  too  exceptional  (or  wonderful)  for  t/iee,  i.e.  beyond  thy 
power  to  unravel  or  decide  ;  comp.  30^^  (beyond  one's  power 
to  master) ;  Gn.  iS^^  Jer.  32^"  (beyond  one's  power  to  effect) ; 
Job  42-^  (beyond  one's  power  to  comprehend).  Not  the  word 
used  in  Ex.  i8--'-^'>  Dt.  i^"  (nC'p,  "hard"). — Between  blood  and 
blood,  and  between  plea  and  plea,  and  between  stroke  and  stroke, 
(even)  tJie  subjects  of  pie  ad  in gs\  i.e.  if  the  difficulty  be  to  deter- 
mine under  what  law  a  particular  case  is  to  be  judg-ed,  whether, 
for  example  ("between  blood  and  blood"),  a  man  be  guilty  of 
murder  or  only  of  manslaug-hter  (Ex.  2ii^-^^),  or  whether  a 
man  charg-ed  with  theft  or  embezzlement,  or  with  having- 
caused  some  personal  injury  (Ex.  21ISI1' ;  22^"),  has  been 
culpably  neg;lig-ent  or  not,  and,  if  so,  in  what  deg-ree,  and 
to  what  penalty  he  is  liable, — whatever  the  nature  of  the 
pleadings  (on  both  sides)  may  be  (cf.  2  Ch.  ig^'*). —  Within  tliy 

8.  ni2'i  "nzi]  in  loose  appos.  with  nm,  a  constr.  which  D  often  has :  2-'' 
f  4-^  6""'  8''  9"'  11"  20'  22«  27'5  28'^-«^  2916-";  cf.  on  \^\ 


2o8  DEUTERONOMY 

^^ah's]  I2i2_  —  T//OU  slialt  arise,  &'c.'\  the  persons  implicitly 
addressed  (as  appears  from  the  words  "too  difficult  for  thee 
in  judgment  ")  are  the  local  judg-es,  who,  in  such  a  contingency, 
are  to  refer  the  case  to  the  tribunal  at  the  central  sanctuary. — 
Go  up\  the  expression  used  of  visiting  Shiloh  (i  S.  i^-  '^-  ^i-  22^^ 
or  Jerusalem  (i  K.  iz^"^-"^^,  and  often). — 9.  Unto  the  priests  the 
Levites]  i.e.  to  the  Levitical  priests  (on  18'). — A7id  unto  the 
judge  that  shall  he  in  those  days^  for  the  expression,  comp. 
19^'' 26^  Jos.  20''^  (D-).  It  seems  evident  that  the  "judge"  is 
not  identical  with  any  of  the  "priests";  and  as  in  19^'''  "the 
priests  and  the  judges  "  are  mentioned  together  in  a  similar 
connexion,  it  appears  reasonable  to  infer  that  priests  and 
laymen  sat  together  on  the  tribunal  referred  to:  the  "judge" 
mentioned  here  being  th6  foreman,  or  president,  of  the  body 
of  lay  "judges"  mentioned  in  19^^,  just  as  the  "priest"  in 
17^^  must  be  the  president  of  the  "priests"  mentioned  in  \.^. 
The  court  instituted  by  Jehoshaphat  had  similarly  a  double 
presidency,  the  high  priest  acting  as  head  in  ecclesiastical  cases, 
and  a  secular  prince  in  civil  cases  (2  Ch.  19^-^1). — And  thou 
shall  inquire,  &e.\  i.e.  examine  the  case  (19^^), — Israel,  acting 
in  the  persons  of  its  representatives  for  the  time  being,  i.e. 
here  the  members  of  the  central  tribunal,  being  addressed. 
Sam.  (G,  however,  have  "  and  they  shall  inquire  (icmi),"  which 
(as  in  the  context  the  2nd  person  denotes  the  local  judges)  is 
easier,  and  may  be  correct. — And  they  shall  declare  to  thee  the 
word  of  Judgment^  i.e.  the  sentence  (2  Ch.  19").  For  shew  (AV., 
RV.),  here  and  v.^o.  11^  jii  ^\^q  sense  of  declai-e,  see  on  5'^. — 
10-13.  The  decision  of  the  central  tribunal  is  to  be  implicitly 
obeyed. — 10.  Observe  to  do^  5I. — According  to  all  that  they 
direct  thee  (^l~ii'')]  so  v.^^  "according  to  the  direction  where- 
with they  direct  thee."  n"lin  is  to  direct  (Ex.  4^'^-^^),  torah 
("law")  is  properly  direction, — both  words  being  used  especi- 
ally, in  a  technical  sense,  of  the  authoritative  direction  given 
by  the  priests  to  the  laity  on  matters  of  ceremonial  observance 
(see  e.g.  248  3310  Lev.  lo^i  Ez.  22^^  442^  Mic.  3";  Jer.  2^  iS'^ 
Lev.  11^6  1359  1451  1^32  Nu.  529  621  &c.).  In  a  somewhat  wider 
sense,  torah  is  then  applied,  in  Dt.  (on  i^),  and  Deut.  writers 
(as  Jos.  x'  2f  I  K.  23  2  K.  lo-'i  14''  [Dt.  24!''']  17"  21^  228-" 


XVIT.   9-13  2C9 

2^24.  25  jej-.  16"),  to  the  exposition  of  an  Israelite's  duty  con- 
tained in  Dt. :  finally,  still  more  generalized,  it  becomes  the 
name  of  the  Pentateuch  generally  (cf.  Neh.  8'f- laf-  lo-'"'- 3r(34.  so) 
2  Ch.  3i3).  See  further  OTJC.^  pp.  299!!.,  372  If.,  382  f., 
425  f. ;  Kuenen,  Hex.  §  10.  4.  Here  it  refers  (unusually)  to 
decisions  on  points  of  secular  law  (comp.  Ex.  iS^*^-  ^o),  being 
used,  probably,  on  account  of  the  fact  that  the  verdict  of  the 
supreme  tribunal  came  with  the  authority  of  priests  as  well  as 
of  lay  judges.  —  Turn  aside,  &fc.\  on  2^7. — 12,  The  priest]  the 
ecclesiastical  president  of  the  tribunal;  comp.  on  v.^. — That 
standeth  to  viinister  there  to  Jehovah]  see  on  10^. — Or  unto  the 
judge]  v.^.  By  or  it  seems  to  be  implied  that  the  verdict  was 
delivered  sometimes  by  the  ecclesiastical  president  of  the 
board,  sometimes  by  its  civil  president ;  the  procedure  may 
have  varied  according  to  the  nature  of  the  case  under  con- 
sideration.— And  thou  shalt  exterminate  the  evil  from  Israel]  the 
same  formula  as  13*^(5)  177, — 13_  And  all  the  people  shall  hear 
and  fear,  &c.]  comp.  1312(11)^  where  see  note. 

14-20.  The  character  and  duties  of  the  King. — The  king, 
if  one  be  elected  by  Israel,  is  to  be  a  man  who  has  Jehovah's 
approval ;  he  is  to  be  a  native  Israelite ;  he  is  not,  in  his 
court-establishment,  to  imitate  the  great  despots  of  the  East ; 
and  he  is  to  rule  in  accordance  with  the  principles  of  Israel's 
religion. — The  king,  in  spite  of  his  obviously  superior  dignity, 
follows  the  judges  (16^8-20), — no  doubt,  on  account  of  the 
monarchy  being  an  institution  not  essential  to  the  theocracy 
(which  as  a  matter  of  history  subsisted  long  without  it) : 
accordingly,  as  the  terms  of  v.^^  show,  his  appointment  is  not 
enjoined  by  the  legislator,  but  only  permitted.  The  monarchy 
became  ultimately  a  necessity  in  Israel,  for  the  better  adminis- 
tration and  consolidation  of  the  nation  (i  S.  S^- 6- 20  [contrast 
Jud.  17*5  2i2^]  9IC) :  it  was  David's  great  merit  to  have  placed 
it  upon  a  religious  basis,  and  to  have  shown  how  its  power 
could  be  wielded  so  as  to  promote  the  truest  interests  of  the 
people  ;  hence  he  became  to  later  ages  the  ideal  of  a  pious  and 
noble-minded  theocratic  king  (Hos.  3^  Is.  55"*  i  K.  n^  148  &c.). 
The  present  law  is  peculiar  to  Dt.  In  estimating  it,  it  is 
12.  Nin.T  van  nni  .  .  .  nc-x  ty'xni]  Dr.  §§  123a;  197  Obs.  2. 
14 


2  10  DEUTERONOMV 

important  to  notice  that  its  provisions  arc  cnlirely  fJicocruiic. 
they  do  not  define  a  political  constitution,  or  limit  the  autocracy 
of  the  kinyf  in  civil  matters.  It  thus  stands  entirely  out  of 
relation  with  the  "^^J]  t32"'p,  or  r\-fy^r\  D2;j^,  of  i  S.  8"- ii  io-\ 
The  aim  of  the  law  is  to  show  how  the  monarchy,  if  estab- 
lished, is  to  conform  to  the  same  theocratic  principles  which 
g^ovcrn  other  departments  of  the  community;  and  how  the 
dangers  with  which  it  may  threaten  Israel's  national  character 
and  Israel's  faith,  may  be  most  effectually  averted.  At  the 
same  time,  though  the  nucleus  of  the  law  may  be  ancient 
(v.i''),  in  its  present  form  it  is  doubtless  designed  as  an  attempt 
to  check  the  moral  and  religious  degeneracy  which  the  mon- 
archy, as  a  fact,  too  often  displayed. — 14.  IV/icfi  tliou  art 
come  into  the  land,  ^fc^  26^;  cf.  18^  (also  6^^^. — And  shalt 
say  (12"*^),  I  will  set  over  me  a  king  like  all  the  nations  that  arc 
round  about  7nc\  comp.  i  S.  8''  "now  set  us  a  king  to  judge  us, 
like  all  the  nations"  (cf.  v.^"  lo^'*) :  see  further  p.  213. — Round 
about  me^6^'^  it,^^'^. — 15.  The  two  conditions  which  the  king 
is  to  satisfy :  he  is  to  be  one  whom  Jehovah  approves,  and  he 
is  not  to  be  a  foreigner. —  Whom  Jehovah  thy  God  shall  choosc\ 
cf.  (of  Saul)  I  S.  lo^^  "whom  Jehovah  hath  chosen";  (of 
David)  I  S.  i6^-io  (implicitly),  2  S.  6^1:  for  the  general  thought, 
also,  I  S.  g^^*^-  10^  2  S.  7^  &c.  Both  Saul  and  David  were 
appointed  under  the  authority  of  the  prophet  Samuel :  for  the 
N.  kingdom,  cf.  i  K.  ii'-^'^""-  i4'"-  i6i-4-7  19^0  2i-^if-  2  K.  9I-3.— 
Thou  mayest  not  put  a  foreigner  over  thce\\\\e.  prohibition  is  a 
remarkable  one,  as  it  is  difficult  to  imagine  what  attractions 
the  rule  of  a  foreigner  can  have  possessed  for  Israel,  and  there 
are  no  traces  in  the  history  of  either  kingdom  of  a  desire  to 
establish  it  (the  supposition  that  the  project  to  make  Tab'el 
king  in  place  of  Ahaz,  Is.  7",  met  with  support  in  Judah,  being 
an  uncertain  inference  from  Is.  8*^).  Possibly  there  may  have 
been  examples  of  foreigners  rising  to  despotic  power  among 
Israel's  neighbours  (?  Gn.  36^^  Dillm.).  Not  improbably, 
however,  the  motive  of  the  provision  is  a  religious  one.  A 
foreigner  would  not  only  be  deficient  in  national  feeling,  and 

14.  na  nn^'-i]  on  14-".— 15.  'rrm  n^]  as  7--.— .sin  thn  n"?  -i^n]  so  20"  (Dr. 
§  198  Obs.  I  ;  Lex.  Kin  3  c). 


XVII.  I4-I6  2  I  I 

be  liable  to  rule  tyrannically,  but  he  would  be  likely  to  endanger 
Israel's  distinctive  nationality,  by  introducing-  a  heathen  element 
into  this  most  important  dignity.  The  prohibition  may  well 
be  an  old  one  (Dillm.  ;  Del.,  ZKIVL.  iS8o,  p.  565),  repeated 
by  D  from  one  of  his  sources. — 16-17.  Even,  however,  when  a 
king  has  been  appointed,  who  satisfies  the  conditions  pre- 
scribed in  v.^*^,  his  liberty  is  not  absolute  ;  and  there  follow 
now  three  limitations  of  it,  v.^*^*^- :  he  is  not  to  multiply  horses, 
or  wives,  or  riches. — 16.  Seeing  that  Jehovah  hath  said,  Ye 
shall  henceforth  return  no  more  that  iiya\>\  the  same  saying  is 
referred  to  again  28''^ ;  it  is  not  to  be  found  in  our  present 
Pentateuch,  but  the  thought  of  Ex.  13I''  14^^  is  similar;  and 
the  proposal  of  the  people  to  return  to  Egypt,  Nu.  14'^"'*  (cf. 
11-*^),  is  plainly  represented  in  the  context  as  contrary  to  the 
Divine  intention.  It  is  probable  that,  as  in  other  cases  (cf. 
on  1^2  io^-3-^-9),  the  actual  words  were  still  read  in  some  part 
of  the  narrative  of  JE,  extant  at  the  time  when  Dt.  was  com- 
posed. The  horses,  which  the  Israelitish  king  is  forbidden  to 
multiply,  are,  of  course,  such  as  were  intended  for  use  in  war. 
The  Israelites  were  deficient  in  cavalry,  and  were  consequently  often 
unable  to  hold  their  own  beside  the  nations  of  Canaan  (Jos.  I'f"  Jud.  1^"  4-^ 
I  S.  13^'") ;  nevertheless,  prior  to  the  ag'e  of  Solomon,  they  do  not  appear 
to  have  made  any  attempt  to  supply  the  deficiency,  and  are  even  recorded, 
more  than  once,  to  have  houghed  the  horses,  and  burnt  the  chariots, 
captured  by  them  in  war  (Jos.  1 1"**  ^•^28.  8"*).  Egypt,  however,  at  least 
from  the  i8th  djnasty  (Wilkinson-Birch,  Atic.  Eg.'^  ii.  loi  ;  Rawlinson, 
Hist,  of  Eg.  1881,  i.  74,  ii.  206,  215),  was  celebrated  for  its  horses  (cf.  Ex. 
14''  15*;  //.  ix.  383  f.);  and  Solomon  procured  cavalry  thence  on  a  large 
scale  (i  K.  5"  [4"^'']  lo-''-^^^-) ;  horses  and  chariots  are  often  mentioned  sub- 
sequently as  a  standing  component  of  the  army  in  both  kingdoms  ;  in  the 
time  of  Hezekiah  (30-- ^''31*  36^),  as  afterwards  in  that  of  Zedekiah  (Ez. 
17^'),  the  cavalry  of  Egypt  was  an  important  factor  in  the  calculations  of 
the  politicians  of  Judah. 

The  legislator,  like  the  prophets,  esp.  Isaiah,  discounten- 
ances both  dealings  with  Egypt  (Is.  30^-5- 7  ^ji-s ;  Jer.  2^8- 2''), 
and  the  multiplication  of  horses  and  chariots  (Is.  2^  't^\^:  cf. 
Hos.  14'*  (3)  Mic.  5I0O')  &c.).  It  is  difficult  not  to  think  that 
there  is  in  his  words  a  covert  reference  to  the  policy  inaugur- 
ated by  Solomon. — Nor  cause  the  people  to  return  to  Egypt\ 

16.  "icx  ni.Ti]  " -wheii  (or  seeing  that)  J.  hath  said":  a  circumstantial 
clause  (Dr.  §  159). 


2  I  2  DEUTKRONOMV 

not  to  be  understood  literally  (as  Nu.  14'):  the  meaning-  is 
that  the  king  is  not  to  act  counter  to  Jehovah's  intention  in 
forbidding  the  people  to  return  to  I'gypt,  by  sending  his  mer- 
chants (i  K.  lo^s),  or  his  ambassadors  (Is.  30^'^),  thither  in 
quest  of  cavalry. — 17.  Neilhcr  shall  he  viiilliply  wives  to  him- 
self, that  his  heart  turn  not  aside  (Jer.  17^);  neither  shall  he 
greatly  multiply  to  liimself  silver  and golil\  two  other  practices, 
calculated  to  impart  a  sensual  and  worldly  tone  to  the  char- 
acter of  the  king,  in  which  likewise  an  evil  precedent  was  set 
by  Solomon  (i  K.  ii^-^;  lo^^-^a.  27j ;  the  inlluence  of  a  harem 
was  likely  in  other  ways  also  to  be  pernicious  to  the  State. — 
18-20.  The  king,  when  established  upon  his  throne,  is  to 
transcribe  for  himself  a  copy  of  the  Deuteronomic  law,  which 
he  is  to  study  daily,  in  order  that  its  principles  may  become  the 
rule  of  his  life,  and  that  he  may  govern  his  subjects  in  the  just 
and  equitable  spirit  which  it  everywhere  commends. — 18.  Tiiis 
lai(.)\  i.e.,  as  uniformly  in  this  book  (on  i^),  the  Deuteronomic 
legislation,  from  the  standard  copy  of  which,  in  the  custody  of 
the  Levitical  priests,  at  the  central  sanctuary  (31^--''),  the 
king's  transcript  was  to  be  made. — 19.  //  sliall  he  with  him, 
&-'c.\  i.e.  it  is  to  be  ever  at  his  side,  and  he  is  to  study  it 
habitually  (comp.  Jos.  i^). — Tiiat  he  may  learn  to  fear,  &c.\  ^^ 
1423b .  526(29)  6'-^.— 20.  That  his  heart  be  not  lifted  up  (8i-«)  above 
his  hrethren'\  the  same  principles  of  loyalty  towards  God,  and 
of  sympathetic  regard  for  men,  which  Dt.  ever  inculcates  so 
warmly,  are  to  rule  the  life  both  of  the  king  and  of  his 
subjects ;  he  is  not  therefore  to  treat  those  who  after  all  are 
his  "brethren"  (v.^^)  with  arrogance,  or  to  forget  the  obli- 
gations towards  them  which  his  office  involves  (comp.  e.g. 
Jehoiakim's  abuse  of  his  position,  denounced  by  Jeremiah, 
2 213-19). _r«r«  not  aside,  &c.\\.'^^  ^^'^^^'^.— Prolong  days\  z^-^-  ^0. 

It  remains  to  consider  briefly  the  relation  of  Dt.  17^^-'^  to  the  account 
in  I  Sam.  of  the  establishment  of  the  monarch)'  in  Israel.  This  is  told  in 
tti'o  narratives.     In  one,  the  older  narrative  (g'-io''''^^  ui-ii.is  j^-i^),  the 

18.  'Js'rD  'h  3n:i]  'j-:"?  mig-ht  signify  "under  the  eye  of,  in  the  keeping-  of" 
(cf.  Mai.  3^  Is.  65®) ;  and  'Js'JO  onD  is  said  on  the  analog)-  of  ':i:'rD  np>  Ex. 
36'',  'js'^a  Su  Dt.  28"  :  cf.  Jer.  31*". — n:r'o]  copy,  lit.  repetition,  duplicate 
(cf.  Jos.  8''-).  C5  TO  iiuripovifiuov  rouro  (whence  the  name  of  the  Book),  which 
would  require  .nin  for  num. — 20.  mo]  on  4^^. 


XVII.   17 — XVIII.   I  213 

proposal  to  appoint  a  king-  is  viewed  witliout  the  smallest  disapproval  or 
censure;  in  the  other  (7""^' 8.  lo^'^"-"*  12)  it  is  treated  as  a  grave  oiTence 
agfainst  Jehovah,  and  fraught  with  danger  for  the  nation's  future  (8'^"'*). 
The  second  of  these  narratives  (which  alone  has  points  of  contact  with  Dt.) 
cannot,  on  various  grounds  (cf.  L.O.T.  pp.  166-168),  be  regarded  as  con- 
taining the  ipsissima  verba  of  either  Samuel  or  the  people  ;  it  rather  gives 
expression  to  the  fears  and  doubts  which  Samuel,  no  doubt,  in  view  of  a 
great  constitutional  innovation,  actually  felt,  in  a  form  moulded  by  the 
experiences  of  a  later  age,  when  the  evils  which  the  monarchy  had 
brought  with  it — its  encrcachments  on  the  liberties  of  the  people  (8^^"^^), 
its  tendencies  to  idolatry,  and  its  reluctance  to  listen  to  the  warnings  of 
the  prophets  (cf.  the  ominous  anticipations  in  12''*"-'') — had  made  them- 
selves keenly  felt.  This  narrative,  now,  shows  no  indications  of  the  law 
of  Dt.  having  been  known  '\nfact,  either  to  Samuel,  or  to  the  people  who 
demanded  of  him  a  king :  had  such  been  the  case,  it  is  incredible  either 
that  Samuel  should  have  resisted  the  application  of  the  people  as  he  is 
represented  as  doing,  or — if  per  impossibile  he  did  this — that  the  people 
should  not  have  appealed  to  the  law,  as  a  sufficient  justification  of  their 
request ;  the  supposition  (which  would  admit  of  the  law  not  being  unknown 
to  him)  that  Samuel  condemned  not  the  request,  as  such,  but  the  temper 
in  which  it  was  made,  being  not  borne  out  by  the  terms  of  the  narrative. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  resemblance  of  Dt.  i^i-'i'-isa  with  i  S.  S''  10'-^  (cited 
above)  seems  too  great  to  be  accidental :  the  law  of  Dt.  will  therefore 
have  been  known  to  the  aiiiJior  of  the  narrative  of  Sam.,  and  the  two 
phrases  referred  to  will  be  reminiscences  from  it ;  unless,  indeed,  the  other 
alternative  be  adopted,  and  the  author  of  Dt.  ly^^-^o  be  supposed  to  have 
been  influenced,  as  he  wrote,  by  his  recollections  of  the  narrative  of  Sam. 
(so  Budde,  Richier  und  Samuel,  p.  183  f.;  Cornill,  Einl.  §  17.  4).  As  the 
nucleus  of  i  S.  8  ;  10^''"-'^*  12  appears  to  be  pre-Deuteronomic  {L.O.T.  I.e.), 
the  latter  alternative  is  not  the  least  probable  one. 

XVIII.  1-8.  The  revenues  of  the  Priests.— The  priestly 
tribe  is  to  receive  no  territorial  inheritance  in  Israel ;  its 
inheritance  is  to  consist  of  the  altar-dues,  and  of  the  first-fruits 
offered  by  the  Israelites  to  Jehovah,  v. ^"5.  A  member  of  the 
tribe  coming"  voluntarily  from  the  country  to  officiate  at  the 
central  sanctuary,  shall  share  in  these  dues  equally  with  those 
already  on  the  spot,  v.^-^.  In  JE,  priests,  and  "sons  of 
Levi,"  are  alluded  to  (Ex.  1922.24  ^z^*^-^^);  but  no  provisions 
are  laid  down  respecting-  their  duties  or  rights.  In  P  they  are 
the  subject  of  very  precise  regulations,  which  in  some  respects 
differ  widely  from  those  of  Dt.  ;  see  p.  219  f. — 1.  T/ie  priests 
the  Levites\  i.e.  the  priests  of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  the  Levitical 
priests,  the  standing  designation  of  the  priests  in  Dt.  (17^-18 
248  27^:  cf.  "  the  priests  the  sons  of  Levi,"  21^  3i^)>  occurring 


2  14  DKUTRRONOMY 

besides  Jos.  3^  8^^-  (bolli  D-),  Jcr.  331"  (cf.  v.21),  Ez.  43^^  44" 
2  Ch.  5^  (preserving  probably  the  true  reading-  of  i  K.  8*; 
p.  122),  23I8  3o27t  (Is.  66-'i  I  Ch.  92  Ezr.  lo^  Neh.  i o2^- 35  (28.  .■)4) 
Ii20  are  different,  the  conj.  and  being  omitted).  In  P  the 
priesthood  is  limited  strictly  to  the  descendants  of  Aaron,  and 
priests  are  accordingly  always  styled  "the  sons  of  Aaron" 
Lev.  i5.  8. 11  22  02- 3- 5  &c. — (Even)  all  the  tribe  of  Levi]  an 
explanatory  apposition  to  "the  priests  the  Levites."  Such 
explanatory  appositions  are  frequent  in  Dt.  (2^'^  2*''- 13.  is  ^i9 
58  1521  1 621  1^1  20^4  2320(10)  25I6  299(10)  [in  neg.  sentences  the 
Heb.  «// becomes  in  Engl,  any;  and  1621  there  is  no  of  in  the 
Heb.]),  and  denote  regularly  the  entire  group,  of  which  one  or 
more  representative  items  have  been  specified  in  the  preceding 
words.  The  wording  of  the  verse  implies  (what  is  consonant 
with  the  language  used  elsewhere)  that  in  Dt.  the  priestly 
office  is  not  confined  to  the  descendants  of  Aaron,  but  may 
be  exercised  by  members  of  the  tribe  without  distinction  (see 
p.  220). — Shall  have  no  portion  or  inheritance  with  Israel]  i.e. 
no  territorial  possession,  like  the  rest  of  Israel ;  similarly  lo''' 
I2i2b  1427b.  2;.^  cf.  Jos.  1314a  33a  jgT  (all  D2) ;  and  in  P,  Nu.  18^0 
(of  the  priests),  23. 24  (of  the  Levites),  26*'2  Jos.  143  (of  the 
whole  tribe). — -Jehovalis  fire-offerings,  and  his  inheritance, 
shall  they  eat]  i.e.  live  upon ;  this  is  their  substitute  for  a 
landed  inheritance:  comp.  Jos.  131^  i  S.  2-^.  Fire-offering  \s 
a  technical  term  of  the  priestly  legislation,  occurring  62  times 
in  P,  otherwise  only  here,  Jos.  131^,  and  1  S.  22s  ;  it  is  thus 
used  of  the  burnt-offering  (Lev.  i^),  the  meal-offering  (23),  the 
thank-offering  (33),  the  guilt-offering  (7''),  in  all  of  which 
specified  parts  were  the  perquisite  of  the  priests  (Lev.  23  7"-io ; 
Nu.  18^'").  By  "and  his  [i.e.  Jehovah's)  inheritance"  must 
be  meant  other  sacred  dues,  not  included  in  the  "fire-offer- 
ings," rendered  to  God,  in  the  persons  of  His  representatives, 
the  priestly  tribe,  e.g.  first-fruits  (v. 3). — 2.  The  principle  of  v.  1 
repeated  more  emphatically. — In  the  midst  of  his  brethren]  cf. 
lo^. — Jehovah  is  his  inheritance,  as  he  spake  itnto  him]  Jehovah 
is  here  said  to  be  the  "inheritance"  (see  on  lo^)  of  the  entire 
tribe  (cf.  in  D^  Jos.  1314-33  18')  ;  in  P  (Nu.  i8-0i^;  so  Ez.  442^) 
He  is  said  to  be  the  inheritance  of  "Aaron,"  i.e.  of  the  priests 


XVIII.  2-3  2  15 

alone.  The  passage  referred  to,  as  shown  on  lo^,  does  not 
occur  In  our  existing-  Pentateuch. — 3-4.  A  specification  of  the 
principal  items  included  in  the  "fire-offerings"  and  "inherit- 
ance" of  v.i,  viz.  the  priests'  share  in  the  peace-offerings  and 
first-fruits,  the  two  kinds  of  offering  most  frequently  and 
regularly  rendered  by  the  people  at  large. — 3.  A7id  this  shall 
be  the  right  of  the  priests  from  the  people,  (even)  fro?n  them  that 
sacrifice  the  sacrifice,  whether  ox  or  sheep  :  he  shall  give  to  the 
priest  the  shoulder,  the  two  checks,  and  the  maw\  the  first  part 
of  the  V,  may  be  illustrated  from  i  S.  2^2f.  (reading  with  ffiS'^T 
and  many  moderns,  nyn  ni<?D  jnnn)  "the  sons  of 'Eli  .  .  .  knew 
not  Jehovah,  nor  the  right  {i.e.  the  rightful  due)  of  the  priest 
from  the  people :  when  any  man  sacrificed  a  sacrifice,  the 
priest's  servant  used  to  come,"  &c.  By  the  sacrifice  is  meant 
the  most  ordinary  and  usual  kind  of  sacrifice,  accompanied 
(12'^)  by  a  religious  feast,  and  called,  where  distinction  is 
needed,  the  peace-  or  thank-ofi^cring  (on  12'').  The  shoulder 
(lit.  arm)  is  mentioned  Nu.  6^^  (of  the  ram  offered  by  the 
Nazirite) ;  the  cheeks,  and  the  maw  (not  elsewhere  :  ffir  ewo-rpov, 
the  fourth  stomach  of  ruminants — a  favourite  dish  at  Athens, 
Aristoph.  £q.  356,  1179),  are  not  otherwise  mentioned  in  con- 
nexion with  sacrifice.  The  passage  is  in  direct  contradiction 
with  Lev.  732-34  (p^^  which  prescribes  the  breast  and  the  right 
thigh  as  the  priest's  due  of  the  peace-offerings. 

Various  attempts  have  been  made  to  remove  the  discrepancy,  (i) 
According  to  the  Jews  (Jos.  Ant.  iv.  4.  4  ;  Philo,  prcem.  sacerd.  §  3,  Mang-ey, 
ii.  235  ;  Mishnah,  Hidlin  10.  i  ;  so  Curtiss,  Lev.  Priests,  p.  43  f.)  the  refer- 
ence in  Dt.  is  not  to  sacrifices  at  all,  but  to  animals  slaughtered  at  home 
for  domestic  use  (12^^'-).  This,  however,  is  an  incredible  explanation  of 
naTH  'n:ii :  nai  occurs  some  160  times  in  the  OT.,  and  «Zwflj'5  (including  the 
fig.  passages  Is.  34"  Jcr.  46'"  Ez.  39^')  signifies  a  sacrifice  (cf.  also  i  S.  2^*, 
cited  above  ;  and  note  the  art.  in  n^T.i) ;  the  sing.,  "^A^  priest,"  points  to 
the  particular  priest  in  attendance  on  the  sacrificer  (cf.  Lev.  7^-'), — to  say 
nothing  of  the  fact  that  a  law  requiring  portions  of  every  animal  slain,  in 
whatever  part  of  the  country,  to  be  sent  to  the  central  sanctuarj-  for  the 
consumption  of  the  priests,  would  evidently  be  impracticable.     (2)  Schultz 

XYIII.  3.  nND]  =  fra/ia  with  a  gen.  :  used  idiomatically  (in  preference  to 
(D  alone)  to  express  on  the  part  of,  in  reference  to  the  granting  of  rights, 
or  payment  of  dues  :  Gn.  47--  Ex.  27-1  &c.  {Lex.  n.  nx  4  b). — inji]  lit.  "50 
(viz.  under  the  conditions  implied  in  the  preceding  sentence)  he  shall 
give  "  ;  but  ia  our  idiom  simply  "  he  shall  give  "  ;  cf.  Nu.  4^*. 


2  I  6  DEUTERONOMY 

(p.  59)  and  Espin  consider  that  the  dues  here  prescribed  are  not  in  lieu  of 
those  assit^ncd  in  Lev.  7^-"''*  (which,  it  is  said,  are  included  in  the  "  fire- 
offering-s"  of  v.^),  but  in  addition  to  them,  and  perhaps  intended  as  a  com- 
pensation for  the  loss  sustained  by  the  permission  granted  in  12^'  to 
slaug^hter  for  food  without  sacrifice.  But  had  it  been  the  intention  of  v.* 
to  prescribe  something-  additional  to  what  had  been  usual,  this  would  surely 
have  been  indicated  more  distinctly:  as  the  verse  stands  ("and  this"  not 
"and  this  a/50")  it  can  only  be  legitimately  understood,  like  v.*,  as  ex- 
planatory of  v.^*".  (3)  Keil,  adopting  a  modification  of  (i),  supposes  the 
reference  to  be,  not  to  the  peace-offerings  properly  so  called,  but  to  the 
festal  meals  held  at  the  central  sanctuarj',  at  which  firstlings  (i2'"'-  is"**),  or 
the  substitute  for  the  tithe  (14'""),  were  eaten.  But  the  expression  "  sacrifice 
the  sacrifice"  is  too  general  and  distinctive  to  be  legitimately  limited  to  such 
subordinate  species  of  sacrifice  as  these. 

The  verse  must  refer  to  the  commonest  kind  of  the  **  fire- 
offerings  "  named  in  v.^,  and  specify  for  the  people's  instruction 
what  parts  of  these  are  due  to  the  priest.  The  only  reason- 
able interpretation  is  to  treat  it  as  parallel  to  Lev.  732-34^  ^nd 
consequently  as  fixing-  the  priests'  dues  at  a  time  when  the 
regulation  there  laid  down  was  not  in  force. 

I  S.  2^-'"^®  shows  that  in  old  times  the  priests  received  a  share  of  the 
flesh  offered  as  a  "sacrifice"  :  and  it  is  mentioned  as  an  abuse  that  they 
(i)  claimed  whatever  pieces  their  servant,  while  the  sacrifice  was  boiling, 
could  lift  out  of  the  pot  w-ith  his  prong,  and  (2)  demanded  further  their 
share  of  the  flesh  raw,  before  the  fat  was  burned  and  the  sacrifice  properly 
completed,  in  order  that  they  might  roast  it  (which  was  esteemed  a  choicer 
mode  of  preparing  food  :  cf.  Wellh.  Hist.  p.  68).  The  exact  nature  of  the 
first  abuse  is  not  clear :  treated  in  itself,  it  might  be  a  demand  for  some- 
thing in  excess  of  what  was  allowed  by  law — whether  the  law  of  Dt.  iS'', 
or  of  Lev.  7-'-"-'*.  But  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  passage  of  Sam.  relates 
to  an  early  stage  in  the  history  of  sacrifice,  w'hen  the  priest  had  no  legal 
claim  to  definite  dues  of  flesh,  and  the  custom  was  for  the  worshipper  to 
offer  him  what  he  himself  chose,  or  to  invite  him  to  the  sacrificial  feast 
which,  as  a  matter  of  course,  followed  :  Eli's  sons  claimed  more  than  this, 
and  claimed,  moreover,  to  have  it  when,  and  as,  they  pleased.  The  law  of 
Dt.  fixes  the  priests'  dues  definitely  :  at  a  still  later  date,  they  were  again 
fixed  upon  a  new  footing  (Lev.  7'''''^),  and  a  larger  and  choicer  share  was 
allotted  to  them,  viz.  the  right  leg  and  the  breast  (cf.  Wellh.  I.e.  p.  153  f.). 

4.   Tlie  first  (fruits)  of  tliy  corn,  of  thy  "witie,  and  of  thy  oil 

(7^-''),  and  the  first  of  the  ficccc  of  thy  sheep,  shall  thou  give  unto 

hin{\  "/.<?.   to  the  priest,   the  sing,   being  retained   from   v.^, 

though  here,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  it  must  be  meant 

collectively  "  (Di.).     The  first  three  items  form  also  part  of  the 

revenue  of  the  priests  in  P  (Nu.   iS^^;    cf.   2  Ch.  31'');    the 

fourth  is  mentioned  only  here  (so  "the  first  (fruits)  of  honey" 


XVIII.   4-8  217 

are  mentioned  only  2  Ch.  31-^  [yet  of.  Lev.  2^-,  see  v.^^]).  The 
offering"  of  first-fruits  is  an  ancient  and  widely-spread  custom  : 
in  Israel  it  is  prescribed  already  in  Ex.  23^**  342^  (JE).  Like 
the  tithe,  it  was  a  mode  of  acknowledging  Jehovah's  bounty 
in  blessing-  the  increase  of  the  earth  ;  and  until  it  had  teen 
offered,  it  was  not  considered  proper  to  eat  of  the  new  fruit  of 
the  year.  Lev.  23^'^  (cf.  further  Rel.  Scvi.  p.  222  f.).  For  other 
allusions  to  the  reshith  {\a\.,  first',  ffit  dirapxrj)  of  the  year's  pro- 
duce, see  262-  ^- 10  (where  a  liturgical  form  is  prescribed,  to 
accompany  its  presentation);  Lev.  22^^;  Nu.  is-'^*'-  (Rom. 
11^^),  Ez.  442<>  Neh.  lo'^s^^'^  (of  coarse  meal)  ;  Jer.  2^  (alluded  to 
as  sacred),  Pr.  3^  2  Ch.  315  Neh.  io38(37);  Ez.  20^0  48^4  Neh. 
12^*.  On  the  distinction  from  hikkiirim,  see  Wellh.  Hist. 
p.  157  f. — 5.  The  reason  why  the  priest  is  to  receive  these 
dues  :  he  is  God's  specially  appointed  minister  and  representa- 
tive.— For  him  hath  Jehovah  chosen,  &r'c.\  similarly  21^  1  S. 
2^8;  cf.  also  108.  The  sing,  (as  v.*)  is  meant  collectively:  cf. 
the  plur.  in  the  parallel  passage,  21^. — Out  of  all  thy  tribes\ 
12^  (see  note)  :  also  2g20C^i)  i  S.  2-^  (just  quoted). — To  stand  to 
minister^  see  on  10^  (p.  123) ;  and  cf.  i  K.  8^^. — Him  and  his 
sons  continually  (4'*^)]  the  expression  points  plainly  to  an 
hereditary  priesthood,  though  as  "priest,"  the  antecedent  of 
the  pron.,  is  used  collectively  (see  above),  it  does  not  imply 
necessarily  that  the  priesthood,  in  the  conception  of  the 
Writer,  is  restricted  to  a  particular  family  in  the  tribe. 

6-8.  Provision  made  for  the  rights  of  a  Levite  coming 
from  the  country  to  officiate  at  the  central  sanctuary. — And  if 
a  Levite — i.e.  any  member  of  the  tribe  of  Levi — come  from  one 
of  thy  gates  (\^  \G'  17^  2'^'^^'^^)  out  of  all  Israel — i.e.  from  any 
one  of  the  cities  (12^2.  is  j^27  1611)  of  Israel — where  he  sojoumeth 
(Jud.  17''  19I),  not  possessing  (v.^^-^a)  a  permanent  inheritance, 
and  come  with  all  the  desire  of  his  soul  (12^^)  to  the  place  which 
Jehovah  shall  choose  (12^),  and  ministers  in  the  name  of  Jehovah 
his  God  (v. 5),  like  all  his  brethren  the  Levitcs,  which  stand  there 
before  Jehovah  (lo^),  they  shall  eat  (v.^^)  like  portions — he  shall 
not  be  at  a  disadvantage  as  compared  with  those  already  on 
the  spot,  he  and  they  shall  share  alike  in  the  dues  received 
from  the  people. — Besides  his  sellings  according  to  the  fathers^ 


2t8  DEUTERONOMY 

or  '■'■  fallto's  (houses),"  i.e.  families,  nusn  being"  an  abbrcxia- 
ticjn  for  ni3Xn  IT'S  (Ex.  6^^  «/.).  The  words  are  very  obscure: 
they  are  usually  understood  to  mean  "apart  from  what  he  has 
realized  by  selling"  the  possessions  belonging  to  him  in  virtue 
of  his  family  descent"  (paraphrased  in  AV.,  RV.  by  "beside 
that  which  cometh  of  the  sale  of  his  patrimony  ")— possessions 
which,  it  is  supposed,  he  would  part  with  at  the  time  of  leaving 
the  country  for  the  central  sanctuary.  Dillm.  (after  J.  D. 
Mich.,  Schultz)  explains,  "besides  what  he  has  realized  by 
selling"  the  dues  (tithe,  &c.)  rendered  to  him  at  his  home  by 
particular  families."  Either  explanation  is  questionable :  all 
that  can  be  said  is  that  the  words  describe  some  private  source 
of  income  possessed  by  the  Levite,  distinct  from  what  he 
receives  as  a  priest  officiating"  at  the  central  sanctuary. 

In  P,  48  cities  are  allotted  to  the  tribe  for  residence  (Xu.  35^'*  Jos.  21) ; 
and  the  terms  of  v.®  are  difficult  to  reconcile  with  that  institution.  The 
"  Levites"  are  represented  in  this  verse,  not  as  resident  in  their  appointed 
cities,  but  as  "sojourning-" — the  word  (nu)  is  used  of  temporary,  not  of 
permanent  residence — in  the  cities  of  Israel  without  distinction.  Hence 
the  institution  of  Levitical  cities  cannot  well  have  formed  an  element  in 
the  condition  of  things  contemplated  by  the  present  law.  To  refer  v." 
(Curtiss,  Lev.  Priests,  p.  48  f.)  to  those  Levites  who  have  sold  their  houses 
and  wandered  to  other  cities,  involves  the  improbable  reg-ulation  that  a 
Levite  is  not  to  g^o  directly  from  a  Levitical  city  to  the  central  sanctuary  : 
he  must  become  a  "sojourner"  elsewhere  first!  V.^  and  the  allusion  in 
v.*'' to  property  owned  by  Levites,  are  in  no  respect  incompatible  with  such 
an  institution,  supposing  it  to  have  been  imperfectly  put  in  force  ;  but  the 
provisions  of  the  law  are  absolute,  they  are  not  limited  to  the  contingency 
of  the  regulations  of  Nu.  35^'^  being  disobeyed  ;  and  it  is  incredible  that, 
worded  as  they  are,  they  can  have  been  framed  by  one  who,  if  the  received 
view  of  the  Pentateuch  be  correct,  had  only  six  months  previously  assigned 
to  the  Levites  permanent  dwelling-places.  Surelj-,  had  this  been  the  case, 
v.**  would  have  run,  "from  one  of  the  cities  which  I  have  appointed  them 
(or  which  thou  shalt  give  them)."  On  the  other  hand,  the  representation 
of  v.**  harmonizes  completely  with  other  passages  of  Dt.,  in  which  the 
country  Levites  appear  (beside  the  "stranger,  the  fatherless,  .and  the 
widow")  in  a  more  or  less  penurious  condition,  without  fixed  habitations, 
and  are  earnestly  commended  to  the  Israelite's  charitable  benevolence 
(1212.18.19  j^'j-.iiu  1611.14  26i'-i-f-). 

The  truth  is,   in  P  and  Dt.  the  tribe  of  Levi  stands  upon 

8.  ni::Nn  '^'y  V"i2PP  n^'?]  vircn  must  come  from  a  subst.  "i???;  but  since 
apart  from,  besides,  is  ]P  15^  (not  13^  alone) — e.g.  3'' — it  is  clear  that  we  must 
vocalize  vjjaa  (from  "120). 


XVIII.  8  219 

two  fundamentally  difTerent  footings,  (i)  Their  revenues  are 
different:  as  has  been  shown  In  the  notes  on  14^9  1523  i8'5  they 
receive  in  Dt.,  as  compared  with  P,  materially  smaller  dues  in 
tithes,  firstlings,  and  sacrifices ;  and,  as  just  said,  instead  of 
having  cities  specially  allotted  to  them,  they  are  represented  as 
homeless  and  destitute.  (2)  Their  organisation  is  difTerent. 
The  term  "  Levite,"  it  must  always  be  remembered,  has  in  Dt. 
a  different  meaning  from  "  Levite"  in  P.  In  P  it  denotes  the 
members  of  the  tribe,  exclusive  of  the  priests,  the  descendants 
of  Aaron ;  in  Dt.  it  denotes  all  members  of  the  tribe,  without 
distinction.  The  "  Levites  "  of  P  are  inferior  members  of  the 
tribe,  who  are  assigned  various  subordinate  duties  in  connexion 
with  the  Tabernacle  (Nu.  3-4;  iS^""),  but  are  peremptorily 
forbidden  to  intrude  upon  the  office  of  priest  (Nu.  4^0  iG''*"!!-  '" 
18").  In  Dt.  this  sharp  distinction  between  priests  and  the 
common  Levites  is  not  recognized  ;  it  is  implied  (iS^^)  that 
all  members  of  the  tribe  are  qualified  to  exercise  priestly 
functions :  iS'*'-  213  assign  to  the  whole  tribe  the  altar-dues 
reserved  in  Nu.  iS^''  for  the  priests  alone;  and  18*^"^,  relating 
to  the  "Levite"  coming  from  the  country  to  reside  at  the 
central  sanctuary,  describes  his  services  there  in  terms  which 
elsewhere,  when  used  in  a  ritual  connexion,  denote  regularly 
priestly  duties.  Thus,  though  there  is  a  difference  in  Dt. 
between  "priest"  and  "  Levite,"  it  is  not  the  difference  recog- 
nized in  P :  in  P  the  priests  constitute  a  fixed  minority  of  the 
entire  tribe,  viz.  the  descendants  of  Aaron ;  in  Dt.  they  are  a 
fluctiiating  minority,  viz.  those  members  of  the  tribe  who  are 
officiating  for  the  time  at  the  central  sanctuary.  Accordingly, 
in  Dt.  the  distinctive  title  of  the  priests  is  not  "sons  of 
Aaron,"  but  "sons  of  Levi"  or  '■'■  Levitical  priests"  (see  on 
v.^).  Naturally  the  eldest  of  the  families  descended  directly 
from  Aaron,  which  had  the  custody  of  the  Ark,  enjoyed  the 
pre-eminence,  and  this  is  recognized  in  10'';  allied  families, 
also,  which  had  secured  a  position  at  the  central  sanctuary, 
would  doubtless  rank  above  their  less  fortunate  brethren  ;  but 
no  exclusive  riglit  is  recognized  in  Dt.  as  belonging  to  tiie 
descendants  of  Aaron,  in  contradistinction  to  other  members 
of  the  tribe. 


2  20  DEUTERONOMY 

The  position  thus  assigned  to  tlie  tribe  in  Dt.  agrees  with 
allusions  in  the  earlier  literature;  c.o:  with  i  K.  ij'^i,  where 
it  is  Jerobo'am's  offence — not  as,  according  to  P,  it  ought  to 
have  been,  that  he  made  priests  who  were  not  of  the  sons  of 
Aaron,  but — that  he  made  priests  who  were  not  of  the  sons  of 
Levi;  and  especially  with  Ez.  44^''-^'',  which  implies  unambigu- 
ously [sG.^  L.O.T.  p.  132  f.),  that  prior  to  the  age  of  Ez.  the 
**  Levites"  generally  [i.e.  Levites  in  the  sense  of  Dt.)  enjoyed 
the  priestly  right  of  sacrificing.  Comp.  also  Ex.  41'*  (where 
"  the  Levite  "  appears  as  an  official  title) ;  and  the  other  occur- 
rences of  "Levitical  priests,"  cited  on  v.^.  Dt.  lo^  21^  33^"^"? 
though  they  would  not  in  themselves  estahlisli  this  view  (for  it 
might  be  said  that  the  tribe,  as  a  whole,  was  chosen  to  dis- 
charge priestly  offices  in  the  persons  of  a  fixed  minority  who 
were  set  apart  for  the  purpose),  are,  it  is  plain,  perfectly  con- 
sistent with  it.  We  must,  in  fact,  picture  the  members  of  the 
tribe  as  scattered  in  different  parts  of  the  land  (cf.  Gn.  49''') ; 
the  most  prosperous,  forming  a  tolerably  close  corporation  at 
the  Temple  of  Jerusalem  ;  others,  "  sojourning  "  in  the  country, 
or  finding  a  home  where  they  could,  exactly  as  is  represented 
in  Jud.  Y"]"^-^  19^,  some  acting  as  priests  to  private  families  or 
individuals  {ib.  1710-13  18^^),  others  officiating  at  the  local 
sanctuaries  [ih.  i820-27.  30.  ^nd  esp.  2  K.  23-'),  but  all  dependent 
for  their  livelihood,  in  one  way  or  another,  upon  what  they 
received  from  the  people.  The  aim  of  Dt.  iS*^"^  is  to  limit  the 
exclusiveness  of  the  Jerusalem  priests  :  it  provides  that  a 
country  Levite,  coming  to  officiate  at  the  central  sanctuary,  is 
to  share  in  the  dues  received  there  equally  with  the  priests 
resident  on  the  spot.  How  far  this  provision  was  acted  upon 
by  the  Jerusalem  priests,  we  do  not  know:  2  K.  23^  shows 
that,  at  least  after  the  abolition  of  the  high  places  by  Josiah,  the 
disestablished  priests  (who  yet  are  styled  the  "brethren"  of 
those  at  Jerusalem),  though  they  were  allowed  the  maintoi- 
ance  due  to  them  as  priests  by  the  law  of  Dt.  18'^,  were  not 
admitted  to  the  exercise  of  priestly  functions  at  the  Temple 
(cf.  Ez.  44"-^'';  and  see  L.O.T.  p.  i46f.). 

Treated  by  themselves,  the  regulations  of  Dt.  might  be 
attributed  to  the  relaxation  or  neglect  of  a  system  once  stricter; 


XVIII.  9  221 

but  in  the  light  of  allusions  occurring"  in  other  books,  it  is 
decidedly  more  probable  that,  as  compared  with  those  of  P, 
they  represent  the  usage  of  an  earlier  age;  the  system  of  P 
corresponds  to  the  greater  privileges  which  the  priests  after- 
wards acquired,  and  to  the  exclusive  pre-eminence  which  the 
family  of  Aaron  ultimately  secured  for  itself.  See,  further, 
W.  R.  Smith,  OTJC^  pp.  358-361,  383  f.,  more  fully  Addil. 
Ans7V.  to  the  Libel  (Edinb.  1878),  pp.  29-51 ;  Wellh.  Hist.  p. 
121  fF.;  Baudissin,  AT.  Pricsterthum,  pp.  78-96,  280-284; 
Nowack,  A?'ch.  ii.  §§  88,  89,  94  ;   Kuenen,  Ahhandl.  p.  465  fF. 

9-22.  The  position  and  authority  of  the  Prophet. — All  forms 
of  divination  and  magic  are  to  be  eschewed  by  Israel :  the 
prophet  is  to  take  in  Israel  the  place  of  the  heathen  sooth- 
sayer ;  and  implicit  obedience  is  to  be  rendered  to  him.  The 
position  assigned  in  this  law  to  the  prophet  is  a  noticeable  one. 
He  appears  in  it  as  the  representative  in  Israel  of  the  heathen 
diviner ;  he  is  presented  as  the  appointed  agent  for  satisfying, 
in  so  far  as  they  are  legitimate,  those  cravings  of  humanity  to 
unlock  the  secrets  of  the  future,  or  to  discover  in  some  critical 
situation — as,  for  instance,  that  of  Saul  before  the  battle  of 
Gilboa'  (i  S.  28'^^) — the  purpose  of  Heaven,  which  gave  birth 
in  other  nations  to  the  arts  of  the  diviner,  and  kindred  super- 
stitions. The  prophet,  as  conceived  by  the  Writer,  becomes 
thus  a  bulwark  against  the  encroachments  of  heathenism. 
The  other  Codes  have  nothing  on  the  subject  of  the  prophet ; 
but  they  contain  laws  which  are  parallel  in  part  to  the  pro- 
hibitions of  v.io''-,  viz.  (in  JE)  Ex.  22i''(^s)  the  sorceress,  (in  H) 
Lev.  18-^  2o2-5  Molech-worship,  i<^^  observation  of  omens  and 
soothsaying,  ig^i  20^-  27  consultation  of  ghosts  and  familiar 
spirits.  Here  the  enumeration  is  fuller,  and  seems  designed 
to  be  practically  exhaustive,  not  less  than  nine  superstitious 
usages  being  separately  specified.  How  prevalent  these 
practices  were  in  Israel,  especially  during  the  period  of  the 
Kings,  will  be  apparent  from  the  passages  referred  to  in  the 
notes.  A  law  prohibiting  them  in  detail,  and  at  the  same  time 
placing  the  prophet  in  his  true  position  in  regard  to  them, 
would  be  in  entire  harmony  with  the  scope  of  the  Deuteronomic 
legislation. — 9.    W/ten  thou  art  cot)ie  into  the  land^    <2r"c.]  as 


2  22  DEUTERONOMY 

17^'.  —  Tlie  aboiiima/i'oiis  of  those  nations\  cf.  12^^.- — 10.  The 
eiuiineration  of  forbidden  practices  follows,  (i)  There  shall 
not  be  fauna  in  thee  (17^)  anyone  that  niakcth  his  son  or  his 
daiii^liter  to  pass  through  tJie  fire\  viz.  to  Molech.  The  allusions 
in  the  OT.  are  not  sufficient  to  show  distinctly  either  the 
nature,  or  the  object,  of  the  practice  referred  to ;  but  it  is 
mentioned  here,  as  the  context  indicates,  not  as  a  form  of 
idolatry,  but  specifically  as  a  superstition,  either  (Ewald) 
because  it  was  used  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  an  oracle,  or 
because  it  was  supposed — like  the  sacrifice  of  children  to 
Kronos,  resorted  to  by  the  Phoenicians  and  Carthaginians  at 
times  of  grave  national  danger  or  calamity  (Porphyry  ap. 
Euseb.  Pra^p.  Ev.  iv.  64.  4;  Diod.  Sic.  xx.  14) — to  possess 
extraordinary  efficacy  in  averting  calamity  (comp.  2  K.  3-^). 
The  practice  is  jDrohibited  in  emphatic  terms  in  II,  Lev.  18-^ 
20--''^;  it  is  alluded  to,  c.  i2''i,  as  a  climax  of  Canaanite 
enormity ;  and  mention  is  frequently  made  of  it  as  pre\alent, 
esp.  in  Judah,  from  the  time  of  Ahaz,  2  K.  16'^  (in  imitation  of 
the  Canaanites),  17^"  (in  Israel,  in  the  compiler's  summary  of 
the  history  of  the  N.  kingdom),  21''  (Manasseh :  cf.  Mic.  6") 
23I0  (put  down  by  Josiah),  Jer.  32'^  (cf.  7^1  19''  [omit  "for 
burnt-offerings  to  Ba'al,"  with  C  ;  Smith,  Rcl.  Sent.  p.  353]), 
Ez.  20^1  23^^  (cf.  i6-*^'-  Is.  57^).  The  standing  expression  used 
to  describe  it  is  "to  cause  to  pass  through  the  fire"  (i''3yn 
C*X3),  2  K.  16^  17I'''  21*'  23^0  Ez.  2o''^,  with  L"X3  omitted  Lev. 
i82i  Jer.  3235  Ez.  1621  2f^,  cf.  2020,  with  "to  Molech"  added 
Lev.  1.821  2  K.  2310  Jer.  32^5. 

It  must  have  been  mere  than  a  mere  ceremony  of  lustration,  or  conse 
oration  by  fire,  to  Molech,  for  the  word  "burn"  is  used  in  Jer.  7''^  19'',  cf. 
Dt.  la'*^;  on  the  other  hand,  the  view,  adopted  by  many  modern  writers, 
on  the  streng-th  of  the  term  "slain"  (Ez.  16-^  2^'-^,  cf.  Is.  57^  Ps.  io6^8j, 
that  the  victims  were  put  to  death  first,  and  burnt  upon  a  pyre  or  altar 
afterwards,  hardly  accounts  for  the  use  of  the  peculiar  and  characteristic 
expression  "to  cause  to  pass  through  the  fire."  It  would  be  in  better 
agreement  with  this  expression  to  suppose  that  the  rite  in  question  was 
a  kind  oi  ordeal,  in  which,  for  instance,  an  omen  was  derived  from  observ- 
ing whether  the  victim  passed  through  the  flames  unscathed  or  not,  or 
which  was  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  securing  good  fortune.  The  spot 
at  which  the  rite  was  principally  carried  on  was  the  "valley  (.>«',3)  of  the 
son  of  Hinnom,"  on  the  S.  side  of  Jerusalem  (2  K.  23"  Jer.  7"'  19''  32*^) : 


XVIII.   lo  223 

llic  horrible  associations  connected  witli  it  (cf.  (lie  allusion  in  Ts.  66'-')  g^ave 
rise  to  that  application  of  the  name  which  niccls  us  in  Ihe  nzn^n  of  the  later 
Jews,  the  yi-vva  of  the  NT. 

Tiie  name  JSlolech  (Lev.  18-'  20-"^  i  K.  11^  2  K.  23^"  Jer.  32""'t — always, 
except  I  K.  11^,  with  the  art.  tl.^En :  ffir  usu.  MaXa,'^)  is  properly  an  appellative 
(hence  the  art.,  as  in  Vi'^n)  meaning-  the  King.  Verj'  probably  it  ought  to 
be  vocalized  Mill:.  It  is  true,  the  name,  as  that  of  a  god,  has  not  hitherto 
been  found  in  Inscriptions ;  but  it  forms  part  of  many  proper  names, 
which,  wlien  transliterated  into  Greek  or  Latin  exhibit  this  form  {e.g.  jn'D^a, 
"Milk  has  gfiven,"=M/Xx/a^wv-oj,  CIS.  I.  i.  89;  see  more  fully  Baelhgen, 
Seni.  Rel.  p.  37).  It  is  thought  by  many  that  the  vowels  of  ^.^b  are 
intended  to  sug^gfcst  the  Heb.  word  n;^'3  shameful  thing  (Geiger,  Urschrift, 
p.  301;  ZATW.  1883,  p.  124;  Smith,  Rel.  Seiii.  353;  Baethgen,  I.e.  p. 
3S  )i. ;  Stade,  Gesch.  i.  610 ;  Konig-,  Einl.  85).  The  many  Phoenician 
names  compounded  with  jUilk  show  that  the  god  was  worshipped  par- 
ticularly by  the  Phoenicians,  both  in  their  mother-country  and  in  their 
colonies,  Cyprus,  Carthage,  &c.  (Baethgen,  pp.  37-40).  Cf.  the  similar 
worship  of  Adrammelech  and  "Anammelech  (2  K.  17"').  The  name  of  the 
'Anmionite  gfod  Milcom  (i  K.  n^'  '"^  a/.)  is  derived  from  the  same  root,  but 
the  form  is  different ;  and  the  two  deities  are  probably  not  to  be  identified  : 
at  Jerusalem  the)'  were  worshipped  at  different  spots  (2  K.  23''*  ^')  ;  and 
1  K.  II''  17a  (without  the  art. ;  see  above)  is  probably  a  mere  clerical  error 
for  crS;:;  [G  -rZ  (iaaiXii  avTZv  —  c-^^r;,  as  v.^"] ;  cf.  v.^-''''.  See,  further,  W.  R. 
Smith,  Encycl.  Brit.^  s.v.  ;  Rcl.  Sent.  pp.  352-357,  375  f.  ;  PRE.^  s.v.  (with 
the  reff. ,  p.  177);  Stade,  Gesch.  i.  609!'.  ;  Baethg"en,  I.e.  pp.  15,  37-40,  84, 
237;  'MonteRore,  Hidde ft  Lectieres,  pp.  168-170. 

There  follow  //tree  terms  descriptive  of  various  methods  of 
divination,  /tvo  denoting-  different  forms  of  magic,  and  ^/irce 
relating  to  various  modes  of  consulting  the  world  of  spirits. 
On  the  terms  employed  see  especially  the  study  of  W.  R. 
Smith  on  "The  forms  of  divination  and  magic  in  Dt.  iS^'^-ii" 
in  the /P/i.  xiii.  273  ff.,  xiv.  ii3ff.  ;  and  on  analogous  super- 
stitions in  ancient  Arabia,  Wellhausen,  Reste  Arabischen 
Ilcidaitiimes,  pp.  135-153.  (2)  Or  one  that  obtaineth  oracles 
(□"CDp  CD'p)]  properly,  as  Arabic  shows,  the  term  means  to 
obtain  an  oracle  from  a  god  by  some  method  of  drawing  lots. 
In  Heb.  it  is  the  word  most  commonly  used  to  express  the  idea 
of  divining  in  general. 

In  Arabic  (Ges.  Thes.  s.v. ;  Smith,  _//%.  xiii.  273  ff. ;  Wellh.  Arab.  Heid. 
pp.  1 26-1 28,  167)  qasama,  to  divide,  distribute  (Gn.  32''  Saad.),  has  in  conj. 
X  (istaqsaiiin)  the  sense  oi  to  get  a  part  allotted  to  oiieself,  and  is  used  in 
particular  of  procuring-  a  divine  decision,  or  award,  by  drawing-  lots  at  a 
sanctuary,  with  headless  arrows  {^azldm,  Qor  5^) ;  the  arrows,  inscribed 
with  the  possible  alternatives  contemplated,  were  placed  in  a  quiver,  and 
whirled  about,  and  the  one  which  first  fell  out  was  supposed  to  express 


2  24  DEUTERONOMY 

the  decision  of  the  y;oi.\.  Tlic  heathen  Ar.ibs  often  resorted  to  this  mode 
of  divination  before  any  important  or  uncertain  undertaking-,  and  especially 
before  a  campaign.  In  the  OT.  an  extremely  similar  procedure  is  ascribed 
poetically  by  Ez.  to  Nebuchadnezzar,  who  is  represented  (2 1*''' •-"•))  as 
standing-  where  the  roads  to  Jerusalem  and  Rabbah  of  the  'Ammonites 
divergfc,  and  consulting  the  idol  (D'3"inn  '7.x:y)  by  shaking  the  arrows  to  and 
fro  (o'^nn  7p'yp),  for  the  purpose  of  detorniining  which  he  shall  attack  first : 
he  holds  in  his  right  hand  the  result  of  his  inquiry  c'^riT  crp.n,  "the  oracle 
'Jerusalem,'"  i.e.  the  arrow  marked  "Jerusalem."  The  passage  sup- 
ports the  conjecture  that  the  Teraphim  were  employed  in  this  form  of 
divination  :  the  two  are  also  mentioned  together  in  i  S.  15'''  Zech.  10-. 
Elsewhere  in  the  OT.  the  word  (verb  or  subst.)  occurs  v.'*  Nu.  22^  23'-^ 
(both  JE),  Jos.  1322  (P  :  of  Bala'am),  i  S.  6-  (among  the  Philistines),  28''  (of 
divination  3ix2 ;  see  below.  No.  7),  2  K.  17^^  Pr.  16'"  t:■:t^•oa  -Vd  ^rws>  ^v  cdj^ 
rs  Syo'  n'?  (i.e.  the  king's  decisions  have  the  character  and  value  of  a 
divine  oracle).  Is.  3-  Mic.  3"-7.n  jer.  14"  27^  29*  Ez.  \2^  ^^.i.'i.i'i  2i-'"-"-') 
22-"*  Is.  44"''t-  In  most  of  the  passages  from  the  prophets,  it  is  used  dis- 
paragingly of  the  oracles  given  by  "false"  prophets,  ffi  usu.  represents 
by  the  general  terms  fiitTi;,  (jt,a.iTi{i(>u.a.i,  f/.a.VTiia.,  fiavriToy, 

(3)  Or  a  soothsayer  (ip.iyp)]  this  species  of  divination  is 
alluded  to  besides  in  v.^^  Lev.  ig^'^  Jud.  9^7  (d''3:"ij;o  p^X  the 
"Soothsayers'  Terebinth"),  2  K.  21*'  =  2  Ch.  33*5  (practised  by 
Manasseh),  Is.  2^  (the  Philistines  noted  for  it),  Mic.  5^^  Jer.  27^ 
Is.  57^t.  The  etymology  is  obscure ;  and  the  precise  kind  of 
divination  intended  is  uncertain.  (4)  Or  one  that  ohservctk 
omens  ('^"f?^ -)]  Gn.  ^^-  ^^  (of  Joseph's  divination  with  the 
"cup,"  i.e.  probably  by  hydromancy,  or  watching'  the  play  of 
light  in  a  cup  of  liquid),  Lev.  19-'^  2  K.  lyi''  21^  (  =  2  Ch.  33"): 

10.  pii'o]  Ar.  ghariiia  is  to  emit  a  hoarse  nasal  sound;  whence  Smith 
supposes  that  pu'O  may  have  denoted  properly  the  fniirmurer,  or  hoarsely 
humming-  soothsayer :  "the  characteristic  utterance  of  the  Arabic  sooth- 
sayer is  the  monotonous  rhythmical  croon  called  saj",  properly  the  cooing 
of  a  dove  ;  and  a  low  murmur,  samsamah,  or  whisper,  waswasah,  is  simi- 
larly ascribed  to  the  Kahin,"  or  seer. — r~Jo]  the  meaning  hiss,  or  "whisper 
(Ges.)  for  vm  is  very  insufficiently  supported  :  more  prob.  (Bochart)  the 
word  is  a  denom.  from  rnj  serpent,  the  belief  being  a  widespread  one  in 
antiquity  that  the  power  of  divination,  or  of  understanding  the  prophetic 
speech  of  birds,  was  obtained  by  the  aid  of  serpents,  though  it  is  some 
objection  to  this  view  that  "while  ktij  to  divine  seems  to  be  common  to 
all  the  Sem.  languages,  rn:  serpent  is  peculiar  to  Hcb."  (Smith).  In  Arab, 
the  root  is  applied  in  a  bad  sense  (cf.  ominous):  naljisa,  to  be  inauspicious 
or  unlucky. — '•jtOD]  the  deriv.  is  uncertain.  One  meaning  of  Ar.  ^rt^o/i/ is 
to  cut  /  kisf  IS  a.  piece  or  fragment  {Qor.  17^^  52^^  «/.) ;  whence  Smith  con- 
jectures that  D'£3C3  may  have  denoted  primarily  the  "  herbs  or  other  drugs 
shredded  into  a  magic  brew." 


xvrii.  II  225 

the  verb  Is  also  used  in  the  derived  sense  of  take  or  observe  as 
an  omcti,  atigiir,  Gn.  30^7  i  K.  2o^3t.  The  cognate  subst.  t'n3 
occurs  Nu.  2323 ;  24^  (of  the  omens  which  Bala'am  sought  on 
the  hill  tops).  In  Syriac  the  word  means  divination  "from 
signs  that  consist  in  words,  or  actions,  or  the  cries  of  birds, 
or  fire,  or  atmospheric  changes,  or  rain,  or  the  [astrological] 
complexion  of  the  times,  and  the  like,  from  which  it  is  inferred 
that  one  thing  is  good  and  another  bad,  and  that  a  man  should 
push  on  or  desist  accordingly"  (Smith,  p.  X14;  PS.  col.  2340, 
2341).  Probably  the  Heb.  term  denoted  similarly  all  those 
species  of  divination  from  natural  omens,  of  which  the  most 
familiar  example  is  divination  by  the  flight  of  birds  (otwvos, 
otojvt^o/xai ;  aiigiiriiun,  auspichnn :  cf.  Ar.  td ayyafa,  tatayyara, 
Wellh.  Arab.  Held.  i4Sf.). 

We  pass  now  from  methods  of  divination  to  those  of  magic 
or  sorcery.  (5)  Or  a  sorcerer  (^t^'3'p)]  this  species  of  magic  is 
mentioned  Ex.  7^^  (in  Egypt),  22^''  (the  sorceress  \{^n\.\  not  to 
be  permitted  to  live),  Mai.  3^  2  Ch.  33^  Dan.  2"\ :  D''St5'Zi 
sorcerers  are  named  Jer.  27^!  ;  the  subst.  Q'?*^'?  2  K.  9^2  Mic. 
5I1  ("And  I  will  cut  off  sorceries  out  of  thy  hand  "),  Nah.  3*  (in 
Nineveh),  Is.  47^-  ^^  (in  Babylon)!.  Mic.  5^^  appears  to  show 
that  D''DC'3  were  something  material,  such  as  drugs,  herbs, 
spells,  &c.,  used  superstitiously  for  the  purpose  of  producing 
magical  effects  (ffi  usually  <pdpfiaKa).  ^l^J'^p  will  mean  accord- 
ingly e7ic/ia7iter  or  sorcerer. — 11.  (6)  Or  a  c/iarmer  {"^^^^  "'?'^)]  so 
Ps.  58"  (Q2TO  D^nan  lain)  in  parallelism  with  C)'L''n^?p  ■whisperers, 
i.e.  serpent-charmers :  D''"]^D)  also  (by  the  side  of  D''Dr3),  Is. 
479-12  ^of  Babylon)!.  The  expression  may  signify  properly 
one  who  ties  magic  knots.,  or  binds  by  a  spell  (cf.  K-aTaoeco),  or 
(Smith)  one  who  coitiposes  spells  or  incantations.  (7)  and  (8) 
Or  one  that  consiilteth  a  ghost  or  a  familiar  spirit  (3iK  PNb' 
•"aii'TI)]  the  3iS  (pi.  nux)  is  mentioned  besides  in  Lev.  igsi* 
20*^*--'*  I  S.  283"- 5*  (put  down  by  Saul),''  (niN  rhv^  nC'X  "a 
woman  commanding  ghosts  "),8  Is.  8'"*  19^*  (in  Egypt),  29* 
2  K.  21*^*  =  2  Ch.  33<^*  (Q'JiyT'l  2"lX  nL"yi,  of  Manasseh,  "and 
instituted  ghosts  and  familiar  spirits,"  i.e.  persons  professing 
to  deal  with  them),  23^4*  (put  down  by  Josiah),  i  Ch.  lo^sf  ;  the 
"•3^%  always  by  the  side  of  the  aiN,  in  the  passages  marked  *. 
15 


2  26  DEUTERONOMY 

From  Lev.  20^^  ("a  man  or  a  woman,  when  there  is  tn  them  an  oh  or  a 
yidde'oni")  it  appears  that  an  ob  was  considered  to  declare  itself  in  the 
body  of  the  person  who  had  to  do  with  it :  Is.  29^  shows  further  that  the 
oracles  of  an  Ob  were  uttered  in  a  twitterintj-  voice,  which  seemed  to  rise 
from  the  _ti:round  :  the  narrative  of  the  witch  of 'Endor  shows  (i  S.  28''''-^^) 
that  those  who  followed  the  art  professed  the  power  of  calling-  up  from  the 
underworld  the  t<'hosts  of  the  dead.  S  renders  by  zakkiiro,  i.e.  a  ghost, 
spoaking^  ostensibly  either  from  the  underworld,  or  from  the  stomach  of  the 
soothsayer  (sec  PS.  col.  1122;  Nold.  ZDMG.  1874,  p.  667).  G  nearly 
always  represents  3ix  by  £j'7a(rT^/^t/('oi  =  ventriloquists.  This  rendering'  no 
doubt  contains  the  true  explanation  of  the  operation  of  the  :ik  :  the  rh^i 
31X  "  pretends  to  see  a  ghost  which  she  describes,  but  her  dupes  only  hear 
a  voice  which  by  ventriloquism  seems  to  come  from  the  ground."  The 
aix  may  be  fairly  represented  by  the  English  ghost.  In  what  respect  the 
yidde'oni  differed  from  the  ob  is  uncertain.  The  word  is  usually  understood 
to  sig^nify  knoiver  (i.e.  ivise  spirit:  Ewald,  vielwisserisch) ;  but  W.  R.  Smith 
suggests  the  meaning  acquaintance.  Whether  this  etymology  be  accepted 
or  not,  the  yidde'oni  may  be  not  unreasonably  understood  of  a  "  familiar" 
spirit,  i.e.  a  spirit  which  is  at  the  beck  and  call  of  a  particular  person 
(cf.  Acts  16"'),  and  imparts  to  him  of  its  superior  knowledge.  By  the 
Arabs  such  a  spirit  is  called  ra'iyy,  the  "jinn"  who  sho7i>s  himsel/to  a  sooth- 
sayer, guiding  him  in  the  practice  of  his  art,  his  companion  and  attendant. 

There  is  thus  a  distinction  between  the  aix  and  the  "'j"ij;T» : 
those  who  divine  by  the  former  profess  (i  S.  28^1)  to  call  up 
any  gfhost ;  those  who  divine  by  the  latter  consult  only  the 
particular  spirit  which  is  their  "familiar."  (The  AV.  of  "'Jli'T' 
"wizard"  appears  to  be  incorrect:  see  Lev,  20^7,  quoted 
above.  Here  ob  and  j'tddeofu  a.ve  both  the  objects  of  "  con- 
sulteth,"  as  in  Is.  8^^  of  "inquire  of.")  (9)  Or  one  that 
inqnireth  of  the  dead  {^''^^^  ?^?  ^'"i"^)]  **to  inquire  of  the  dead" 
is  in  Is.  8^^  either  synonymous  with,  or  at  least  includes,  the 
consultation  of  nnx  and  n''3i,^^  Whether  any  particular 
method  of  necromancy  is  denoted  by  it,  is  doubtful :  more 
probably  it  is  a  comprehensive  term,  intended  to  bring-  within 
the  terms  of  the  prohibition  whatever  other  forms  of  the  same 
superstition,  not  already  mentioned,  were  in  vogue :  for 
instance,  the  practice  of  "incubation,''  or  passing-  the  night  in 
tombs  (cf.  Is.  65'*),  or  the  establishment,  at  particular  spots, 
of  oracles  of  the  dead  [veKvofj-avrela). — 12.  An  abomination  unto 
JchovaIi\  on  7-^. — Because  of  these  abominations  is  Jehovah 
dispossessing  {/^^^  g-^),  6^c.]  cf.  Lev.  iS^*"'"-  20^^,  where,  however, 
the  "abominations,"  on  account  of  which  the  Canaanites  are 


XVIII.   12-15  2  27 

expelled,  are,  all  but  entirely,  various  forms  of  immorality, 
not,  as  here,  superstitious  practices. — 13-14.  Israel's  duty,  on 
the  contrary,  is  to  be  blameless  and  without  reproach  in  its 
converse  with  its  God  :  it  is  not  to  adopt  practices  which  are 
heathenish  in  their  tendency,  and  which  would  be  a  blemish 
upon  the  character  which  Jehovah  demands  of  it. — 13.  Thoti 
shall  be  perfect  with  Jehovah  thy  God]  perfect  (2'''?^),  as  Gn. 
17^  Ps.  i8-'^(-^)  al.,  implying-  without  blemish  (comp.  the 
physical  application  of  the  same  word,  noticed  on  17I),  dis- 
figured by  no  imperfection  or  unsoundness.  The  idea  ex- 
pressed by  D'Dn  is  not  quite  the  same  as  that  of  C!7t^'  (i  K.  8''^ 
11^  al.),  though  this  is  represented  in  AV.  RV.  by  the  same 
English  equivalent :  Wl^Vi  denotes  a  person  without  moral 
blemish,  qS"'  (always  in  this  connexion  used  with  reference  to 
the  heart)  implies  one  whose  heart  is  devoted  "voholly  to  a 
single  object. —  With  (Dy)]  i.e.  in  dealing  or  in  co7iverse  with, 
almost  towards:  comp.  Ps.  iS^-^C-^^)  (i?^y  D>fDn  HTiXl) -''''•  ^^^'-^ ;  so 
with  Q^K'  I  K.  8"!  11^  &c. — 14.  Possess]  12^. — But  as  for  thee,  not 
so  hath  Jehovah  thy  God  granted  xinto  thee]  i.e.  such  practices 
are  not  in  accordance  with  His  appointment,  or  intention,  so 
far  as  Israel  is  concerned. — 15-18.  Israel  is  to  be  provided,  as 
occasion  may  arise,  with  a  prophet,  who  will  act  on  God's 
behalf,  and  communicate  to  them,  so  far  as  may  be  needful. 
His  will. — 15.  A  prophet  will  Jehovah  thy  God  raise  itp  vnfo 
thee]  viz.  as  occasion  may  demand  (cf.  Jud.  2^^- 1^),  the  sing, 
denoting  Moses'  representative  for  the  time  being.  The  con- 
text shows  that  no  single,  or  particular,  prophet  can  be 
intended :  it  was  a  constantly  recurring  need  which  prompted 
the  heathen  to  resort  to  diviners  for  the  purpose  of  unlocking 
the  secrets  of  the  future ;  and  as  the  prophet  is  to  supply  the 
place  of  such  diviners  in  Israel,  it  must  be  a  similarly  recurring 
need  which  (so  far  as  Jehovah  permits  it)  he  is  designed  to 
satisfy.  It  follows  that  the  reference  here  is  to  a  permanent 
institution,  not  to  a  particular  individual  prophet  (see  p.  229). 
— Fro7n  the  midst  of  thee,  from  thy  brethren]  in  contrast  to  the 
diviners,  who  were  often  of  foreign  origin  (comp.  v.^*  Nu. 
22-^^-  Is.  2^).  Sam.  (5  read  "from  the  midst  of  thy  brethren" 
(TTIK  3ipa),  as  v. ^8. — Like  tinto  me]  the  context  limits  the  sense 


228  DEUTERONOMY 

in  which  this  expression  is  intended.  It  is  not  that  the 
promised  prophet  is  to  be  "like"  Moses  in  every  respect,  or 
in  other  words  to  be  equal  with  him  :  he  is  to  be  Hke  him,  as 
y_  16-18  show,  in  \\\^fact  of  being-  Jehovah's  representative  with 
the  people,  but  not  necessarily  in  being  His  representative  in 
the  same  degree  in  which  Moses  was  :  as  Keil  points  out,  the 
terms  of  his  commission  in  v.^^  ("I  will  put  my  words  in  his 
mouth,"  &c.)  do  not  express  the  special  form  of  revelation 
which,  according-  to  Nu.  \2^-^  Dt.  34^0,  distinguished  Moses 
from  other  prophets,  but  only  the  form  which  was  common  to 
prophets  generally  (Jer.  i'^-^:  cf.  on  v.^^). — To  him  shall  ye 
hearkeii\  unlike  the  nations  of  Canaan,  who  (v.^^)  "hearkened  " 
to  soothsayers  and  oracle-mongers. — 16-18.  In  appointing  the 
prophet  as  the  authorized  exponent  of  His  will,  Jehovah  is  but 
responding  to  the  people's  own  request,  preferred  by  them  at 
Horeb  (520-2S  (23.31)). _7y;^  day  of  the  assembly]  9^0  10^.— I  will  110 
more  hear,  ^c]  cf.  52if.(24f.).  Not  '' let  vie  not  hear"  (RV.), 
which  would  require  ^^. — 17.  They  have  well  said  that  which 
they  have  spokeii\  as  525(28)^ — the  first  part  of  Jehovah's  answer 
being  here  omitted. — 18.  The  answer  in  528(31)  jg  worded 
differently,  the  commission  being  limited  to  Moses  himself: 
the  two  declarations  are  not,  however,  contradictory,  but 
mutually  supplement  each  other ;  there  it  is  Moses  who  is  to 
speak  on  God's  behalf,  here  it  is  Moses'  representative  in 
the  future. — And  I  will  put  (Tin:"!)  my  words  in  his  moutJi] 
Jer.  i^  5^^  (comp.  232Sf-  Ez.  3*- lof-  &c.) :  more  commonly  with 
D^b',  Nu.  2238  235.12. 16  (of  Balaam);  Is.  51I6  5921  (both  of 
Israel,  under  its  ideal  character,  as  the  organ  of  divine  revela- 
tion) ;  comp.  also,  for  the  idiom,  Ex.  4^5  2  S.  \a^-  ^^  Ezr.  S^''. 
The  idea  is  of  course  not  substantially  different  from  that 
expressed  by  such  phrases  as  ''^^'^'^^  D^^J,  "Thus  saith  Jehovah," 
"The  word  of  Jehovah  came  unto  .  .  .,"  so  frequent  in  the 
writings  of  the  canonical  prophets. — And  he  shall  speak  unto 
them  all  that  I  shall  command  ]iin{\  comp.  Ex.  72  Jer.  i^- 1^. 

The  exclusively  Messianic  reference  of  v."-^^  adopted  by  many  of  the 
older  expositors  (cf.  Acts  3~'-7"'^),  is  inconsistent  with  the  context;  and 
has  been  deservedly  abandoned  by  the  great  majority  of  modem  com- 

16.  Di"D]  iqI*.— 17.  nai  ib'k  la'o'n]  s^*:  cf.  Gn.  44*  nn'cv  icn  cniyvi,  Jer.  38*. 


XVIII.   I6-20  229 

mentators  and  theologfians  (including',  for  instance,  Heng'st.  Chrisiology,  i. 
ii2flF.,  Keil,  Espin,  Oehler,  OT.  Thcol.  §  i6i,  Orelli,  OT.  Proph.  p.  132 f., 
Kijniif,  Offenb.  des  AT.s,  ii.  131).  The  promised  prophet  is  to  meet  a  con- 
ti?iuous  and  permanent  need  of  the  people,  after  they  are  settled  in  Canaan 
(v.^) :  he  is  to  supersede  the  necessity  either  of  God's  addressing-  Israel 
directly  Himself  (v.^*'"^'^),  or  of  Israel's  having  recourse,  like  their  neigh- 
bours, to  the  arts  of  divination  (v.'*'-);  and  a  criterion  is  even  added 
enabling  the  Israelite  to  distinguish  the  true  prophet  from  the  false  (v."^'-). 
The  argument  of  the  passage  shows  that  the  "prophet"  contemplated  is 
not  a  single  individual,  belonging-  to  a  distant  future,  but  Moses  repre- 
sentative for  the  time  being,  whose  office  it  would  be  to  supply  Israel, 
whenever  in  its  history  occasion  should  arise,  Avith  needful  guidance  and 
advice  :  in  other  words,  that  the  reference  is  not  to  an  individual  prophet, 
but  to  a  prophetical  order.  The  existence  of  such  an  order  in  Israel,  form- 
ing a  permanent  channel  of  revelation,  was,  of  course,  a  signal  mark  of 
distinction  between  Israel  and  other  nations  of  antiquity.  At  the  same 
time  the  terms  of  the  description  are  such  that  it  may  be  reasonably 
understood  as  iiicluding  a  reference  to  the  ideal  prophet,  Who  should  be 
"like"  Moses  in  a  pre-eminent  degree,  in  Whom  the  line  of  individual 
prophets  should  culminate,  and  Who  should  exhibit  the  characteristics  of 
the  prophet  in  their  fullest  perfection  (so  Hengst.,  Keil,  Espin,  «/.). 

19-20.  The  office  of  the  prophet,  as  Jehovah's  representative, 

is  a  high  one,  which  claims  obedience  on  the  part  of  those 

who  hear  him,  but  which,  if  abused  or  exercised  wrong-fully, 

entails  a  strict  retribution  upon  the  offender. — Hearken  unto 

my  'words\  Jer.  29^^  35^^- — I  (emph.)  "will  require  it  of  hi7ii\  i.e. 

I  will  exact  punishment  of  him  for  it  (see  below). — 20.   The 

prophet  who  shall  act  presiimptuotisly  (17^^)  in  speaking  a  word 

in  mv  na7ne,  (even)  that  which  I  have  not  commanded  him  to 

speaU\  the  sin  of  **  speaking  falsely  in  Jehovah's  name"  may 

be  readily  illustrated  from  the  book  of  Jeremiah  :    e.g.  Jer. 

I4I4-I5  23I6.  21-27.  30-33  279^-  H-16  ^'^Kh-Vl  sgSf.  21-32  3^19  .    gee  alsO   I  K. 

22iif-  23  E2.  12^*  13I-23  Lam.  2^*  (Jer.'s  phrase  in  this  connexion 
is  usually  ^PJ^  N2p,  Ez.'s  N]^  (inn)  HTn).  To  judge  from  the 
passages  quoted,  such  prophecies  were  mostly  prompted  by 
the  desire  for  popularity  (cf.  Is.  30^°  Mic.  tP-  3^1) :  the  prophets 
whom  Jer.  opposed  preached  "peace  when  there  was  no 
peace"  (6^"*^"^'),  they  led  the  people  on  to  false  tracks  by 
elating  them  with  vain  hopes  of  affluence,  freedom  from 
invasion,  a  speedy  return  from  exile,  &c. — Or  who  shall  speak  in 

19.  1C"0  vna]  will  require,  or  exact,  it  of  him  (23--):  herewith  the  collat. 
idea  of  punishing;  so  with  'd  i!a  Gn.  9'*  Ez.  33"  34I". — 20.  nx  'Dcn  nai  nin'r 
'ai  nsyx]  render  as  above.     The  indef.  nan  is  at  once  more  closely  defined 


230  DEbTERONOMY 

I  he  name  of  other  gods\  two  classes  of  false  prophets  are  thus 
distingfuished,  those  who  falsely  (and  deliberately,  not  through 
self-deception)  claim  to  speak  in  Jehovah's  name,  and  those 
who  claim  to  speak  in  the  name  of  "  other  g^ods  "  :  both  agree 
in  that  they  affirm  a  divine  origin  for  the  imaginations  of  their 
own  heart. — 21-22.  The  prophet  who  comes  forward  in  the 
name  of  other  gods  is  condemned  ipso  facto  (cf.  13'H^)):  for 
distinguishing  the  false  from  the  true  prophet  of  Jehovah,  a 
criterion  is  given  ;  the  prediction  which  does  not  come  to 
pass  has  not  Jehovah  for  its  author. — 21.  Andif  thou  say  in 
thy  hearty  IIo7v  (ro'N*)  .  .  .  ?]  7^". — 22.  If  the  thing  follo-w  not, 
nor  come  to  pass\  the  cases  contemplated  are  therefore  such  as 
belong  to  the  near  future,  the  failure,  or  accomplishment,  of 
which  can  be  ascertained  without  material  difficulty  or  delay. 
Cf.  Jer.  28^.  —  Tlion  shalt  not  stand  in  awe  (i^")  of  hini\  in 
strong  contrast  to  the  attitude  demanded  in  presence  of  the 
true  prophet  (v.^^).  There  is  no  occasion  either  to  regard 
him  with  deference,  or  to  shrink  from  pronouncing  sentence 
against  him  (v. 20). 

The  statement  of  the  crheria  for  distinguishing-  true  and  false  prophecy, 
contained  in  these  verses,  is  manifestly  incomplete.  The  case  of  the  fulfil- 
ment of  a  prediction  uttered  in  the  interest  of  "  other  gods  "  has,  it  is  true, 
been  dealt  with  previously  (13"'- (-'•') ;  but  the  case  of  the  fulfilment  of  a 
prediction  alleged  falsely  to  have  been  uttered  in  the  name  of  Jehovah  is 
not  noticed.  Nor  is  any  consideration  given  to  the  still  more  important 
case,  which  nevertheless,  as  Jeremiah  expressly  teaches  (18''^"),  is  liable 
to  occur,  of  the  non-fulfilment  of  a  prediction  uttered  truly  in  Jehovah's 
name,  in  consequence  of  a  moral  change  in  the  character  of  those  to  whom 
it  is  addressed,  or  even  as  the  result  of  an  effectual  intercession,  addressed 
to  Jehovah  on  their  behalf  (comp.  Jer.  26^^ ;  also  Ex.  32"  Am.  5'^  7^-^  Joel 
2^1.13  Jonah  3^'-).  Probabl}',  however,  the  occurrence  of  cases  such  as 
these  would  be  otherwise  made  apparent.  The  law  contemplates  a  case 
both  more  likely  to  occur  and  more  difiicult  to  detect.  Cf.  Scluiltz,  OT. 
Tlieol.  \.  257-263. 

XIX.,  XXI.  1-9.  Criminal  Lazu. 
XIX.  1-13.  The  Cities  of  Refug-e.     In  Canaan  three  cities 
are  to  be  set  apart  as  a  refuge  for  any  one  who  has  killed  his 

by  the  definite  obj.,  with  tin:  Gn.  26'^  Jud.  3'^  (T.nx  n.x  i":;'ia  c-'^  ''  cp'i)  i  K. 
ijU.19  ,5:11  i5_  76  8'-&c. — Nin.i  .N'3jn  nm]  the  sentence  is  formulated  exactly  as 
I7'2. — 22.  Iw'n]  either  "when"  (Ges.),  as  Jos.  4'-'  {Lex.  "i-n  8dj;  or  "that 
which  .  .     "  (Dillm.) 


x\in.  21— XIX.  5  231 

neighbour  accidentally,  and  three  more,  if  Israel's  border  be 
extended  to  the  full  limits  promised. — The  law  is  the  expansion, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  accommodation  to  a  hiter  historical 
situation,  of  the  briefer  law  contained  in  the  "Book  of  the 
Covenant,"  Ex.  21^2-14^  There  it  is  said  that  Jehovah  will 
appoint  an  asylum  for  him  who  has  slain  a  man  by  accident, 
but  that  the  wilful  murderer  is  to  be  taken  from  His  altar  that 
he  may  die.  From  the  context  it  appears  to  follow  that  the 
asylum  of  v.^^  is  the  altar  of  v.^"*  (in  agreement  with  i  K.  i^'^ 
2-^) ;  but  in  Dt.  fixed  cities  are  appointed  for  the  purpose,  and 
regulations  for  their  use  are  laid  down.  P  has  a  law  on  the 
same  subject,  Nu.  35^"^*,  the  provisions  of  which,  while  con- 
sidei'ably  fuller  and  more  minute  than  those  in  Dt.,  and 
differing  remarkably  in  expression,  agree  (so  far  as  they 
cover  common  ground)  in  substance.  The  technical  term 
"Cities  of  Refuge"  (t2^i?'P  "'^i'),  used  in  Numbers,  is  not  found 
in  Dt.  The  actual  appointment  of  the  Cities  of  Refuge  is 
ascribed  by  P  to  Joshua  (Jos.  20),  though  according  to  the 
present  text  of  Dt.  the  three  trans-Jordanic  cities  had  been 
appointed  by  Moses,  4'*i-^3  ^^f.  p.  78). — 1.  W/ie?i  Jehovah  thy 
God  ciitteth  off  the  nations\  verbatim  as  12^^^. — And  thou  pos- 
sessest  them,  &c.\  cf.  12^90;  also  G^o^-. — 2.  Sepa7'ate\  4'*^. — Three 
cities\  see  Jos.  20'''  (P). — 3.  Thou  shalt  prepare  thee  the  w«i'] 
in  order,  namely,  that  the  cities  may  be  safely  and  rapidly 
reached  from  all  parts  of  the  land. — Divide  .  .  .  into  three 
parts]  so  that  each  city  may  form  the  centre  of  a  correspond- 
ing district. — 4-6.  The  circumstances  under  which  the  cities 
thus  appointed  may  be  applied  for  the  benefit  of  the  man- 
slayer. — 4.  Unawares  (riV"]  v33)]  lit.  without  knowledge :  so 
4^2  Jos.  20^-  ^  (D2) ;  not  so  elsewhere.  In  the  law  of  P,  the 
idea  is  expressed  by  a  different  word,  viz.  i^^^J^'^  lit,  in  error, 
i.e.  inadvertently  (RV.  unwittingly),  Nu.  35^1-  ^^  Jos.  20=*-  ^  (the 
technical  expression  used  regularly  by  P,  as  Lev.  4--  22  Nu. 
jg24.  26-29  al.^. — And  he  hated  him  not  in  time pasi\  cf.  Nu.  35^^'^ 
— 5.  The  case  of  accidental  homicide  illustrated  by  an  example 
(cf.  Nu.  35--'^). — And  whoso goeth]  "as  when  one  goeth  "  is  a 
probable  emendation,  but  the  text  cannot  be  so  rendered : 
XIX.  4.  .  .  .  nai  niij  15-. — 1^  KJcy  n"?  Nini]  on  4'*2. 


232  DEUTERONOMY 

see  below. — Fetchcth  a  sfro/cc]  a  very  idiomatic  rendering  of 
nn'Hi  (lit.  is  driven,  impelled)',  cf.  the  active  "impel"  in  20'^ 
(AV.  zoicld). — And  live]  ace.  to  the  Deut.  insertion  {L.O.T. 
p.  105)  in  Jos.  20  (v.'*'')  he  is  to  state  his  case  at  the  gate  of 
the  city  to  its  elders,  who  are  then  formally  to  receive  him  into 
it. — 6.  Lesi  the  avenger  of  blood  pursue  the  nianslayer,  while 
his  heart  is  hot]  i.e.  lest  the  nearest  kinsman  of  the  person  who 
has  been  killed  (in  whom,  according  to  ancient  usage,  was 
vested  the  right,  and  the  duty,  of  av'enging  his  blood)  pursue 
the  manslayer,  while  his  feelings  are  aroused  (cf.  Ps.  39'')  and 
he  is  not  sufficiently  calm  to  reflect  that  it  was  an  accident. 
The  "avenger  of  blood"  (2"nn  ?J^a)  is  named  also  2  S.  14^^ 
(cf.  •'•  7)  Nu.  S5^^'^^  Jos.  20^-  5-  9.  psa,  as  said  above  (on  78),  is 
to  enforce  a  claim :  blood  shed  wrongfully  calls  for  justice 
(Gn.  4^°);  and  the  Din  7S5  is  the  one  who  enforces  this  claim 
upon  the  murderer,  and  so  vindicates  the  rights  of  the 
murdered  man,  i.e.  he  is  the  "avenger  of  blood." — 8-10.  If 
Israel's  territory  be  enlarged  to  the  ideal  limits  promised  (i'' 
ii^sf),  three  additional  cities  are  to  be  set  apart  for  the  same 
purpose. — 8.  Enlarge  thy  border,  ^c]  1220. — As  he  sware, 
^c]  cf.  Ex.  2331  34^'*. — All  the  land  which  he  promised,  &c.] 
see  on  jVend  ("to  the  Euphrates"). — 9.  The  condition  of  this 
expansion  of  Israel's  territory,  viz.  Israel's  devotion  to  the 
service  of  its  God.  Comp.  1 122-24^  The  first  part  of  the  verse, 
introduced  by  ^3,  enunciates  a  condition  subordinate  to  v.^: 
then  thou  shall  add  is  the  apodosis  to  And  if  (D5??'!),  v.^.  See 
phil.  note  on  1220. — To  love]  6^. — To  walk  in  his  ways]  8*^'. — 
10.  That  innocent  blood  be  not  shed,  &c.]  as  it  would  be,  if  a 
man,  not  guilty  of  deliberate  murder,  were  slain  by  the  avenger 
of  blood.  "Innocent  blood,"  as  21^  27^^  Jer.  7^  al.:  comp. 
4''-5.  "  He  that  smitcth  .  .  .,  and  he  that  goeth  .  .  .,  he  shall  flee,"  &c. 
But  prob.  n;:'N3  as  ivhen  should  be  read  for  n:;'Ni  and  he  that  in  v.^  ;  for  v.^ 
seems  clearly  intended  not  to  annex  a  fresh  case,  but  to  illustrate  v.^''. — 
5.  'Ji  nmji  .  .  .  xr  n:;w]  Gn.  24i^--»'&c.  (Dr.  §  115,  s.v.  nr.><). — 6.  "xnn  nar  'd] 
cf.  14-^ — C'i33  inani]  Ht.  "and  smite  him  as  regards  (the)  soul"  {i.e.  the  life  : 
on  12-^)  :  so  v.^*  Gn.  37-^  Jer.  40^'*^*  (paraphrased  in  A.V.  "take  his  (thy) 
life");  cf.  Dt.  222«  r33  insm  (G-K.  §  117.  5d)._mo  ce:^^  j'n  -h^]  lit.  "and  he 
hi\d  no  case  of  death,"  i.e.  he  was  guilty  of  no  capital  oft'ence  :  so  Jer. 
26"*  ^^  Cf.  Dt.  2i--lit.  "when  there  is  in  a  man  a  sin,  a  case  of  death 
{i.e.  a  capital  crime)." — 10.  n'ni .  .  .  ID;;"  n'^i]  as  7'-". — 11.  !?Nn]  4'*-. 


XIX.  6-12  233 

v.''^. — Is  giving  tlicCy  Cr'c.\  4-^. — And  blood  he  vpon  thee\ 
cf.  2  S.  21^  (reading,  with  (5,  **  upon  Saul  and  upon  his  house 
there  is  blood  [2'0"l  nh^3  bwSI] ") ;  also  2  S.  i6s  Hos.  1215. 

The  meaning-  of  these  verses  will  depend  upon  the  view  taken  of  4'^''^^ 
jf^^4i-43  ^y^g  placed  where  it  now  stands  by  the  author  of  Dt.,  the  three 
trans-Jordanic  Cities  of  Refuge  will  be  presupposed  here  ;  and,  v.-"''  refer- 
ring to  the  three  cities  in  Canaan,  v.^'^°  will  contemplate  three  others 
(making  nirie  in  all),  to  be  added  in  case  Israel's  territory  reach  the  limits 
promised  in  x'  1 1'^'-.  If,  on  the  contrary,  4*1-''*  is  a  subsequent  insertion  in 
Dt.,  and  the  appointment  of  the  three  trans-Jordanic  cities  by  Moses  is 
antedated  (cf.  p.  78),  then  only  six  cities  in  all  will  be  contemplated  by  D, 
three  in  Canaan  v.-''',  and  three  on  the  E.  of  Jordan  v.^'^**  (Wellh.  Comp. 
207 ;  Benzinger,  Heb.  Arch.  337).  The  terms  of  v."  favour  the  first  of 
these  alternatives  ;  at  the  same  time  it  is  remarkable,  if  it  be  correct,  that 
no  allusion  is  made,  even  in  v."'',  to  the  three  cities  E.  of  Jordan,  already 
(according  to  Dt.  a^^^"^"^)  appointed. 

11-13.  But  the  privilege  of  asylum  is  not  to  be  extended  to 
the  murderer,  who,  if  he  flees  to  one  of  these  cities,  is  to  be 
delivered  up,  without  compunction,  to  justice.  Comp.  Ex. 
21I*;  and  more  fully  (P)  Nu.  35^'''"2i  (where  different  cases  of 
intentional  homicide  are  illustrated). — 11.  Rise  up  against  hini\ 
Gn.  48.— 12.  The  elders  of  his  cilj']  cf.  ai^-^.e.iof.  22^5-18  25-9; 
and  in  D^  Jos.  20^. 

The  "elders"  figure  in  almost  every  period  of  Israelitish  history. 
Thus  they  appear  sometimes  as  the  official  representatives  of  the  people 
generally,  acting  on  their  behalf  on  important  occasions,  accompanying  or 
conferring  with  Moses,  Joshua,  or  the  king,  &c.  {e.g.  Ex.  316.18423  24!-"; 
Dt.  5-" (-3)  2f  299(^0)  3iii.28  Jos.  f  24I  I  S.  4-'  8^  2  S.  3^'^  53  I  K.  8^-^  20''-) ; 
sometimes  as  the  leading  inhabitants  or  representatives  of  a  particular 
district  or  city,  as  Jud.  8"  (Succoth),  ii^-n  (Gile'ad),  i  S.  ii^  (Jabesh),  16^ 
(Bethlehem),  30-5  and  2  S.  igi-l")  (Judah),  i  K.  2i«-"  (Jezreel),  2  K.  lo^-s 
(Samaria),  who  constitute  the  local  authority,  by  whom,  for  instance,  a 
royal  commission  is  executed,  or  public  business  affecting  the  locality  is 
transacted.  In  Dt.  they  are  represented  as  exercising-  judicial  functions 
(cf.  on  16'^),  especially  in  the  trial  of  capital  charges,  and  cases  affecting 
the  rights  of  the  family:  comp.  Ru.  4:^-*-^  i  K.  21^-"  Ezr.  10*.  Is.  3--" 
gU(i5)  j^isQ  illustrate  their  official  status,  and  the  duties  expected  of  them. 

And  deliver  him,  &c.]  the  avenger  of  blood  is  specified  in 
Nu.  35^^"^^  as  the  person  authorized  to  put  the  murderer  to 
death  :  but  the  particular  case  of  the  murderer,  after  he  has 
fled  to  a  city  of  refuge,  being  fetched  thence  and  delivered  up  to 
him  by  the  elders  of  his  own  city,  is  not  there  contemplated. 


234  DEUTERONOMY 

13.  Thine  eye  shall  not  pity  ]iin{\  7^''. — Thou  shall  exterminate 
(13'K''))  innocent  blood  Jrom  Israel]  blood  innocently  shed,  so 
long  as  it  is  unavenged,  is  a  stain  upon  a  land  (Nu.  2S^'^)  >  ^Y 
the  death  of  the  murderer  the  stain  is  removed  (cf.  21''). — And 
it  shall  be  well  for  thee  (l!)  310l)]  5'"^  (^^>. 

In  many  countries  a  money-compensation  (a  ^rain?,  or  tuergUd)  is  accepted 
by  the  relatives  of  a  murdered  man,  as  a  satisfaction  for  his  life  (see  e.g. 
Horn.  II.  i8^'*°'- ;  Tac.  Germ,  21  ;  among  the  Saxons,  Freeman,  Compar. 
Politics,  275-278).  But  in  Hebrew  law  no  such  compromise  is  permitted  : 
murder  can  be  atoned  for  only  by  the  blood  of  the  murderer  (Ex.  21^-  in 
JE;  Lev.  24"  in  H  ;  Dt.  ig'^"";  Gn.  9^'-  Nu.  35^'-="  in  P):  an?3,  or  "ransom," 
is  permitted  only  in  the  case  of  a  man  being  killed  by  an  animal  (Ex.  21^). 

The  "avenger  of  blood"  figures  in  many  primitive  or  semi-primitive 
societies.  In  a  completely  civilized  society,  the  right  of  punishment  is 
assumed  by  the  State  :  for  the  revenge  that  might  be  inflicted  in  haste  or 
passion  (Dt.  19")  by  one  immediately  interested,  is  substituted  the  judg- 
ment of  a  cool  and  impartial  tribunal.  But  in  a  primitive  society  the  case 
is  different :  here  what  a  manslayer  has  to  fear  is  not  public  prosecution, 
but  the  personal  vengeance  of  the  relatives  of  the  slain  man  (comp.  in 
Arabia,  W.  R.  Smith,  Kinship,  pp.  22  f.,  53).  Hebrew  law  is  still  in  a 
relative!)'  primitive  stage  ;  the  Go  el,  and  not  the  State,  executes  justice  on 
the  murderer  (v.^-  2  S.  14^"";  Nu.  35^^"-^):  but  his  authority  is  limited; 
restrictions  are  placed  in  the  way  of  his  acting  hastily  or  in  passion  (v.^-  ^) ; 
according  to  Jos.  20'*'-  (D-)  the  manslayer  is  under  the  protection  of  the 
elders  of  the  city  of  refuge  ;  in  Nu.  35^'"  (P)  the  case  between  him  and  the 
avenger  of  blood  is  subject  to  the  decision  of  the  "  congregation  "  ;  and 
the  murderer  is  to  be  put  to  death  only  on  the  evidence  of  more  than  one 
witness  (Nu.  35^ :  comp.  the  general  rule  in  Dt.  19^^). — See  further,  in 
illustration  of  the  custom  of  blood-revenge,  A.  H.  Post,  Entwicklutigsgesch- 
ichte  des  Familienrechts,  pp.  113- 137. 

14.  The  landmark  of  a  neighbour  not  to  be  removed. — A 
species  of  encroachment  which,  to  judge  from  allusions  else- 
where, was  not  uncommon  in  ancient  Israel :  comp.  27^^  Hos. 
510  Pr.  2228  (^nus  vj'y  il"s  c^u'  ^nj  Jon  ^s),  23^0  (n^iy  h\ii  Jon  i's 
N3n  ^S  D'^Cin^  nc'3l),  Job  24-  (named  here,  as  in  Dt.  27^'^ — see 
V.18. 19 — by  the  side  of  other  acts  of  aggression  perpetrated 
upon  the  unprotected).  Among  other  nations,  also,  as  Knobel 
reminds  us,  boundaries  were  treated  as  inviolable :  among  the 
Greeks,  for  instance,  they  were  under  the  protection  of  Zeus 
opios  ;  Plato  {Lcgg.  viii.  842  E),  probably  repeating  an  older  law, 
ordains  /xt)  KtvctVo)  yijs  opia  /xy;8eis  /ji'/Te  oIkclov  ttoXltov  yctroros  fxrjre 
bfjLOTepfioi^o?,  K.T.X. ;  and  the  Romans  even  deemed  it  allowable 

13.  'p:n  c-i]  2  K.  24^  Jer.  22 '"f  :  see  Ew.  §  287^ ;  G-K.  §  128.  2  R\ 


XIX.   13-19  235 

to  slay  those  who  attempted  to  move  them  (Dion.  Hal.  ii.  74 ; 
Plutarch,  Numa  16),  and  celebrated  the  annual  festival  of  the 
Temiinalia  in  honour  of  the  god  Terminus  (Ovid,  Fasti,  ii. 
639  ff.). —  Which  they  of  old  time  have  set\  lit.  the  fo?'mer  ones 
(D^Jti'Xi),  i.e.  ancestors  (Lev.  26'^).  Holdings  of  land,  inherited 
by  the  poor  occupier  from  his  ancestors  (comp.  in  Pr.  22^8 
"thy  fathers"),  are  not  to  be  encroached  upon  by  a  wealthier 
neighbour.  The  law,  in  its  present  wording,  presupposes  the 
occupation  of  Canaan  by  the  Israelites,  the  D'':l"N"i  being  evi- 
dently not  the  Canaanite  predecessors  of  the  Israelites,  but 
the  Israelitish  ancestors  of  the  present  possessors. — In  the 
land,  (5r'c.]  the  usual  Deut.  formula  (i^o  12^). 

15-21.  The  law  of  witness.  No  person  is  to  be  judicially 
condemned  on  the  testimony  of  a  single  witness ;  and  a  mali- 
cious witness  is  to  be  punished  in  accordance  with  the  Lex 
talioijis. — 15.  At  the  mouth  of  two  witnesses,  &c.\  the  same 
precautionary  rule,  which  is  laid  down  in  17*^  and  Nu.  35'"  (P) 
in  the  case  of  capital  charges,  is  here  reaffirmed  as  a  general 
principle  in  the  administration  of  criminal  law. — Shall  a  ^natter 
he  established^  or  "a  word  be  confirmed,"  i.e.  (subjectively) 
be  treated  as  valid  (Nu.  3o5-*'-s). — 16-21.  When  a  malicious 
witness  accuses  a  person  wrongfully,  the  accuser  and  the 
accused  are  both  to  appear  before  the  central  tribunal  (17^)  ; 
and  the  witness,  if  his  dishonesty  be  clearly  proved,  is  to  be 
punished  with  the  same  penalty  which  his  testimony,  if  true, 
would  have  brought  upon  the  person  whom  he  accused. — 16. 
A  malicious  laitness^  lit.  a  witness  of  -violence  (D?pn  ny)^  i.e.  a 
witness  who  either  meditates  some  covert  violence  himself,  or 
who  assists  by  his  false  testimony  the  high-handed  wrong- 
doer :  so  Ex.  23I  Ps.  35^^. — To  testify  against  (5^'^)  him  of  de- 
fection^ viz.  from  law  and  right.  Elsewhere  the  term  ('"i"]!?) 
is  used  of  defection  from  God  in  a  religious  sense  (on  13'') ; 
but  here  it  appears  from  the  context  to  be  used  more  generally, 
as  perhaps  also  in  Is.  59^^. — 17-19.  Then  both  the  men  who  have 
the  dispute,  i.e.  the  witness  suspected  of  dishonesty  and  the 
person  whom  he  accuses,  shall  staiid  before  Jehovah  (12^),  before 
the  priests  and  the  judges  who  shall  be  in  those  days,  i.e.  shall 
17.  am  arh  ncx]  2  S.  is'--  •*. 


■J 


6  DEUTERONOMY 


appear  at  the  central  sanctuary,  before  the  supreme  tribunal 
there  constituted  (17^,  with  the  note) ;  and  the  judges,  sitting" 
there,  shall  inquire  diligently  (13^5(14)  1^4. 9j  jnto  the  question 
in  dispute  ;  and  if  the  result  of  the  inquiry  be  to  show  that  the 
witness  has  spoken  untruthfully,  then  shall  ye  do  unto  him  as 
he  had  purposed  {7.Q.c\\.  i^  Jer.  51^^)  to  do  tinto  his  brother,  viz. 
by  accusing-  him  falsely  upon  a  criminal  charg-e.  The  question 
is  treated  as  belonging"  to  the  class  of  more  difficult  cases, 
reserved  for  the  jurisdiction  of  the  central  tribunal  (see  on 
ly^f-). — So  shall  thou  exterminate  the  evil  from  thy  midst\  the 
same  concluding"  formula  as  in  other  similar  cases  (on  13**  (•')). 
— 20.  And  those  which  remain  shall  hear,  and  fear,  &fc.\ 
similarly  1312(11). — 21.  No  compunction  is  to  be  felt  in  execut- 
ing the  sentence. — Thine  eye  shall  not  pity]  v.^^  7^*^. — Life  (shall 
be  given)  for  hfe,  eye  for  eye,  &c.]  similarly  Ex.  2i2'*  (JE)  Lev. 
2^is.  20  ^ii'j .  but  each  time  for  a  different  offence :  in  Ex.  in 
the  special  case  of  men  fighting"  together,  and  injuring  in 
the  struggle  a  woman  with  child  ;  in  Lev.  quite  generally,  in 
the  case  of  a  man  doing  his  neighbour  some  bodily  harm. 
Life  is  lit.  soul:  see  on  1223. 

XX.   Three  Lazvs  designed  to  secure  Self-control  and 
Forbearance  in  the  Conduct  of  War. 

**  These  laws  are  peculiar  to  Dt. :  their  aim,  however,  is 
not  to  regulate  the  entire  conduct  of  war,  but  only  to  check 
the  barbarity  and  cruelty  with  which  it  was  carried  on  by 
many  ancient  nations,  especially  by  the  Assyrians,  to  bring  it, 
as  far  as  possible,  under  the  influence  of  the  higher  moral 
spirit  of  Israel's  religion,  and  to  secure  recognition  for  the 
claims  of  humanity  and  moderation  "  (Dillmann,  after  Ewald, 
Antiquities,  p.  314).  The  chap.,  where  it  stands,  separates 
c.  19  from  2 1 1-9  (both  of  which  deal  with  cases  connected  with 
murder),  while  it  is  itself,  on  the  other  hand,  cognate  with 
2 1 10-14.  Perhaps  its  original  place  was  after  21^,  where  it 
would  form  a  suitable  introduction  to  21^0-14  ^^ 

1-9.  The  spirit  of  trustful  confidence  in  presence  of  the  foe, 

18.  njm]  =  "and  if"  (13'^).— 21.  B's:a  rs:]  the  a  is  the  3 />/-£•/«  (14'-'):  Ex. 
2\^  Lev.  24^^' 2°  nnn  "instead  of"  is  used. 


XIX.   20— XX.  5  237 

and  of  regard  for  the  circumstances  and  interests  of  individual 
soldiers,  in  which  a  military  expedition  is  to  be  undertaken 
by  Israel. — 1-4.  The  Israelite  is  to  reflect,  and  to  be  reminded 
also  by  the  priest  accompanyingf  the  host,  that  Jehovah  is 
ever  beside  them,  as  their  champion  and  ally. — And  seesi  horses 
and  char iots\  which  were  always  formidable  to  the  Israelites, 
and  with  which,  in  particular,  the  Eg"yptians  and  Assyrians 
were  well  provided. —  Wlio  brought  thee  ttp,  <jr"c.]  and  thereby 
gave  evidence  of  His  power  to  help  thee :  comp.  7^''"^^,  and 
for  the  ptcp.  S^'*"^^. — 2.  That  the  priest  shall  approach,  &-'c.\  the 
priest,  viz.  who  is  in  attendance  upon  the  host,  for  the  purpose 
of  performing  the  necessary  sacred  functions. 

The  presence  of  a  priest  (or  priests)  with  the  army,  is  not  otherwise 
expressly  attested,  at  least  as  a  standing  custom  ;  but  it  may  be  inferred 
— though  some  of  the  instances  are,  it  is  true,  not  of  a  character  to  estab- 
lish a  rule — from  such  passages  as  i  S.  4'*  [omit  "there"  with  ffi],  ^^  14'^ 
2  S.  11^^  (the  ark  taken  into  the  field) ;  i  S.  7"'-  13^^-  (sacrifices  before  an 
engagement);  Nu.  10^  31^  (both  P)  2  Ch.  13^"-^'';  and  from  the  expres- 
sion to  consecrate  (b'TIP)  a  war  (or  warriors),  which  refers  apparently  to  the 
sacrifices  offered  at  the  opening  of  a  campaign  (Mic.  3^  Jer.  6^  22''  ^I'-^-ss 
Is.  13*  Joel  4^). 

3.  Hear,  O  Israel]  5^. — Let  not  your  heart  be  soft\  or  tender 
(^l.';) :  cf.  V.8  Is.  74  Jer.  51^^. — Nor  be  alarmed  (iTDnn  f'Xi)]  cf.  on 
16^. — Neither  be  affrighted  ("i^^-iyn  ^Xl)  i^^. — Is  he  that  goeth 
with  you,  to  fight  for  you,  &'cJ\  cf.  3^-. — 5-7.  Permission  is 
further  to  be  given  by  public  proclamation  through  the  host, 
for  those  who  have  engaged  recently  in  certain  important 
domestic  undertakings,  to  return  home,  and  enjoy  the  antici- 
pated satisfaction  or  pleasure  of  which  death  in  the  field  might 
otherwise  deprive  them.  These  provisions  are  a  remarkable 
illustration  of  the  sympathetic  regard  for  the  interests  and 
feelings  of  others,  which  characterizes  the  author  of  Dt. — 5. 
The  officers  (D''"it2D')]  i.e.  subordinate  military  officials  (i^^)  ;  it 
may  be  presumed  that  these  kept  the  register  of  those  who 
served  in  the  army ;  and  hence  it  would  naturally  be  their 
duty  to  know  who  had  received  authorized  leave  of  absence. — 
Who  is  the  man  that  hath  built  a  new  house,  and  not  dedicated 
it?  let  him  go  and  return,  &c.'\  the  dedication  of  the  temple 
XX.  1.  iSi'Dn]  on  8".— 2.  Dsan.i^?]  qdrobkMm  :  G-K.  §  61.  1  R.^ 


2  3^^  DEUTERONOMY 

(i  K.  8'''),  of  an  altar  (Nu.  7^0)^  and  of  an  Image  (Dan.  f-^), 
is  alluded  to  elsewhere,  but  not  the  dedication  of  an  ordinary 
private  house. — 6.  Not  used  the  fruit  thereof  ?  (i^?n)]  Ht.  not  pro- 
faned it  (the  vineyard),  treated  it  as  com^non  (so  28-'o  Jer.  31^), 
— the  first  produce  of  the  vines  being  reserved  as  sacred,  and 
not  used  by  the  owner:  comp.  Lev.  ig^^-zs. — 7,  Tliat  hath 
betrothed  a  wife.,  Qfc^  comp.  24^,  where  exemption  from 
military  service  is  granted  to  those  who  are  newly  married, 
for  the  space  of  a  year,  — 8.  The  faint-hearted  are  also  to  be 
allowed  to  return  home,  lest  their  presence  should  have  a 
demoralizing  effect  upon  the  other  soldiers. — Soft-hearted]  {^1 
33^:)]  cf.  2  Ch.  137:  above,  on  w.^—Melt]  i28._9.  Only  when 
this  proclamation  has  been  made,  and  the  numbers  of  those 
who  intend  to  remain  at  their  post  are  accurately  known,  is 
the  army  to  be  marshalled  in  divisions,  under  their  respective 
commanders. — That  they  shall  appoint  captains  of  hosts]  prob- 
ably the  captains  of  hundreds,  and  thousands,  often  mentioned 
elsewhere  (p.  18) :  but  the  expression  is  an  unusual  one  (cf. 
1  K.  2^,  I  Ch.  27^').  The  subject  of  "shall  appoint"  will 
hardly  be  "the  officers"  (Keil),  for  the  duty  of  appointing 
commanders  is  one  that  is  likely  to  have  been  entrusted  to  a 
more  responsible  authority :  more  probably,  the  subject  is 
indefinite,  Engl,  "they,"  Heb.  D''"ii^hn  (see  philol.  note  on  15-), 
i.e.  those  whose  business  it  was  to  appoint  them  (Dillm.). — 
For  an  example  of  this  law  being  acted  upon,  see  i  Mace.  3^". 
10-18.  In  attacking  a  hostile  city  (provided  it  be  not  one 
belonging  to  the  Canaanites),  a  formal  offer  of  peace  is  always 
to  be  first  made  to  it ;  and  it  is  to  be  treated  with  severity 
only  in  case  this  offer  be  declined. — 10.  T/wyi  p7-oclaim  peace 
to  it]  i.e.  invite  it  to  surrender  peaceably;  cf.  Jud.  2ii-\ — 11. 
Shall  be  for  forced  labour  unto  thee  {pfy?  1?  ^^i?^.),  and  shall  serve 
thee]  "tributary"  (RV.)  expresses  the  general  sense,  but  not 
the  special  ideas  associated  with  the  Heb.  mas,  which  implies 

8.  33"?  nx  de:  vh^\  constr,  as  12--.  (5  (">«  u-h  IuXio-mj^)  Sam.,  however, 
express  dd;  (cf.  i^^),  which  may  be  right. — 10.  ci'?:;'V  .tS.h  riN-npi]  lit.  "  call 
to  it  Ti'ifh  reference  to  peace";  cf.  for  the  *?  i  S.  17^^ — 11.  lil'n  ci^s'  cn] 
words  like  dn,  '3,  IvcV,  js,  &c.,  are  as  a  rule  followed  immediately  by  the 
verb :  c-hz/  is  here  prefixed  for  emphasis  ;  cf.  2  S.  17^^  i  K.  20'^  Ex.  21'*. — 
vn' .  .  .  n'ni]  on  12". 


XX.  6-17  239 

liability  to  forced  service,  or  task-work,  such  as  an  Eastern 
monarch  is  wont  to  exact  of  his  subjects  (cf.  Jos.  16'*'  i  K.  9^' 
[the  "forced  labour  of  one  doing;  service,"  cf.  "and  shall 
serve  thee  "  here] ;  and  on  2  S.  20^^). — 12-14.  But  if  the  offer 
of  peace  be  declined,  then  the  siege  is  to  be  proceeded  with ; 
and  if  the  city  be  captured,  all  the  male  population  may  be 
slain  with  the  sword,  the  women  and  children,  together  with 
the  cattle  and  spoil,  being-  reserved  as  a  prey  for  the  captors. 
Such  treatment  of  a  conquered  city,  measured  by  a  modern 
standard,  may  be  deemed  severe :  but  it  must  be  recollected 
(i)  that  it  is  only  ex  hypothesi  to  be  resorted  to,  after  the  offer 
of  more  favourable  terms  has  been  distinctly  made  and 
refused ;  and  (2)  that  it  is  lenient  as  compared  with  the 
barbarities  often  practised  in  ancient  warfare  upon  a  con- 
quered people ;  the  law  implies  no  sanction  or  excuse  for  such 
atrocities  as  are  alluded  to  in  Am.  i^- ^^  Hos.  14^  (iS^**)  2  K. 
8^2j  or  for  the  torture  of  prisoners,  and  other  cruelties, 
perpetrated,  as  their  own  monuments  declare,  by  the  Assyrians 
(comp.  Rawlinson,  Anc.  Monarchies,'^  i.  478  f.). — 14.  But  the 
laomen,  &c.\  the  women  and  children  are  to  be  spared  (con- 
trast v.i^  2^*  &c.),  the  case  not  being  one  for  the  application  of 
the  here7n  (on  7'^). — Take  for  a  prey  unto  thyself  {j?  ^bri)]  2°^ 
3'''. — Eat^  i.e.  enjoy,  use  for  thine  own  sustenance  and  profit. — 
15.  Of  these  nations^  i.e.  of  the  nations  of  Canaan. — 16-18.  But 
in  the  case  of  cities  belonging  to  the  Canaanites,  no  such  for- 
bearance is  to  be  exercised :  their  inhabitants,  in  accordance 
w^ith  the  provision  72-*,  are  to  be  all  put  to  the  sword,  lest 
they  should  lead  the  Israelites  into  immorality  and  irreligion. 
— Atight  that  breatheth']  lit.  any  breath  (noD'y?3) :  the  same 
expression  Jos.  lo^o  iiii-i4(D2)  i  K.  1529  (Deut.);  Ps.  1506!. 
From  Jos.  ii^^it  seems  that  only  human  beings  are  denoted 
by  it :  this  is  in  accordance  with  the  predominant  usage  of 
no*J'3,  which  is  applied  to  the  breath  of  life  in  man,  Gn.  2^ 
I  K.  1717  Is.  425  5710  Job  273  3414^  but  is  used  only  once  of 
animals,  Gn.  722. — 17.  Utterly  destroy]  lit,  devote :  see  on  72. — 
The  Ilittite,    &'c.\  on  72. — Commanded  thee]  72  :    comp.  Ex. 

12-13.  And  ivhen,  &c.\  so  AV.  RV.,  accommodating'  the  sentence  to 
Eng.  idiom :  cf.  on  S^^-i?^  and  Dr.  §  149. — miai]  16'*. — 15.  r\v\ . ,  ,^^  ncn]  17^^ 


240  DEUTERONOMY 

2231-33. — 18.    That   they   teach  yoii    not   to   do   after    all    their 
abo/ninations  .  .  .,  and  so  ye  sin^  ^T.]  cf.  7'*  i23i  iS^^, 

19-20.  The  fruit-trees  belonging  to  the  territory  of  a 
besieged  city  not  to  be  wantonly  destroyed  by  the  besieger. — 
A  common  practice  with  invading"  armies,  often,  for  example, 
mentioned  in  Greek  warfare  {K^i\)(.iv  or  re'/xjeii'  t/)v  y^i/,  &c.). 
In  2  K.  3^^-  25  the  Israehtes  invading  Moab,  at  Elisha's  in- 
stigation, "cut  down  every  good  tree."  "  In  Arabic  warfare 
the  destruction  of  an  enemy's  palm-groves  is  a  favourite 
exploit  [OT/C^  p.  369);  see  for  ancient  times  4  Esdr.  15^2^ 
Ibn  Hishfim,  ed.  Wiist.  p.  13,  1.  4,  'He  was  resolved  ...  to 
root  out  the  people  of  Medina,  and  cut  down  the  palm-trees,' 
and  for  recent  times  Palgrave,  Travels  i?i  Arabia,  chap,  v." 
(W.  R.  Smith,  MS.  note).  It  was  also  an  Assyrian  custom — 
at  least  after  the  capture  of  a  city — to  destroy  the  valuable 
trees  in  the  vicinity,  esp.  the  date-palms  (Rawlinson,  Atic. 
I\fon.^  i.  474,  475,  with  the  illustration). — 19.  For  is  the  tree  of 
the  field  man,  that  it  should  be  besieged  before  thee  (lit.  enter 
info  siege  from  before  thee)'^\  i.e.  that  it  should  be  subjected, 
like  the  walls  of  a  city,  to  the  assaults  of  a  besieger :  Israel's 
hostility,  namely,  may  be  directed  excusably  against  men, 
who  are  national  adversaries,  but  not  ag"ainst  trees  capable  of 
supplying"  it  with  sustenance.  The  rendering,  which  is  that 
of  all  the  ancient  versions,  and  nearly  all  modern  com- 
mentators, implies  the  alteration  of  a  point  ('^7^?  ^°''  ^I^t)  "^ 
the  Massoretic  vocalization,  which  here  yields  no  appropriate 
sense :  see  below.  Enter  into  siege,  as  2  K.  24^°  25^ :  cf.  Jer. 
iqI^;  Ez.  4^. — 20.  Biikvarks^  rather  siege-works,  the  same 
word  (li^'P)  which  is  rendered  "siege"  in  v.^^:  cf.  Ez.  42  Mic. 
4^^  Is.  29^. — Until  it  fall]  lit.  come  down  (28^2  js.  321^). 

18.  cnxam  .  .  .  jyo^]  as  7-^—19.  nu"?]  G-K.  §  114.  2  R.* — 'Ji  dtxh  'd]  can 
onl}'  be  rendered,  "man  is  the  tree  of  the  field,"  which  is  explained  to 
mean  "  man  consists  o/the  tree  of  the  field,"  i.e.  he  lives  on  it  (so  Ibn  'Ezra 
who  paraphrases  m;^•.^  ]'y  Nin  c^.><  ja  "n  '3,  whence  AV.  ;  Schultz,  who 
compares  24^  Ez.  12^°  [corrupt]  Eccl.  12''').  But  though  this  idiom  occurs 
in  Heb.  (Dr.  §  189.  2),  the  present  would  be  a  very  extreme  instance  of  it, 
and  the  rend,  leaves  the  clause  "WiCz  tjed  n:'?  unexplained,  ctn.t  for  ciNrt 
removes  all  difficulty. — 20.  "^d.s-d  ji]  Lev.  19'-'. — inx]  resuming  ]"J :  cf.  Ps. 
Io^^  and  on  13^— .T^'v  Kin  ^:;'^•]  as  Gen.  9^  Nu.  1/^^'^  {Lex.  «in  2c;  Dr. 
§  199  Obs.). 


XX.    iS— XXT.  a.  241 

XXI.  1-9.  Symbolical  ceremony  for  the  expiation  of  an 
untraced  murder. — If  a  man  be  found  murdered  in  the  open 
country,  and  there  be  no  indication  who  the  murderer  is,  the 
elders  of  the  city  which  is  nearest  to  the  spot  where  the  corpse 
was  found,  are  to  procure  a  heifer  which  has  never  been  used 
for  any  work,  to  take  it  to  a  running-  stream,  and  having-  there 
slain  it,  in  presence  of  the  priests,  to  wash  their  hands  over 
it,  at  the  same  time  solemnly  avowing  before  God  that  their 
city  is  guiltless  of  the  murder,  and  entreating  Him  to  forgive 
His  people  for  the  crime  that  has  been  committed  in  its  midst. 
The  law  is  peculiar  to  Dt.,  though  the  feeling  which  underlies 
it,  viz.  that  blood  innocently  shed  defiles  a  land  or  people, 
until  some  recognized  atonement  be  offered  for  it,  is  one 
which  is  often  expressed  elsewhere.  The  rite  prescribed  is  of 
an  archaic  character,  and  is  certainly  much  older  than  the  law 
of  Dt.  in  which  it  is  here  embodied. 

In  Arabia,  when  a  man  was  found  slain,  the  people  of  the  place  had  to 
swear  that  they  were  not  the  murderers  (Smith,  Kinship,  p.  263).  "In 
the  Kitah  al-Aghdni,  ix.  178,  I.  25  ff.,  the  responsibility  for  a  homicide  is 
thrown  on  the  nearest  homestead  {ddr).  This  is  part  of  the  arrangement 
made  by  'Amr  b.  Hind  as  arbiter  between  the  two  tribes  to  prevent  the 
recrudescence  of  war  between  Bakr  and  Taghlib.  Doubtless  in  the 
Hebrew  law  also  the  original  object  was  to  preclude  blood-feud  "  (W.  R, 
Smith,  MS.  note). 

1.  If  there  he  found\  17^  24". — Is  giving  thee  to  possess  it] 
19^^;  cf.  15^  25^''. — 2.  Thy  elders  and  thy  judges]  i.e.  those  of 
the  surrounding  cities  (cf.  on  19^^  i6i^). — 3-4.  The  city  which 
is  nearest  to  the  scene  of  the  murder  is  to  be  held  responsible 
for  the  due  performance  of  the  expiating  rite,  its  "elders" 
acting  naturally  on  its  behalf  (on  19^'^). — 3.  Which  hath  not  been 
wrotight  with,  &c.]  cf.  15^^  Nu.  192. — 4.  Unto  a  valley  (wady) 
with  ever-run?iing  water]  see  below. —  Which  is  neither  plowed 
nor  sown]  i.e.  is  an  uncultivated  spot. — And  sJiall  break  the 
heifer  s  neck  there]  the  heifer,  in  this  rite,  is  manifestly  designed 

XXI.  1.  jni:  xS]  a  circ.  cl.  =  "«/  not  being  known"  (Dr.  §  162). — 3.  n'm 
'31  t;':i]  construe  as  12'^  (where  see  note). — na  135;  nh  ib-n]  "wherewith  it 
hath  not  been  -worked" — an  impers.  passive,  as  v.^  ("wherein  it  is  not 
tilled"),  Is.  14^  "the  hard  labour  in  Tjy  •wa  wherewith  (cogn.  accus.) 
it Tvas  li'orked  w'lih.  thee";  cf.  16'"  53'''  Nu.  16-"  (on  2  S.  17'"). — i.  in'N  "jm]  i& 
(papay^  Tfa^tia.,  Aq.  (see  Field,  ad  loc.)  x^'f^'-^fps  aTipi'm,  Onq.  t;3  7n^  (un- 
cultivated), hence  S  nt2  (do.),  U  asperain  atque  saxosam,  AV.  rough.  The 
16 


242  DEaTERONOMY 

as  a  substitute  for  the  unknown  murderer,  and  bears  the 
penalty  which  oug-ht  properly  to  be  his.  It  is  not  regarded  as 
a  proper  sin-ofFering,  and  accordins^-ly  it  is  not  slaughtered 
with  any  special  ritual  (Lev.  4i"-)>  but  merely  put  to  death  by 
having  its  neck  broken  (Ex.  13^''  34^0  Is.  66'^) :  at  the  same  time, 
the  fact  that  the  animal  is  to  be  a  young  one,  which  has 
not  been  used  for  any  profane  purpose,  show^s  that  a  certain 
sanctity  is  conceived  to  attach  to  it,  and,  as  Dillm.  observes, 
that  it  possesses  to  some  extent  the  character  of  a  sin-offering 
(comp.  Nu.  192).  And  it  is  to  be  slaughtered  by  an  ever- 
flowing  stream,  in  an  uncultivated  spot,  in  order  doubtless 
that  the  blood  may  be  carried  away  by  the  torrent,  and  that 
any  which  falls  upon  the  earth  may  sink  into  it,  without  the 
risk  of  being  uncovered  at  some  future  time  when  the  soil  is 
disturbed  by  the  plough. — 5.  The  priests  the  sons  of  Levi]  31^: 
usually  "the  priests  the  Levites "  (18^).  The  priests  here 
meant  may  possibly  be  those  of  the  central  sanctuary :  but 
more  probably,  by  an  inexactness  of  language  (p.  219),  the 
members  of  the  priestly  tribe  resident  in  the  locality  (18'^) :  cf. 
Baudissin,  Priesterthum,  82,  84. — F'or  them,  &c.]  cf.  10^  18^. 
—  A?id  according-  to  their  sentence  (lit.  moiitJi)  shall  every 
dispute  and  every  stroke  he\  i.e.   they  are  to  have  a  voice  in 

word  is  one  of  those  of  which  the  true  meaning'  was  lost  by  the  Jews  ;  and 
it  was  according-ly  represented  both  by  the  ancient  versions  and  by  the 
mediaeval  Jewish  commentators,  Rashi,  Ibn  'Ezra,  Qimchi,  &c.  (whence 
AV.)  by  conjectural  renderings,  more  or  less  agreeable  with  the  context, 
such  as  strong,  mighty,  hard,  rough  (comp.  the  AV.  of  Gen.  49-'*  Ex.  14^ 
Nu.  24-'  Jer.  5^^  Ps.  74^*  Pr.  13'^).  As  soon,  however,  as  Arabic  beg-an  to 
be  studied  systematically,  and  compared  with  Hebrew,  the  real  meanings 
ofin'Nat  once  revealed  itself;  Schultens,  in  his  Origines  Hehrcece  (1724), 
i.  8,  pointed  out  that  the  root  must  be  the  Arabic  -a'atana,  to  be  constant, 
tinfailing,  esp.  of  water  ;  hence  jn'N  Vnj  Am.  5^  a  perennial,  or  ever-floiving 
torrent  (wady),  here  of  a  torrent-valley  (see  on  2^'),  the  stream  in  which 
flowed  continuously.  In  Ex.  14'-'^  Ps.  74"' jn'x  is  construed  as  a  subst.  = 
"continuous  flow"  :  elsewhere  it  is  used  fig.  to  denote  permanent,  endur- 
ing, sure,  as  Gen.  49-*  of  a  bow,  Nu.  24^'  (a  dwelling),  Jer.  5^'  (a  nation, 
whose  numbers  never  dwindle  or  fail),  Job  12^^  (of  men  firmly  seated,  or 
established,  in  a  position  of  dignity),  &c.  The  opposite  of  jn'X  is  Dj^x  Jer. 
15'*.  In  form,  the  word  is  an  "elative,"  i.e.  it  has  an  intensive  force,  the 
corresponding  formation  in  Arabic  denoting  the  comparative  or  superlative 
degrees  of  an  adjective  ;  in  Hebrew  it  fell  out  of  use,  except  in  a  few 
instances,  as  3I2N,  jji^x,  tj3X,  jop'X  (Ew.  §  162'';  Stade,  §§  255,  256''). 


XXL  5-8  243 

every  legfal  decision  of  importance  (cf.  ly^-i").  Here  the 
presence  of  the  priests  appears  to  be  required,  not  for  the 
purpose  of  taking"  part  personally  in  the  ceremony  (which  is 
performed  throug"hout  by  the  "elders"  of  the  city  concerned), 
but  rather  for  the  purpose  of  imparting"  to  it  a  relig'ious  char- 
acter, and  of  securing  that  the  prescribed  rites  are  properly 
performed. — 6.  And  all  the  elders  of  that  city  .  .  .  shall  wash 
their  hands  over  the  heifer,  &c.\  thereby  expressing"  symbolic- 
ally that  the  city  which  they  represent  is  innocent  of  the 
crime  (Mt.  27-^ :  cf.  Ps.  26''  73^^),  and  transferring"  the  g-uilt 
of  it  to  the  animal  representing"  the  murderer.- — 7.  Answer 
(ijy)]  in  a  liturg"ical  sense  (27^'*- 1^). — Neither  have  our  eyes  seen 
it\  i.e.  nor  have  we  any  knowledg"e  who  is  the  murderer. — 8. 
Clear  (IS?)  thy  people\  the  root-idea  of  kapper  is  either  (from 
the  Arab.)  to  cover  (see  Wellh.  Comp.  335  f.),  or  (from  the 
Syr.)  to  wipe  off  (see  OTfC.^  438 f.,  (more  briefly)  2  381  ;  cf. 
nriD  blot  out  Is.  43-^  44"^)> — in  either  case,  the  g"eneral  sense 
being"  that  of  obliterating-  or  cancelling  sin,  or  (in  the  rare 
cases  where  the  obj.  is  a  person)  clearing  the  sinner.  In  the 
OT.  generally  the  subj.  is  God,  as  32"*^  Jer.  iS^^  Ez.  i6*5^  (with 
f),  as  here),  Ps.  65-^  78-^8  ^^9.  cf.  the  pass,  v.sb  i  S.  s^^  Is.  & 
22^^  Pr.  16'':  in  P  the  subj.  is  always  the  priest,  the  verb  being 
used  absolutely  in  the  sense  oi perform  an  obliterating  (atoning') 
rite.  See  further  Wellh.  l.c.\  and  on  Lev.  i"*. —  Which  thou 
hast  ransomed  (7'')]  the  appeal  is  grounded  on  the  gracious 
relation  subsisting  between  Jehovah  and  His  people,  which 
was  sealed  by  their  deliverance  from  Egypt. — Set  not  innocent 
blood  in  the  mid'-t  of  thy  people^  let  it  not  remain,  infecting  and 
incriminating  thy  people  (cf.  with  hv  iOJ  to  lay  upon,  Jer.  2G^ 

7.  nDSET  «•?]  the  Kt.  is  na?^,  the  fern.  sing,  with  the  plural  (or  dual)  iri' 
understood  (as  in  Arab.)  collectively,  as  i  S.  4^^  Ps.  i8-''  37''^  al.  (Ew.  §  317'' ; 
G-K.  §  145'*).  The  Qre  ('3?^')  substitutes  the  more  ordinary  construction, 
as  it  does  in  Jer.  2''  22*'  Ps.  73-''.  The  correction  is,  however,  unneces- 
sary ;  for  the  cases  in  which  the  verb  is  in  the  impf.  (as  Ps.  37^^)  are 
sufficiently  numerous  to  show  that  the  construction  is  gfcnuincly  Hebrew. 
(Aram,  and  Eth.  have  a  3  pi.  fern,  in  a  :  hence  Peters,  Hebraica,  1887,  p. 
Ill,  1889,  p.  190 f.,  supposes  these  forms  to  be  isolated  examples  of  the 
same  form  in  Heb. ;  see,  however,  Nold.  ZDMG.  1884,  p.  411.). — 8.  "153;] 
a  Nithpael  form,  with  double  reflexive  prefix,  very  common  in  post-bibl. 
Hebrew  (Strack  u.   Siegfried,  Lehrb.   der  Neuhebr,   Sprache,   §  91",   e.g. 


2  44  DEUTERONOMY 

Jon.  i^*).  The  community,  as  a  whole,  is  responsible  for  the 
crime  committed  in  its  midst,  until  the  murderer  has  been 
broui^ht  to  justice  (Nu.  35-'''),  or,  if  this  is  impossible,  until 
some  expiation  has  been  ofTcrcd,  and  accepted,  for  his  offence. 
— 9.  And  tJiou  (emph.)  slialt  exterminate  the  innocent  blood 
from  thy  midst\  thus  shall  Israel  perform  the  duty  of  clearing- 
itself  from  the  stain  of  murder  (comp.  19^^). —  When  thoii  sJialt 
do  that  which  is  right  (6^^)  in  the  eyes  of  Jehova1i\  in  obeying' 
Jehovah's  behest,  Israel  will  clear  itself  of  the  guilt  resting- 
upon  it. 

XXI.  lO-XXV.  Miscellaneous  Laws,  relating  chiefly  to 
Civil  and  Domestic  Life. 

The  section  beginning  here  is  marked  by  several  peculi- 
arities of  terminology,  which  are  to  be  accounted  for,  probably, 
by  the  fact  that  the  laws  contained  in  it  (which  are  often  more 
concisely  worded  than  in  the  previous  chapters)  are  taken  more 
directly,  and  with  less  modification  of  form  than  in  other  cases, 
from  older  sources. 

10-14.  On  marriage  with  a  female  captive  taken  in  war. 
— An  Israelite  is  at  liberty  to  bring  home  with  him  a  female 
captive,  but  he  may  not  formally  treat  her  as  his  wife  until  he 
has  allowed  her  a  month  in  which  to  mourn  for  her  lost 
parents.  He  may  afterwards,  if  he  ceases  to  care  for  her, 
permit  her  to  leave  him,  but -he  must  not  sell  her  into  slavery. 
The  law  (which  is  peculiar  to  Dt.)  inculcates  thoughtfulness 
and  forbearance  under  circumstances  in  which  the  Israelitish 
warrior,  elated  by  victory,  might  readily  deem  himself  at 
liberty  to  act  as  he  pleased.  It  is  connected  by  its  subject- 
matter  with  c.  20;  and  perhaps  (as  remarked  on  21^)  was 
once  immediately  preceded  by  c.  20.  The  case  contemplated 
is  manifestly  that  of  warfare  with  foreign  nations,  after  Israel 
is  settled  in  Palestine  (v.^*'  "  when  ihoxx  goest  forth  "  &c.),  not 
with  the  nations  of  Canaan,  with  whom  no  intermarriages  are 
to   be  contracted   (72). — 10.    When  thou  goest  forth   to  battle 

?o^i5rii,  5S?><^;),  though  the  only  other  example  in  the  OT.  is  Ez.  23'*^  ns?? 
(G-K.  j!  55";  Stade,  §  leg*").  The  constr.  with  h,  as  Is.  22"  (Pu'a!).— 10. 
TD'in]  perh.   "originally  I^^IK,  in  agreement  with  ijn:  and  S-zc :  5028^" 


XXI.  9-14  245 

against  thiyie  eneniics\  exactly  as  20^. — And  Jehovah  ihv  Goa 
dclivcrc/h  him  into  thy  Jiand\  as  20''' ;  cf.  on  32, — 11.  Hast  a 
desire  unto  her  {n2  npK'ni)]  7"  lo^^;  as  here,  Gn.  34^, — 12.  She 
shall  shave  her  head,  a7id  pare  lier  nails\  a  symbolical  expres- 
sion of  the  fact  that  her  forsaken  condition  is  at  an  end,  that 
she  has  found  a  husband  who  will  care  for  her,  and  that  she 
is  about  to  begin  life  again  under  new  auspices,  in  close 
relationship  with  the  people  of  God. 

In  ancient  Arabia,  a  widow  passed  the  year  after  her  husband's  death 
in  seclusion,  without  washing-  or  otherwise  attending  to  her  person :  and 
she  would  terminate  her  period  of  mourning-  by  some  formal  act,  such  as 
paring  her  7iails,  or  plucking-  out  the  hair  from  her  face  (Lane,  Arab.  Lex. 
p.  2409'' ;  Wellh.  Arab.  Held.  156  ;  Smith,  Kinship,  178  ;  OTJC'^  368).  The 
present  injunction  is  based  probably  on  such  a  custom,  though,  as  the 
woman  is  not  represented  as  being-  actually  a  widow,  she  may  lay  aside 
the  marks  and  (v.^*)  the  garb  of  her  forlorn  state,  as  soon  as  her  prospects 
of  a  husband  and  of  a  home  are  assured. 

*'  Pare  "  is  lit.  make  (ri'cy),  i.e.  shape  aright,  dress',  cf.  of  the 
beard,  2  S.  19^^. — 13.  The  raiment  of  her  captivity^  her  captive's 
g-arb  (Is.  324), — A7id  shall  remain  in  thine  house  (Gn.  38'^),  and 
bewail  her  father  and  her  mother  for  a  montii  of  days\  cf.  the 
month's  mourning  of  Nu.  20^9  Dt.  34^  (for  Aaron  and  Moses). 
The  object  of  the  provision  is  evidently  (Keil,  Dillm.)  to  give 
her  time  to  become  reconciled  to  her  separation  from  her 
parents  (Ps.  45^^  (^°)),  and  her  own  people,  and  to  accustom 
herself  to  her  new  surroundings,  into  which  she  has  been 
brought  against  her  will. — 14.  Let  her  go  whither  she  will]  lit. 
according  to  her  soul  (or  desire :  2^^^) ;  see  Jer.  34^*^. — Thou 
shall  not  sell  her  for  jjiofiey]  the  restriction  is  in  virtual  agree- 
ment with  the  provision  laid  down  in  Ex.  21^  (JE)  for  the  case 

(Di.) ;  cf.  however  on7i''. — V2-^  n"3t^•^]  cf.  Nu.  21- Jud.  5'-  Ps.  68'^. — 11.  .tsb' 
32'»2  2  Ch.  28''.— nxn  ns-  ma]  for  the  st.  c.  nca,  cf.  i  S.  28^  Ps.  58"  (before  a 
rel.  clause),  and  the  common  phrase  .  .  .  na  n'jina.  nrx,  not  less  than  na', 
is  determined  by  iNn  (cf.  i  S.  16^^) ;  but  the  gen.  which  determines  it  is 
deferred,  or  held  in  suspense,  by  the  introduction  of  the  parallel  ns'.  Comp. 
Ew.  §  289'=;  G-K.  §  130^—13.  n'Vi'a  .  .  .  nrom]  cf.  Gn.  38'^- 1»  i  S.  17"".— 
D'D'  ht]  so  2  K.  15'^-h  D'D'  enn  Gn.  29"  Nu.  ii'"-2if.  d'D'  is  prob.  not  a 
genit.,  but  in  appos.  with  nr :  cf.  D'D'  D'njB'  (Dr.  §  192.  i ;  G-K.  §  131.  2  c). 
— 14.  .13  -icvnn  t(h]  cf.  24'^  njoi  13  lEi-nnit.  The  meaning  is  uncertain.  Arab. 
ghamura  is  to  be  copious  or  abundant,  of  water,  ghamara  is  to  rise  above 
(of  water),  to  submerge,  fig.  to  surpass,  ^.vc^/ (in  stature,  dignity,  &c.) ;  conj. 
iii.  ghamara  to  plunge  into  a  fight,  attack  in  conflict,  ghavirah  is  a  sub- 


246  DEUTERONOMY 

of  a  man,  who  has  taken  his  female  bond-servant  to  wife,  and 
desires  afterwards  to  part  with  her. — Thou  shall  nol  play  the 
master  over  her]  on  "loynn  (24'^t),  see  below. — Because  thou  hast 
humbled  her  {nn''3y)]  n3y  of  dishonouring'  a  woman,  as  222*-  29 
Gn.  342  2  S.  13^2  al.  (of.  below). 

15-17.  The  rights  of  the  firstborn. — The  firstborn  son  is 
not  to  be  disinherited,  or  deprived  of  his  legitimate  share  ot 
his  father's  property,  in  the  interests  of  the  son  of  a  favourite 
wife  :  he  is  to  receive  a  share  twice  as  large  as  any  of  his 
brothers.  Peculiar  to  Dt.  The  law  is  designed  to  guard  against 
the  case  which,  it  is  evident,  might  readily  arise,  of  a  man's 
abusing  his  paternal  prerogative  through  the  influence  of  a 
favourite  wife. — 15.  If  a  viau  have  two  wives,  the  one  beloved 
and  the  other  hate d\  as  happened,  for  example,  in  the  case  of 
Jacob  (Gn.  2<^'^-^^'.  cf.  i  S.  i^). — 16.  In  the  duy  that  he  causeth^ 
&c.]  a  certain  testamentary  power  was  thus  possessed  by  the 
ancient  Israelite  (cf.  Gn.  24^*^  25-^ ;  2  S.  17^^  2  K.  20^) ;  but  it  was 
limited  by  custom  and  law  (cf.  Nowack,^n:/i«o/.  §  64). — 17.  But 
he  shall  acknowledge  (''^?!)  the  firstborti]  properly,  recognise  him 
(Gn.  42^),  viz.  as  being  what  he  is,  and  possessing  rights  above 
his  brethren. — By  giving  him  a  share  of  two  in  all  that  he  hath\ 
lit.  "fl  mouth  of  two  "  (i2^3C'  ""S).  The  same  idiomatic  expression 
recurs  2  K.  2^  ("let  a  share  of  two  in  thy  spirit  fall  to  me,"  i.e.  a 
share  twice  as  large  as  any  of  thy  other  disciples  ;  may  I  rank 
as  the  firstborn  among  them),  Zech.  13^. — The  beginning  of  his 
strength^  the  first-fruits  of  his  virile  powers :  so  Gn.  49^  (of 
Reuben),  cf.  Ps.  78^1  105^^. — The  right  of  the  firstborn  is  his\ 
merging  flood.  In  so  far  as  the  meaning'  in  Heb.  may  be  at  all  inferred 
from  these  data,  the  reflex,  conj.  would  have  some  such  fig.  sense  as  deal 
despotically,  play  the  master  (cf.  Cr  24^  x.a.TohvMaaTivira.;')  :  Ges.  irruit  in  ali- 
qiiem,  manum  ei  admovit  violentius.  RV.  paraphrases. — ".rx  nnn]  22^ 
28^"-''-  «/. ;  cf.  '3  nnn  4''^. — nn'iij,']  Arab,  'and  {'ana^')  is  to  be  submissi-'c, 
obedient  (Qor.  20^^"),  esp.  by  becoming  a  captive,  iv.  to  mahe  or  treat  as  a 
captive  {see  esp.  Rahlfs,  ':j;  inid  Mil  in  den  Psalnten,  1892,  p.  67fF.).  ni]l 
hi  Heb.  means  analogously  to  treat  as  a  subject  or  depetident,  with  the 
acquired  idea  of  treating  irresponsibly,  to  maltreat,  to  humble,  by  depriving 
of  independence,  or  liberty,  or  recognized  rights:  cf.  Gn.  16*  (1|  "to  do 
what  is  right  in  one's  own  eyes:  so  Jud.  19-^),  Gn.  31'"' Jud.  i6'''-*-^''',  ||  to 
serve  or  to  enslave  Gn.  15'^  Ex.  i^'-is  (cf.  v.");  of  a  woman,  specially  to 
treat  'ivith  disregard  of  her  womanly  rights,  to  dishonour, — 16.  h2V  N?]  7-^. 
— 'JB  ^v]  in  front  of =■  in  preference  to  :  cf.  Ex.  20''. 


XXI.  I5-20  247 

the  position  and  privileges  of  the  firstborn  were  highly  v.ilued 
(cf.  Gen.  25^1-  34  27^"^).  The  present  law  does  not  institute  the 
right  of  the  firstborn,  but  invests  with  its  sanction  an  estab- 
lished usage,  and  guards  it  against  arbitrary  curtailment. 

18-21.  The  incorrigible  son. — A  son  .who  persistently  refuses 
to  obey  his  parents,  is  to  be  arraigned  by  them  publicly  before 
the  elders  of  his  city,  and  stoned  to  death.  This  particular 
law  is  peculiar  to  Dt.  ;  but  respect  towards  parents  is  incul- 
cated in  the  Decalogue  :  death  is  prescribed  in  the  Book  of  the 
Covenant  (Ex.  21^^)  as  the  penalty  for  smiting,  as  also,  both 
in  the  same  Code  [ib.  v.^")  and  in  H  (Lev.  20^),  for  cursing, 
father  or  mother:  in  Dt.  271*^  he  that  "setteth  light  by  his 
father  or  his  mother  "  is  pronounced  accursed. — Stubborn  and 
rebellious  (nniD^  i^iD)]  Jer.  52^  Ps.  yS^—C/msleji  (^d:)]  8^  Pr. 
19^^  29^^:  here,  probably,  including  bodily  correction  (22^*^: 
cf.  on  4^*5 ;  and  see  Pr.  132^  22^^  22^'-'^-  29^^). — 19.  And  sliallbruig 
liini  fortJi\  17^  2221-  24^ — Unto  the  elders  of  the  city\  whose 
duty  it  was  to  take  cognizance  of  offences  against  social  and 
family  right:  see  on  i9^2_ — Aiid unto  the  gate  of  his  place\  in 
which  the  elders  sat,  and  where  the  law  was  administered  : 
comp.  22'^^  25'''  Ruth  41-2-11,  The  "gate" — more  properly  the 
gateway,  with  a  depth  corresponding  to  the  thickness  of  the 
wall  in  which  it  was  constructed,  having  a  gate  at  the  inner 
and  outer  ends  (hence  "between  the  two  gates,"  2  S.  iS^*), 
and  doubtless  seats  along  each  side — is  thus  the  Oriental 
forum ;  and  it  is  often  alluded  to  as  the  place  in  which  the 
administration  of  justice  was  carried  on,  e.g.  Am.  ^'^^-  ^2-  is  jg^ 
29-1  Job  3121  Ps.  1275.  Cf.  Thomson,  The  Land  and  the 
Book,  i.  (S.  Palest.)  27ff.— 20.  The  elders  of  his  city]  Sam.  ffll: 
"the  men  of  his  city"  (as  v. 2'),  which,  however,  appears  here 
to  be  less  suitable  than  "elders." — (Being)  a  glutton  and  a 
drunkard]  the  same  combination  (>^i?bl  7?if)  Pr.  2321  (cf.  v. 20 
"be  not  among  those  that  drink  wine,  that  squander  flesh 
upon  themselves  ") ;  is^iT  (properly  a  squanderer)  also  Pr.  28". 
The  words  are  manifiestly  intended  to  hint  at  the  ground  of 
the  young  man's  obstinacy,  though  from  the  nature  of  the 
case  they  will  not  be  meant  except  as  an  example  of  what 
20.  ni  ij:3]  on  5-". 


248  DEUTERONOMV 

might  be  said  on  such  an  occasion. — 21.  All  the  men  of  his 
city,  cSr'c]  comp.  i3ii("0  jys  32-'.  ^^  All,''  because  it  is  to  the 
common  interest  for  all  to  take  part  in  putting-  down  the 
wrong:  cf.  I3"'(''\  Nothing  is  said  of  any  investigation  on 
the  part  of  the  elders  into  the  truth  of  the  parents'  allegation  : 
no  doubt  this  is  passed  over,  as  an  understood  thing,  in  the 
case  of  a  criminal  charge. — So  thou  shall  exter7ninate,  tSrf.] 
I  f^^).— Shall  hear  and  fcar\  1312(11)  1713  1920. 

As  shown  above,  Hebrew  law  insisted  on  respect  being  paid  to  parents, 
and  Hebrew  moralists  did  not  hesitate  to  commend  the  rod  as  a  salutary 
instrument  of  education  ;  but  the  father's  authority — though,  at  least  in  an 
earlier  age  (Ex.  21''),  he  could  sell  his  daughter  into  slavery — was  not 
despotic  :  he  had  not,  as  at  Rome,  power  of  life  and  death  over  his  son  ; 
where  (as  in  the  case  here  contemplated)  vice  and  insubordination  became 
intolerable,  he  could  not  take  the  law  into  his  own  hands,  he  must  appeal 
to  the  decision  of  an  impartial  tribunal  (cf.  Nowack,  Arclidol.  §  28,  end). 
The  present  law  will  hardly,  however,  have  been  often  carried  into  practice  : 
■  in  Pr,  30'''  disobedience  to  parents  is  cited  as  a  thing  which  brings  a  man 
u  a  bad  end,  not  as  a  thing  punished  by  law  "  {^Rel.  Sem.  p.  60). 

22-23.  The  body  of  a  malefactor,  exposed,  after  execution, 

upon  a  tree,  to  be  taken  down  and  buried  before  nightfall. — 

If  there  be  in  (15^)  a  man  a  sin,  a  judj^tnent  of  death  (19^)]  i.e. 

a  proved  capital  charge. — And  he  be  put  to  death,  and  thou 

hang  him  on  a  tree]  the  malefactor  was  hung,  not,  as  with  us, 

for  the  purpose  of  being  executed,  but  after  execution,  as  an 

additional  disgrace  (comp.  Jos.  10-*'  2  S.  4I-) :  it  was  exposure 

before  God  and  man,  a  public  proof  that  the  adequate  penalty 

had  been  paid  by  him  for  his  offence. — 23.  His  body  shall  not 

remain  all  night  upon  the  tree,  but  thou  shall  bury  him  on  the 

same  day]  cf.  Jos.   S-"^   10-''  (where  the  bodies  of  the  kings 

defeated  by  Joshua  are  removed  "at  the  going  down  of  the 

sun"). — For  he  that  is  hanged  is  accursed  of  God,  aiid  thou 

shall  not  defile  thy  land,    (Sr*c.]  probably  the  exposure  of  a 

malefactor's  corpse  by  hanging  was  resorted  to  only  in  the 

case   of   heinous   offences :    it   could   be   taken   therefore   as 

significant  of  the  curse   of  God    (Gn.   4^^   Dt.    27-'*)    resting 

22.  nin  acji'D  N'jn]  a  case  of  apposition,  'D  'd  limiting  and  defining  the  sense 
of  Nan:  cf.  Ex.  24^  d'd'^b'  c>n3T,  Is.  f*'  .Tfpo  T\-av_p,  &c.  (Dr.  §  188.  i).— 23. 
'iVn  D'n^N  n*?^?  '3]  "a  curse  of  God "=accursed  of  God  (Dr.  §  189.  2).  So 
Cf  {n.ix.arr,fa.i/.itoi  I'ttI  toTi  hov),  Aq.  Theod.  {xarapa  hov  [see  Field]),  U  (male- 
dictus  a  Deo),  and  virtually  all  moderns.     There  was,  however,  a  current 


XXI.   21 — XXIT.    I  249 

specially  upon  the  ofTender ;  and  as  murder,  like  other 
abominable  crimes,  was  held  to  render  the  land  in  which  it  was 
perpetrated  unclean  (Nu.  35'''"^- ;  Lev.  iS-'""- 2"f),  so  the  unburied 
corpse,  suspended  aloft,  with  the  crime  as  it  were  clinging  to 
it,  and  God's  curse  resting  visibly  upon  it,  had  a  similar  effect. 
Hence,  as  soon  as  the  requisite  publicity  has  been  attained, 
the  spectacle  is  to  end  :  the  corpse,  at  sunset,  is  to  be  taken 
down,  and  committed  to  the  earth,  as  a  token  that  justice  has 
completed  its  work,  and  that  the  land  has  been  cleansed  from 
the  defilement  infecting  it  (comp.,  in  the  case  of  murder,  Nu. 
2533b  c_  jgi3  2i9). — Accursed  of  God\  see  below. 

XXII.  1-4.  On  neighbourly  feeling  and  regard. — The  lost 
property  of  a  neighbour,  if  found,  is  to  be  restored  to  him,  or 
kept  until  he  claims  it,  v.^"^.  Assistance  is  to  be  cheerfully 
rendered  to  a  neighbour  in  difficulty,  v.*. 

■^  Thou  shalt  not  see  thy  brother's  Ex.  23'*  If  thou  meet  thine  enemy's 

ox  or  his  sheep  driven  away,  and  ox  or  his  ass  going-  astray, 

hide  thyself  from  them  :  thoii  shalt  thou  shalt 

surely  bring  them  back  to  thy  brother,  surely  bring  it  back  to  him. 
^  And   if  thy  brother   be   not    nigh 
unto  thee,  &c.     ^  And  so  shalt  thou 
do  with  his  ass,  and  so  shalt  thou 
do  with  his  garment,  &c. 

*  Thou  shalt  not  see  thy  brother's  '  If  thou  shalt  see  the  ass  of  him 

tissy  or  his  ox,  fallen  down  in  the  that   hateth    thee    couching    down 

way,  and  hide  th3'self  from  them  ;  under  his  burden,  thou  shalt  forbear 

thou  to    leave   it   to   him   (alone) ;    thou 

shalt  surely  lift  (them)  up  ivith  him.  shalt  surely  loosen  it  with  him. 

The  law  is  evidently  an  expansion  of  that  in  Ex.  23'^f-  (JE), 

with  modifications,  accommodating  it  to  the  spirit  and  point 

of  view  of  Dt.     The   "enemy"  in   Ex.   is   noticeable:    it  is 

Jewish  interpretation,  which  treated  D'n^N  as  the  obj.  gen.  (Gn.  27^*),  "a 
curse — i.e.  reproach,  insult — to  God"  :  so  ap.  Ariston  of  Pella  [2nd  cent.], 
quoted  by  Jerome,  Xotiofla  hot/  0  xps//.d/xivi>s ;  Ps.— Jon.  "  For  it  is  contempt 
(Nni'j'p)  before  God  to  hang  a  man,  except  his  sins  have  caused  it ;  and 
because  he  is  made  in  the  image  of  God,  thou  shalt  bury  him,"  &c.  ; 
Rashi  "It  is  a  slight  to  the  King  (^'?D  hi^  i'?ii'?i),  because  man  is  made  in 
the  image  of  God."  The  same  constr.  also  underlies  the  (ungrammatical) 
paraphrases  of  Onq.  "for  because  he  hath  sinned  before  God  he  is  hung," 
Symm.  "  propter  blasphemiam  Dei  suspensus  est,"  S  "  for  he  that 
blasphemeth  (Nnum  ;d)  God  is  hung,"  Siphr^  [ancient  Heb.  Comm.  on  Dt.] 
Dfn  n.x  hy^-^  ';23.  Comp.  Lightfoot,  Galatians^  p.  150  (on  Gal.  3^^). 
XXII.  1.  iio'?ynni .  .  .  riN-in  n'?]  on  'f'. 


250  DEUTERONOMY 

an  old-world  anticipation  of  the  spirit  of  Mt.  5^'*.  In  Dt. 
"brother"  is  substituted,  not  for  the  purpose  of  excluding  one 
who  may  be  an  enemy,  but  in  order  to  make  the  application 
of  the  precept  as  wide  as  possible  (cf.  on  152).  For  "driven 
away  "(Q''ifi"=J3),  i.e.  parted  forcibly  from  the  herd  through  some 
mishap,  cf.  Mic.  4^  Zeph.  3^^  (with  pp  "gather"),  Ez.  34*- ^^ 
(with  "bring  back").— ///«?6'  thysclf\  Is.  58^  Ps.  552.-2-3. 
Additions  (except  the  "  ass"  in  v. 3)  to  the  law  of  Ex. :  (i)  if 
the  owner  be  not  at  hand,  or  unknown,  his  lost  animal  is  to 
be  kept  till  he  comes  to  claim  it :  (2)  all  other  lost  property 
that  may  be  found  is  to  be  dealt  with  similarly. — 2.  Until  thy 
brother  require  it]  or  demand  it,  viz.  as  something  that  he  has 
a  claim  to  :  cf.  23— (^O  Ez.  33''  34*"'-  ^-  ^o-  ^^  t:nji  expresses  more 
than  "seek  after"  (RV.),  which  would  correspond  to  ti'P?  (i  S. 
9^). — 4.  The  uncommon,  and  probably  archaic,  uses  of  ^ty  in 
Ex.  23''''  are  replaced  here  by  more  ordinary  phrases. 

5.  The  sexes  not  to  interchange  garments,  or  other  articles 
of  attire. — Peculiar  to  Dt.  No  doubt  the  prohibition  is  not 
intended  as  a  mere  rule  of  conventional  propriety, — though, 
even  as  such,  it  would  be  an  important  safeguard  against 
obvious  moral  dangers, — but  is  directed  against  the  simulated 
changes  of  sex  which  occurred  in  Canaanite  and  Syrian 
heathenism,  to  the  grave  moral  deterioration  of  those  who 
adopted  them  (cf.  OTJC.^  365). 

According-  to  IMacrob.  Sat.  iit.  8,  and  Servius  on  Aen.  ii.  632,  there  was 
in  Cyprus  a  statue  of  a  bearded  Venus,  harbaiiim  corpore  sedveste  vnd'icbrl, 
cum  sceptro  ac  natura  virili,  who  was  considered  to  be  of  both  sexes  (of. 
Ellis  on  Catull.  68'^),  and  to  whom  sacrifice  was  offered  by  men  dressed  as 
women,  and  women  dressed  as  men  :  and  noisy  processions  of  Galli,  or 
eunuch-priests  of  Cybele,  the  mother  of  the  gods,  paraded  the  towns  and 
villages  of  Syria,  Asia  Minor,  and  other  parts,  attired  as  women,  and 
soliciting  the  populace  to  unholy  rites  (Apul.  Metamorph.  viii.  c.  24  ff.; 
August.  Civ.  Dei,  vii.  26;  cf.  Luc.  de  dea  Syria,  §§  15,  26,  51  (at  Hiera- 
polis) ;  Jerome  on  Hos.  4";  and  Movers,  Die  PhlJnizier,  i.  678  ff.).  At 
Aphaka,  in  Ccele-Syria,  Constantinc  put  down  a  temple  of  Aphrodite,  the 
priests  of  which  are  described  by  Eusebius  as  yuiihU  Ttvis  avlpis  ouk  uvlpn, 
TO  aifiilt  Trii  (piffius  a.-ra.fivrtra.fiivoi  ( Vit.  Const.  iii.  55),  on  account  of  the 
character  of  the  rites  carried  on  at  it. 

A  woman  shall  not  wear  an  article  pertaining  to  a  man  ('P3 

2.  insr.vi]  cf.  2  S.  11-'^  17"  Jud.  19^5.18  (^s^).— mnrni  .  .  .  ny]  cf.  i  S.i^^ 
2  S.  lo"  (Dr.  ji  1 15,  s.v.  -\V).—Z.  .fj?^]  Ex.  22"  Lev.  5---'^t.— "^^in  vh]  7-. 


XXII.  2-8  251 

133)]  "h^  is  a  very  general  term,  applicable  to  almost  any  article 
used  or  worn,  e.£.  weapons  (Gn.  27^),  jewels  {2^^'-^),  ornaments 
(also  household  objects,  implements,  vessels,  &c.),  Lev.  13^^ 
(a  "thing"  of  skin),  i  S.  17^^  (a  shepherd's  "bag"):  it  is  thus 
a  much  wider  term  than  "garment";  and  hence  the  indefinite 
rendering  of  AV.  "that  which  pertaineth  unto." — For  w/ioso- 
cvcr  doeth  these  things  is  an  abomination  unto  Jehovah\  so  18^2 
25I6  J  cf.  on  725. 

6-7.  A  man  finding  a  bird's  nest  may  take  the  young 
birds  or  the  eggs,  but  is  not  to  take  the  mother  with  them. — 
Peculiar  to  Dt.  The  law  is  generally  considered  to  rest  upon 
a  humanitarian  motive  (cf.  25^),  and  to  direct  regard  to  be 
paid  to  the  parental  relation  in  animals  (cf.  Lev.  aa-"'') ;  but 
Fenton  [Early  Hcb.  Life,  p.  48)  thinks  it  "rests  upon  the 
idea  that  one  may  have  'right  of  user'  in  the  bird  to  the 
extent  of  sharing  in  its  produce  ;  but  one  may  not  claim  entire 
possession  of  it." — 7.  That  it  may  he  well  for  thee,  &'c.\  4*°. 
The  promise  is  the  same  as  that  which  is  attached  in  5^*"  to 
the  command  to  pay  honour  to  human  parents. 

8.  Human  life  not  to  be  endangered  by  neglect.  Every 
house-top  is  to  be  provided  with  a  parapet,  as  a  protection  to 
those  using  it  for  recreation  or  other  purposes. — This  law  also 
is  peculiar  to  Dt.  ;  but  a  provision  prompted  by  the  same 
general  motive  is  found  in  Ex.  21^^*^-  (a  pit  not  to  be  left  open, 
so  that  an  ox  or  an  ass  may  fall  into  it), — A  parapei\  as  is 
well  known,  the  top  of-  an  Eastern  house  is  flat,  and  capable 
of  being  used  for  recreation  and  many  other  purposes  (Jos.  2^ 
Jud.  i6-^7  I  s.  Q^^f-  2  S.  ii2  i622  Is.  22I  Jer.  19^2  Zeph.  i^  Mt. 
24^"  Acts  10''). 

9-n.  Prohibition  of  non-natural  combinations. — A  vineyard 
is  not  to  be  sown  with  different  kinds  of  seed  ;  a  field  is  not 
to  be  plowed  with  an  ox  and  an  ass  working  together ;  and 
no  garment  is  to  be  worn,  made  of  wool  and  linen  in  com- 

6.  'js'? .  .  .  ^^1p'J  "happens  before  thee,"  i.e.  chances  accidentally  to  be 
before  thee:  2  S.  18^ cf.  20^;  Gn.  24!-  27-"  (nnpn).— D"J3n  '7^  cn.t]  h\i  idiom.  = 
iogctlier  -wilh  :  cf.  Gn.  32^^  Hos.  10"  Job  38'-  {Lex.  '?v  i  c). — 8.  npyn]  only 
here  :  prop,  a  confining  enclosure  (Cr  arn^a-yn);  Arab,  'aqd  to  hinder,  7iu/h- 
hold. — -T\'i2  c'Di  c-cn]  cf.  '3  D-ai  jn:  21^,  h]i  d-c-i  c:;-  Jud.  9-^,  hv  d"oi  jnj  Jer. 
26'^  Jon.  1". — "jsun  Vfl'  'dJ  on  17^ 


252  DEUTKRONOMY 

bination.  The  motive  of  the  prohibition  appears  to  be  the 
preservation  of  natural  distinctions :  species — at  least  as  they 
now  exist,  and  are  known  to  us — are  designed  by  God  to  be 
distinct  (comp.  Gn.  iH.  12.  21.  24. 25^ .  each  possesses  its  own 
characteristic  features  ;  and  a  principle  thus  visibly  impressed 
by  the  Creator  upon  nature  is  not  to  be  interfered  with  by 
man.  The  second  provision  is  peculiar  to  Dt.  ;  the  first  and 
third  are  found,  without  very  material  variation,  in  Lev.  19"^ 
(H),  where  they  are  preceded  by  a  provision,  to  which  nothing 
corresponds  in  Dt.,  against  permitting  cattle  of  different 
species  to  breed  together. 

Lev.    19'*  Thy   cattle    thou   shalt 
not  make  to  gender  in  two  kinds  : 
^  Thoji  shalt  not  so~cU  thy  \\ney2Lr6.7i' it !i      thy    field   thou   shalt  not  sow   with 
two   kinds  (of  seed) ;    lest   the   full     two  kinds  (of  seed) : 
produce  (n^<^':.^)  be  forfeited  (i^'^p^), 
the   seed   which   thou   sowest,   and 
the  increase  of  the  vineyard.    ^^  Thou 
shalt  not  plow  with  an  ox  and  an 

ass    together.      ^^  Thou    shalt    not  and  a  garment  of  two 

wear  mixed  stuff  (t:cj,''5'),  wool  and  kinds,  of  mixed  stuff  (7:t:>r),  shall 
linen  together.  not  come  up  upon  thee. 

9.  Why  "vineyard"  takes  here  the  place  of  "field"  in 
Lev.  is  not  apparent :  as  it  is  the  subject  of  the  entire  law,  it 
can  hardly  be  meant  as  an  example  of  the  kind  of  "field" 
contemplated  ;  23-^''-  241^-21  the  two  are  also  distinguished.  If 
it  may  be  assumed  that  Lev.  presents  an  earlier  form  of  the 
law  than  Dt.,  it  is  possible  that  in  the  interval  it  had  become 
the  custom  to  plant  fields  generally  with  diff"erent  kinds  of 
seed  (cf.  Is.  28-^) ;  the  legislator,  consequently,  may  have 
tacitly  conceded  the  custom  in  such  cases,  and  have  satisfied 
himself  with  retaining  the  prohibition  in  the  case  of  vineyards 
alone.  Others  think  the  law  of  Lev.  a  later  extension  of  that 
of  Dt.  The  explanatory  clause,  v.^'',  stating  the  consequence 
if  the  prohibition  be  disregarded,  is  peculiar  to  Dt.  "Be 
forfeited"  is  lit.  become  holy  or  sacred  ("^"'!]i?'!i),  i.e.  be  forfeited 
to  the  sanctuary,  a  synonym  of  chp  iTn,  Lev.  2710-^1  Jos.  6^^; 
comp.  the  same  verb  in  Lev.  61^0^)  ^u.  17-^-  (iG"'"'").  The  last 
words,  "the  seed  which  thou  sowest,"  &c.,  define  more 
distinctly  what  is  intended  by  -is^^rpn  (Ex.  222s (-'9)  Nu,   iS-'), 


XXTT.  9-12  253 

viz.  not  only  the  grain,  vegetables,  &c.,  sown  (in  infringement 
of  the  prohibition)  between  the  vines,  but  also  the  produce  of 
the  vines  themselves, — 10.  Ploughs  are  still  in  Palestine  some- 
times harnessed  to  an  ox  and  an  ass  (Conder,  Tent  IVork, 
328). — 11.  The  form  of  the  sentence  differs,  but  the  substance 
is  similar  in  Lev.  and  Dt.  The  peculiar,  and  evidently 
"foreign  word,"  f:toyc^S  is  common  to  both  laws:  in  both  also 
the  term  is  explained ;  but  in  Dt.  it  is  said,  more  definitely 
than  in  Lev.,  to  denote  a  combination  of  wool  and  linen. 
Only  the  particular  material  thus  styled  is  forbidden.  The 
minuter  definitions  of  the  later  Jews,  on  the  subject  of  these 
laws,  will  be  found  in  the  Mishnic  treatise  KiVaim. 

12.  Tassels  to  be  worn  by  the  Israelites,  as  a  distinctive 
badge,  upon  the  four  corners  of  their  mantles. — The  law  corre- 
sponds to  the  one  in  Nu.  1537-41  ^p^  perhaps  in  particular  H), 
where  the  object  of  the  tassels  is  also  explained  (v.^-^^ ),  viz. 
to  remind  the  Israelites  of  their  obligations  to  Jehovah,  and 
to  check  them  vi'hen  they  are  tempted  to  pursue  too  keenly 
personal  interests  or  ambitions. — Twisted  cords  (Qvl?)  thou 
shalt  make  thee  upon  the  four  corners  of  thy  covering  (Ex. 
2  227(2(3)^^  laJigrewiih  thou  coverest  thyself\  Nu.  15^8  "Say  unto 
them.  And  they  shall  make  them  tassels  (n''^*"'^*)  upon  the 
corners  of  their  garments  (□rT'lja)  throughout  their  genera- 
tions, and  they  shall  put  upon  the  tassel  of  each  corner  a  cord  of 
blue  "  (for  the  purpose,  namely,  of  fastening  it  to  the  g'arment). 
Nu.  uses  n''i':»,  which  appears  to  have  been  the  more  technical 
term  ;  Dt.  has  Qy"!?  twisted  threads  or  cords,  which  is  found  (in 
a  diflferent  connexion)  i  K.  7^^  ("  wreaths  "  of  metal  work). 

The  rend.  "  fring-e  "  is  inaccurate.  The  zizith  was  a  cord,  ending  in 
a  tassel, — the  cord,  according'  to  the  usage  of  the  later  Jews,  consisting  of 
eight  threads  of  white  wool,  twisted  round  each  other  a  prescribed  number 
of  times,  and  tied,  at  intervals,  in  five  double  knots  (see  Kitto's  Bibl. 
Cyclop.,  s.v.  Fringes,  with  the  illustrations).  The  ordinary  outer  garment 
worn  by  the  Hebrews  (■"i;'?'!^  or  1^2 — more  rarely,  as  here,  ri'D?)  was  a  large 
quadrangular  piece  of  stuff,  probably  like  the  modern  'ab/iye,  of  coarsely 
woven  wool,  which  was  thrown  round  the  body  something  in  the  manner 

11.  uavc]  Lev.  Jg^^f.  Of  uncertain  origin  ;  but  not  improbably  Egyptian 
fij  x.ip.lr.X');  ;  whence  Kn.  explains  "woven  falsely,"  from  Copt,  saht,  7voven, 
and  ntidj,  false  (Peyron,  Lex.  pp.  224,  133). — 12.  d'Vu]  in  Syr.  Arab,  the 
root  h-^i  is  preserved  with  the  meaning  to  twist  or  plait  (e.g.  Mt.  27-'"  5). 


2  54  D];UTKRONOMY 

of  .1  Scotch  plaid  (of.  Bcnziiiger,  Archdol.  p.  98  f.)  ;  and  these  "tassels" 
were  attached  to  its  four  corners.  In  a  later  ag'c,  when  the  Jews  were 
exiled  from  Palestine,  as  the  tassels  on  the  outside  attracted  notice,  and 
led  to  persecution,  they  were  transferred  to  the  inner  g'arinent ;  antl  ulti- 
mately the  custom  arose  of  attaching  them  also  to  the  Tallilh,  or  quad- 
raii_s;ular  mantle,  worn  at  the  time  of  morning'  prayer  (Kitto,  I.e.). 

XXII.  13-XXIII.  I  (XXII.  30).  Laius  relating  to  Marriage 
{see  also  24^'*  25^-"). 
XXII.  13-21.  Procedure  to  be  adopted  in  the  case  of  a 
newly-married  wife  being  alleged  by  her  husband  not  to  have 
been  a  virgin. — (i)  If  the  alleg-ation  be  false,  the  g^irl's  parents 
are  to  appear  with  the  proofs  of  their  daughter's  virg-inity 
before  the  elders  of  the  city,  who  are  then  to  punish  the 
husband  with  stripes,  and  to  impose  upon  him  a  fine  of  100 
shekels  of  silver ;  he  is  moreover  to  take  back  his  wife,  and 
to  be  deprived  for  ever  of  the  right  of  divorcing  her,  v.^^-^^. 
(2)  If  the  allegation  be  true,  and  proof  of  the  girl's  virginity 
be  not  forthcoming,  she  is  to  be  brought  out  to  the  entrance 
of  her  father's  house,  and  there  stoned  to  death  by  the  men 
of  her  city,  v. 20-21, — 13.  Hate  her]  i.e.  turn  against  her,  after 
his  carnal  desires  have  been  satisfied  (comp.  2  S.  13^^). — 14. 
Frame  against  her  wanton  charges]  lit.  caprices  of  words,  i.e. 
baseless  allegations,  wantonly  made  for  the  purpose  of  obtain- 
ing a  divorce  from  her.  The  rend,  "shameful  things"  (RV.) 
is  a  free  one,  and  has  no  claim  to  philological  exactness. — 
And  litter  (x'^^'Ul)  an  evil  name  against  her]  or  publish  (v.'^  ;  cf. 
14.  cnm  ni'7''?y]  a  difficult  and  uncertain  expression,  rh'h^  is  elsewhere 
"action"  ;  but  it  is  only  found  in  poetry  (Ps.  g'-  14^  &c.)  ;  and  "acts  of 
words"  (Schultz,  Kn.  Ke.)  is  a  weak  and  doubtful  expression  for  "acts 
giving  rise  to  unfavourable  comments  or  reports."  Perh.  Dillm.  is  right 
in  having  recourse  to  the  sense  of  the  root  'j'^y,  which  is  certainly  preserved 
in  'j'ji'nn  "  to  work  one's  will  on,"  and  in  '?i'?>n  "wilfulness,  caprice  "(cf. 
Fleischer's  note  in  Del.  on  Is.  3'*  [ed.  3]),  and  in  rendering  "  caprices  of 
words,"  i.e.  wanton  and  arbitrary  charges.  Of  the  versions,  €r  renders 
by  i-riirt  alny)  -rpo^fcurifTiiceius  x'oyev;,  Connecting  ni7'7y  with  the  Aram.  N7i'  (cf. 
Arab.  Hllah)  "occasion,  cause,  pretext";  similarly  IJ  ("qusesicritque 
occasiones  quibus  dimittat  earn  "),  S  ("and  draw  after  her  a  pretext  with 
words"),  probably  Onq.  J'S'D  '£ipcn  rh  nci,  i.e.  either  "impute  to  her 
occasions  of  words"  (i.e.  of  unfavourable  remarks),  or  "bring  against  her 
pretexts  of  words,"  i.e.  fictitious  charges  (comp.  in  Levy  not  only  .vsipcn, 
but  also  fiP?  Ithpe.,  and  Nsprin),  Ps.-Jon.  j''?'Dt  Tiy  "an  objection  of  words," 
i.e.  an  adverse  charge,  Ibn  'Ezra  "  ni'j'^y  occasions,"  AV.  "give  occasions 


XXTT.   13-15  255 

Pr.  lo^s  Nu.  1332  i4"^6.37)._i5.  sJiall  b ri  11  <r  forth  the  tokens  of 
the  damsefs  vu'gi>iit\'\  the  procedure  of  a  primitive-minded 
people.  The  criterion  is  not  an  infallible  one,  it  being  quite 
possible  that  the  absence  of  the  tokens  referred  to  may  result 
from  other  causes  than  the  one  to  which  it  is  here  supposed 
to  pomt.  Nevertheless,  among-  many  Eastern  peoples,  the 
old  feeling-  still  survives,  and  much  importance  continues  to  be 
attached  to  them,  as  evidence  of  the  bride's  chastity :  among- 
the  Arabs  of  Egypt,  and  the  Moors,  for  instance,  immediately 
after  the  consummation  of  a  marriage,  they  are  displayed 
ostentatiously  to  the  relations  of  the  newly-married  couple, 
and  sometimes  even  more  publicly :  *  similar  customs  prevail 
among  the  village  populations  of  Syria  and  Palestine :  t  and 
their  absence,  unless  it  could  be  satisfactorily  explained,  would 
be  regarded  as  justifying  the  bridegroom  in  dissolving  the 
marriage,  and  compelling  the  father  to  take  back  his  daughter, 
of  speech  against  her."  The  meaning  "occasion,  pretext,"  however, 
though  belonging  to  Arair.  i<h]J,  Arab.  'illaJi,  and  to  n'7''?y  in  post-Bibl. 
Heb.  (Levy,  NHWB.  iii,  p.  654),  is  not  otherwise  that  of  the  Biblical  rh'h'y 
(or  of  the  root  77^  generally).  Aq.  baXXaxT/za  p-^fjbccra,  in  accordance  with 
his  peculiar  style  of  translation  (he  rendered  rh"h]l  elsewhere  by  Uaxxayn, 
wh'h'^n  by  hay.xdyfjt.aTo,,  &c.  :  see  Ps.  9^-  loa"^  Is.  3^  66^  in  the  Hexapla,  with 
Field's  note  on  Jer.  38^'^ :  and  on  the  style  of  Aquila,  Field's  Hexapla,  i.  p. 
xxi  ff.). — h  D'y]  with  the  rend,  adopted  above,  cb"  will  mean  7nake  (14^), 
frame ;  but,  if  rh-'h]}  signifies  acts,  it  will  have  the  force  of  attach,  i?)ipii{e 
to  (cf.  5  D'y  lit.  to  lay  in  j  S.  22}-^  Job  4^^),  and  n)  must  be  inserted  in  v.^' 
with  Sam.  G.  n-h^  anpNi]  Gn.  20*  Lev.  18"-  '*  20^'^  Is.  81—^  Nso]  '« to  find 
helo)iging to"  :  so  v.^''--**  i  S.  13^-  Hos.  12**. — 15.  npn]  Kt.  "lysn,  Qre  n-iyjn. 
In  tlie  Pent,  i\\^fem.  my:  is  found  only  Dt.  22^",  the  masc.  form  nyj  being 
otherwise  used  for  both  genders  (for  the  fern.  19  times,  viz.  Gn.  24"- 1''--^- 
53.57  3^3.3.12  Dt.  22i*-J5-i»-^''-2'-2^---'5-s!C--e-27.29).  the  Massoritcs,  however, 
directed  in  these  cases  the  usual  form  m];:  to  be  substituted  in  reading-, 
hence  the  Qre  mj'jn.  At  what  time  the  epicene  "ly:  went  out  of  use,  we  do 
not  know  ;  it  may  not  have  been  until  after  the  Pent,  was  so  far  canonized 
that  its  text  was  deemed  unalterable,  and  while  in  the  rest  of  the  OT.  the 
Kothib  was  accommodated,  where  necessary,  to  the  more  modern  usage, 
in  the  Pent,  the  change  was  made  only  in  the  Qre. 

*  Leo  Afric.  (ed.  1632)  p.  325  (Pory's  transl.  1600,  p.  143  f.);  Tourne- 
forl,  Voyage  in  the  Levant,  17 18,  ii.  69  ;  Arvicux,  Voyages  h  Co>ista7itinople, 
&c.,  1735,  iii.  306;  Host,  Marolios,  1781,  p.  103  ;  Niebuhr,  Descr.  d Arable, 
'776,  i-  35 ff.;  Burckhardt,  Arab.  Proverbs,  1830,  p.  117,  Bedouins,  1831,  i. 
266, — quoted  by  Knob.     Cf.  (for  Africa)  Post,  Afrili.  Jurisprudenz,  i.  §  146. 

•|-  Wetzstein  in  Bastiaii's  Z.  fiir  Etlmol.  1873,  p.  290  f.  ;  Klein  in  the  Z. 
des  Deiitschen  Pal.-Vereins,  1883,  p.  100. 


256  DEUTERONOMY 

and  refund  the  mahr  (v.23). — 17.  Shameful  thiiii^s  (RV.)]  see  on 
v.". — Spread  {^\xA.  8-"^)  t/ie  garvient]  the  salmah  was  used  for 
sleeping  in  (241^) :  but  perhaps  the  word  may  be  meant  here 
in  a  more  general  sense  (2113  223-5). — 18.  Chastise  him  (no'l 
ins)]  viz.  with  corporal  punishment  (cf.  on  21^^) :  according  to 
Jos.  Antiq.  iv.  8.  23,  he  received  the  legal  "forty  stripes  save 
one"  {253). — 19.  Shall  fine  him,  an  hundred  {shekels  of)  silver, 
and  give  them,  d^c]  "fine"  ("'?y)  as  Ex.  21^2  Am.  2^:  cf.  the 
subst.  2  K.  23^3  (RV.  tnarg.).  The  fine  is  a  compensation  to  the 
father  for  the  malicious  defamation  of  his  daughter :  its  amount 
is  twice  that  payable  by  the  seducer  of  an  unbetrothed  virgin, 
v.-''. — Afid  she  shall  be  his  [em^h.)  wife,  <Sr'c.]  in  spite  of  his  effort 
to  be  rid  of  her,  she  shall  remain  his  wife  ;  he  shall  never  be  at 
liberty  to  divorce  her. — 20-21.  The  case  of  the  allegation  being 
true. — 21.  Bring  ont]  17^. — To  the  entrance  of  her  father s 
house\  she  is  to  pay  the  penalty  of  her  sin  openly,  in  front  of 
the  house  which  she  has  disgraced. — The  men  of  her  city  shall 
stone  her,  &c.^  cf.  21^1. — Hath  wrought  seiiselessness  (i^^^?)  in 
Israel]  the  same  reproachful  phrase  Gn.  34"  Jos.  7^^  Jud.  20^- 1" 
Jer.  2923,  and  without  in  Israel,  Jud.  1923.24  2  S.  13^2  (cf.  v.^^ 
the  corresponding  adj.)  Job  42^!, — always  of  acts  of  immorality 
except  Jos.  7^^  ^^i^  g^ct  of  irreligion)  and  Job  42^  (see  Dillm.^). 

.Ydbal  and  nehdlah  are  very  difficult  to  render  in  En.^lish.  "  Fool," 
and  "folly"  (besides  being-  needed  for  the  more  common  S'32,  '7'in,  ni'j'ca, 
nVw)  are  inadequate,  and  sug-gest  wrongs  associations.  The  fault  of  the 
ndhdl  is  not  weakness  of  reason,  but  moral  and  relig-ious  insensibility,  a 
rooted  incapacity  to  discern  moral  and  relisfious  relations,  leading-  to  an 
intolerant  repudiation  in  practice  of  the  claims  which  they  impose.  The 
ideas  associated  with  the  wrtZin/ appear  most  clearly  in  Is.  32®  ;  he  is  painted 
there  as  at  once  irreligious  and  churlish  (cf.  "  Nabal,"  i  S.  25^).  The 
term  is  thus  applied  to  Israel,  unappreciative  of  Jehovah's  benefits  (c.  32'), 
to  the  heathen  (32-'  Ps.  74^^'"'),  to  the  man  who  cannot  perceive  that  there 
is  a  God  (Ps.  14^=53^);  see  also  2  S.  3""^  13^^  Is.  32' Jer.  17"  Ez.  13^  Ps.  39®!^' 
Pr.  I7''*  -"^  30'--  Job  2^''t'  Nebdldh,  besides  the  passages  quoted,  occurs  only 
I  S.  25-' Is.  9^''(^^)  {\\  profaiiity)  ^2^\.  The  cognate  nablfith  occurs  Hos. 
2I'-  (i^'lf  in  the  sense  of  i7n7nodesty.  Senseless  and  senselessness  may  be 
suggested  as  fair  English  equivalents,  it  being  understood  that  the  defec- 
tive "sense"  which  they  predicate  shows  itself  particularly  in  acts  of 
impiety,  profligacy,  and  churlishness,  and  that  it  is,  in  fact,  the  latter  ideas 
whicli  the  two  words,  in  actual  use,  really  connote. 

20.  nn.x]  cf.  13^'. — nnii'VJ  uav^ViTut,  as  13"'  17^. — 21.  nncj]  so  \^^  inoj:  see 
G-K.  §  104.  2<=.— ni:i^]  Sam.  G  nijinS 


XXII.   17-23  257 

So  sJialt  thou  exterminate,  &c.\  is'H'O.     So  v. 22-  24. 

22.  Adultery. — If  a  man  be  found  committing-  adultery 
with  a  married  woman,  both  alike  are  to  be  put  to  death. 
Adultery  is  forbidden,  not  only  in  the  Decalogue,  but  also  in 
Lev.  1 8-0  (H) :  the  penalty  provided  for  it  here  is  in  agreement 
with  the  law  of  Lev.  20^*^  (also  H).  The  manner  of  execution 
is  not  expressly  prescribed  either  here  or  in  Lev.  ;  but  it  was 
understood  (on  the  analogy  of  v. 2^)  to  be  by  stoning-;  comp. 
Ez.  i6^s.  ^0  2345. 47  John  8\     Cf.  Post,  FamiUenreeht,  p.  358  f. 

23-29.  Seduction. — Two  cases  are  distinguished:  (i)  that 
of  the  girl  being  already  betrothed  to  a  husband,  v. 23-27  j  (2) 
that  of  the  girl  being'-  unbetrothed,  v. 28-29.  Xhe  first  case  is 
treated  as  virtually  one  of  adultery,  the  g^irl,  after  betrothal, 
being  regarded  as  pledged  to  her  future  husband,  as  fully  as 
if  she  were  formally  married  to  him ;  she  is  described  accord- 
ingly (v. 2-1)  as  his  "  wife,"  and  the  penalty  (except  in  the  case, 
V.25,  where  the  girl  can  be  reasonably  acquitted  of  blame)  is 
the  same  as  for  adultery,  viz.  death  for  both  parties.  For 
this  case  there  is  no  parallel  in  the  other  Codes  of  the  Pent, 
(i)  The  seduction  of  a  girl  already  betrothed  to  a  husband, 
v.2-''-27.  Here  the  penalty  prescribed  differs,  according  as  the 
girl  may,  or  may  not,  be  reasonably  deemed  to  have  been  a 
consenting-  party  :  in  the  former  case  (v. 2^-24)  both  parties  are 
to  be  punished  with  death,  in  the  latter  (v.2^-2"),  the  man  only. 
— 23.  Betrothed  to  a  maii\  betrothal  is,  in  Eastern  countries, 
an  important  preliminary  to  marriage,  and  a  more  solemn  and 
formal  proceeding-  than  our  "engagement."  Among  the 
Arabs  it  is  a  legal  act,  whereby,  upon  consideration  of  a  price 
paid  [inahr,  Heb.  niuJiar:  cf.  on  v. 2'-'),  a  girl  is  handed  over  by 
her  father  or  guardian  to  the  suitor,  and  the  marriage,  as  a 
legal  procedure,  is  thereby  terminated.*  It  is  hence  apparent 
why  the  seduction  of  a  betrothed  virgin  is  treated  practically 
as  a  case  of  adultery.  For  other  allusions  to  betrothal  in  the 
22.  Sj-a  nSi;3]  Gn.  2o"|-.— cn'jB'  dj]  23":  Lex.  dj  lend. 

*  Wellh.  Die  Ehe  bei  den  Anibern,  in  the  GoUing-en  Nachrichten,  1893, 
No.    II,  p.  480 f.  ;    Smith,    Kinship,  p.  78 f.;    Bcnzinycr,   Hebr.  Arch.    p. 
138  f.;  Klein,  ZDPal.-Vcrcins,  1883,  p.  89  f.:  cf.  Edershcim,  Z.  c^sr  r.  i.  354. 
A  very  widely  diffused  custom  (Post,  FamiUenreeht,  p.  157  ff.,  i73ff.). 
17 


258  DEUTERONOMY 

OT.,  see  v.25- 27.23  ,0'  28^0  Ex.  22^^^'''')  2  S.  3^^  Hos.  22if- (iof)._ 
24.  Utiio  the  gate,  Csfc.^  the  place  of  execution,  as  17^. — 
Humbled  {^'^Vy\  see  on  21^^. — 25.  And  the  man  take  hold  of  her] 
"force  her"  (AV.,  RV.)  is  too  strong  a  rendering:  3  P"'!.']'!!'  is 
simply  /o  take  hold  of,  25^^  Gn.  19^*'  and  often;  for  the  same 
purpose  as  here,  2  S.  13I1. — 26.  Riseth  up  against]  19^^  (2) 
The  seduction  of  a  g"irl  who  is  not  betrothed,  v.28-29,  j^ 
this  case,  the  seducer  is  to  be  compelled  to  take  the  girl  as 
his  wife,  and  to  forfeit  the  right  to  divorce  her  during  the 
rest  of  his  life.  In  JE  Ex.  22'^f(^^f-)  corresponds,  though 
the  provisions  are  not  quite  the  same  ;  the  seducer  is  to 
pay  similarly  a  price  to  the  father  for  the  girl  to  become 
his  wife,  but  the  amount  is  left  undefined ;  and  it  is  open 
to  the  father  to  refuse  to  give  her  to  him ;  in  Ex.  also 
the  seducer  is  described  as  using  persuasion  (i^^SI),  while  here 
the  case  contemplated  seems  to  be  one  in  which  force  is 
employed. — 28.  Lay  hold  on  her  {^'^'^T\^y]  not  t\\Q  word  used  in 
V.25,  though  a  synonym  of  it  (Gn.  39^2  j  k,  -i^i^ — She  shall  be 
his  wife ;  he  may  not  put  her  away  all  his  days]  as  v.^^''. — 
Humbled  her]  v. 2*. — 29.  Shall  give  Jinto  the  dai7iser  s  father  fifty 
shekels  of  silver]  the  seducer  is  to  be  compelled  to  take  the  girl 
as  his  wife,  and  to  pay  (cf.  Post,  350  f.)  the  price  which  by  ancient 
custom  (v. 23)  the  suitor  had  to  pay  to  the  father  (or  family)  of 
the  bride.  The  technical  term  for  this  payment  was  mohar 
(A v.,  RV.  inexactly  "dowry"),  Gn.  3412  Ex.  22I6O7)  (the 
cognate  verb  in  v.^^(^'')),  i  S.  iS^^  (cf.  Smith,  Kinship,  p.  78 f.), 
corresponding  to  the  Homeric  ISra  (or  ceSm),  //.  iG'"'^,  Od. 
2 1 160-102^  &c.  The  amount  of  the  payment  would  vary  natur- 
ally with  the  position  and  circumstances  of  the  bridegroom, 
as  well  as  with  the  attractions  of  the  bride ;  50  shekels  is  prob- 
ably named  as  an  average :  an  ordinary  price  for  a  slave  was 
30  shekels,  Ex.  2i32. 

30  (XXIII.  1).  Prohibition  of  marriage  with  a  stepmother. 
• — The  same  prohibition  (differently  worded)  appears  in  Lev. 

24.  n::'N  na^  S'j\  23^  2  S.  13--!:  on  "13-1,  see  G-K.  §  130.  3.-25.  rvsvi  cni] 

on  the  position  of  ms'a,  see  on  20^K 26.  niD  Nan]  cf.  21^. — cip'   ifN^ 

^ny-11  .  .  .]  Am.  5^^  Is.  29*  (Dr.  §  115,  s.v.  ncxD). — cf;:  mini]  on   19". — 28. 
nf  ^i<]  in  pause,  for  nV)N  (on  f). — 29.  ?wy  ^2'«  nnn]  21". 


XXII.    24— XXIII.   2  (I)  259 

18^  (H),  "The  nakedness  of  thy  father's  wife  thou  shalt  not 
uncover;  it  is  thy  father's  nakedness,"  and  20^1,  where  death 
for  both  parties  is  prescribed  as  the  penalty  for  disobedience. 
—  Uncover  his  Jather's  skirt]  so  2720 :  cf.  "to  spread  the  skirt 
(i  S.  246(5)  al.)  over"  a  woman,  Ez.  16*^  Ruth  3^,  fig.  for  to  take 
her  as  a  wife.     Here  the  expression  is  evidently  a  euphemism. 

In  ancient  Arabia  a  man's  wives  passed,  like  his  other  property,  to  his 
heir :  a  son  could  thus  claim  his  lather's  wives  (except,  of  course,  his  own 
mother)  as  part  of  his  inheritance  ;  and  the  practice  of  marriag-e  with  a 
stepmother  is  forbidden  for  the  future  in  the  Qor'an  (4*").  Examples  (of 
an  exceptional  kind)  in  the  OT.  illustrating  the  same  custom  are  Gn.  35"^ 
49^ ;  2  S.  3^  ;  16-^ ;  1  K.  2^'  :  but  in  Jerusalem  such  unions  were  still  common 
in  the  time  of  Ezekiel  (22^"),  who  condemns  them  (in  words  borrowed  from 
Lev.  18^) ;  and  in  Syria  they  appear  to  have  been  not  unusual  in  the  5th 
cent.  A.D.  (Smith,  Kinship,  pp.  86-90  ;  OTJC.-  369  f. :  see  also  Wellh.  I.e. 
[p.  257  7wte],  p.  461). 

In  Lev.  i8''^'  20^'*^*  the  forbidden  degrees  of  affinity  are  so  numerous  as 
to  constitute  a  long  list ;  hence  it  has  been  questioned  why  only  one  is 
mentioned  in  Dt.  (see  two  others  in  the  imprecations  27^^*'^).  By  some  it 
has  been  thought  that  Dt.  refers  to  the  prohibition  in  Lev.  18^  as  repre- 
sentative of  the  whole  series  ;  but  had  this  been  the  Writer's  intention,  he 
would  surely  have  expressed  it  by  means  of  some  generally  worded  refer- 
ence to  the  entire  list.  Others  consider  that  Dt.  exhibits  the  earlier  stage 
in  the  law  of  forbidden  degrees,  which  was  afterwards  developed  through 
Ez.  (22^'"*)  to  the  comprehensive  list  of  Lev.  18.  It  is  hardly  likely  how- 
ever that  this  was  the  only  prohibited  degree  recognised  in  the  age  of  Dt. : 
most  probably  (whether  Lev.  18  be  earlier  than  Dt.  or  later)  marriage  with 
a  stepmother,  being  prevalent  at  the  time,  needed  to  be  specially  forbidden. 

XXIII.  2-9  (1-8).  Classes  to  be  excluded  from  religious  com- 
munion with  Israel. — 2  (1).  Eunuchs  not  to  be  admitted  into 
the  theocratic  community.  "  Presumably  the  original  sense 
of  this  rule  was  directed  not  against  the  unfortunate  victims 
of  Oriental  tyranny,  and  the  Harem  system,  but  against  the 
religious  mutilation  of  the  GalH,  as  Lucian  [de  dea  Syria,  §  5^) 
describes  it  at  Hierapolis,  and  as  Bardesanes  [Spicil.  Syr.  p. 
20,  1.  i)  attests  it  for  Edessa  (Cureton  mistranslates).  The 
Tar'atha  of  Bardesanes  is,  of  course,  Atargatis,  the  Syrian 
goddess"  (W.R.S.).  As  court-officials,  eunuchs  are  often 
depicted  on  the  Assyrian  monuments,  being  there  at  once 
recognizable  by  their  bloated,  beardless  face,  and  double  chin 

XXIII.  1.  V3N  ^133  rhy  Kh]  "a  parallel  expression  occurs  in  Arabic, 
De  Goeje,  Fragm.  Hist.  Arab.  248,  1.  3  md  kashaftu  Kmraati  kanafa"" 
(W.R.S.). 


26o  DEUTERONOMY 

[DB.^  s.v.',  Rawlinson,  Ajic.  Mon.^  i.  496-498;  in  Persia,  ib. 
ill.  221-223;  i"  Eg-ypt  (Gn.  37^6  Heb.),  Ebers,  Aeg.  11.  die  Bb. 
Mose's,  298).  As  the  kingdoms  of  Israel  and  Jiidah  adopted 
the  organization  of  the  neighbouring"  monarchies,  eunuchs 
assumed  in  them  an  increased  rank  and  prominence  (i  S.  8'^ 
I  K.  229  2  K.  8''  932  23^1  2412. 15  2519  Jer.  292  341^  38^  41I6).  The 
allusion  in  this  verse  is  to  the  two  surgical  operations  by 
which  the  condition  of  a  eunuch  was  most  commonly  produced; 
in  modern  times,  the  second  is  often  resorted  to  in  the  East 
(Tournefort,  The  Levant,  1718,  ii.  7;  Burckhardt,  Nubia,  1819, 
p.  330  (Knob.) :  cf.  von  Kremer,  Aegypten,  ii.  87-89). — Enter 
/«/<?]  Gn.493. — JehovaJis  assembly^  v.'- "*  [hence  La.  i^^Neh.  13^]'-' 
CJ.  3.  8)  Nu.  i63  (P)  20*  (P)  Mic.  2-5  I  Ch.  28«t.  The  ground  of  the 
exclusion  of  eunuchs  (in  so  far  as  it  is  not  a  protest  against 
mutilation  in  the  service  of  a  heathen  deity)  is  in  all  probability 
analogous  to  that  referred  to  in  14^:  the  deliberate  mutilation 
of  the  nature  which  God  has  given  to  man  is  inconsistent  with 
the  character  of  Jehovah's  people  (comp.  similar  prohibitions 
in  H,  in  regard  to  priests  Lev.  2120,  and  animals  offered  in 
sacrifice  222*).  Nevertheless,  in  the  more  spiritual  conception 
of  the  kingdom  of  God,  formed  by  the  prophets,  this,  like  other 
disqualifying  carnal  ordinances,  has  no  place ;  and  by  the 
prophet  of  the  exile  (Is.  56^'')  the  eunuch,  who  in  other  respects 
is  a  loyal  servant  of  Jehovah,  is  promised  an  honourable  posi- 
tion in  the  ideal  community  of  the  future  (cf.  Acts  82^-  3^). — 
3  (2).  A  bastard,  even  to  the  tenth  generation,  is  not  to  enjoy 
communion  with  Jehovah's  people. — Bastard  ("".tPP)]  Zech. 
9^t.  Of  uncertain  etymology :  probably  Rabbinical  tradition 
{Jebafuofh  iv.  13:  see  Ges.  Thes.  781  ;  Levy,  NHWB.  iii.  140) 
is  right  in  supposing  the  term  to  denote  not  generally  one  born 
out  of  wedlock  (G  (-k  Tropvr]';,  "}]  de  scorto  vatus),  but  the  off- 
spring of  an  incestuous  union,  or  of  a  marriage  contracted 
within  the  prohibited  degrees  of  aflfinity  (Lev.  i8*'"20  2d^^-'^^): 
the  stain  of  their  birth  is  to  cling  to  such  as  these,  including 
even  their  descendants  to  the  tenth  generation,  and  to  pre- 

2.  HDi  i'Vis]  lit.  "  wounded  o/"(^/A/-07/^'^/!)  crushing  "  (Ges.  Dillm.),  viz. 
of  the  testes. — 3.  i'?  n3'  nS]  for  the  ^  of  reference,  cf.  v."*'^  Lam.  1'";  also 
Gn.  171"  3415  I  K.  2^  8-5  141"  I  S.  11=  [Lex.  )  5  a). 


XXIII.  3-7  (2  6)  261 

elude  them  from  participating  in  the  full  privileges  of  member- 
ship in  the  people  of  God. — 4-7  (3-6).  The  'Ammonite  and  the 
Moabite  are  to  be  placed  on  the  same  footing  as  the  bastard, 
on  account  of  their  ancestors'  unfriendly  treatment  of  Israel  at 
the  time  of  the  Exodus. — Because  they  met  you  not  with  bread 
(Is.  21^^)  and  imth  watcr\  nothing  is  said  in  Dt.  21^^-  respecting 
the  conduct  of  the  'Ammonites  towards  Israel :  in  2^9  the 
Moabites,  it  is  implied,  sold  the  Israelites  bread  and  water  for 
money  (see  the  note  there).—///  the  way,  when  ye  came  forth 
out  of  Egypt\  so  24^  25I'' :  here,  at  any  rate,  where  the  reference 
is  to  a  date  at  the  close  of  the  40  years'  wanderings  (cf.  2^^), 
the  expression  "when  ye  came  forth  out  of  Egypt"  could  not 
have  been  used  by  a  contemporary,  writing  but  six  months 
afterwards,  but  betrays  the  writer  of  a  later  age,  in  which  the 
40  years  had  dwindled  to  a  point. — 5  (4).  And  because  he 
hired  against  thee  Bala' am,  son  of  Be  or\  "  he  "  is  the  king  of 
Moab  (Nu.  225'"-  &c.):  the  'Ammonites  are  not  mentioned  in 
connexion  with  Bala'am. — From  Pethor  of  Aram-Naharaini\  in 
Nu.  22^  "  Pethor,  which  is  by  the  River"  {i..e.  the  Euphrates), 
presumably  identical  with  the  Pitru  of  the  Inscriptions,  on  the 

Western  bank  of  the  Euphrates  {KAT.^  155  f.).  Aram-Nahar- 
aim  ("Aram  of  the  two  rivers "  =  Mesopotamia),  as  Gn.  24^0 
Jud.  3^  Ps.  60  titled. — 6  (5).  This  intention  of  the  Moabites 
was,  however,  frustrated  through  Jehovah's  love  of  Israel. 
The  Writer  avails  himself  of  the  opportunity  of  thus  insisting 
on  a  truth  upon  which  he  lays  great  stress  (7^  &c.). — Turned 
the  curse  into  a  blessing\  Nu.  2311- -^*'-  241". — 7  (6).  Thou  shall 
not  seek  their  peace  or  their  prosperity,  all  thy  days  for  ever]  for 
the  expressions,  comp.  Jer.  29'^  Ezr.  9^2  ^^  reminiscence  from 
the  present  passage);  also  Jer.  38^:  all  thy  days,  as  12^^,  cf. 
2219-  29_  Israel  is  not  indeed  permitted  to  hate  the  'Ammonite 
or  the  Moabite ;  but  it  is  to  remain  permanently  indifferent 
to  their  welfare.  As  the  history  abundantly  shows,  hostile 
relations  were  very  apt  to  manifest  themselves  between  the 
Israelites  and  their  neighbours  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
Dead  Sea ;  and  by  the  prophets  both  nations  are  depicted  in 
an   unfavourable  light,   Moab  being  charged  with  assuming 

5.  '?  iD^p]  Is.  21'^:  also  Mi.  6"  ■^.  95". — 6.  'Ji  nax  n'ji]  Jos.  24'":  cf.  on  i-*. 


262  DEUTERONOMY 

towards  Judah  a  haughty,  independent  attitude  (Is.  i6^Jer. 
^320,29.42  Zeph.  2^),  and  the  'Ammonites  with  waging-  cruel 
aggressive  wars  (Am.  i^^),  and  with  exulting  maliciously  over 
Judah's  misfortune  (Zeph.  2^  Ez.  2i3^(-'^)  25'*- 6).  V.'*-''^^-^)  are 
quoted  (in  an  abridged  form)  in  Neh.  13^"-;  and  Neh.  13^  de- 
scribes how  the  principle  embodied  in  them  was  immediately 
acted  upon. — 8-9  (7-8).  The  Edomite  and  the  Egyptian,  how- 
ever, may  be  admitted  in  the  third  generation,  the  former 
because  he  is  Israel's  "brother,"  the  latter  because  Israel  was 
once  a  sojourner  in  his  land. — 8  (7).  Thou  shall  nol  abhvr  ait 
Edomile,forhe  islhy  hrother\  the  feelings  of  rivalry  and  hostility, 
prevalent  generally  between  Israel  and  Edom  (comp.  Gn.  25^3 
2740  Nu.  20I8-21  2  S.  S^'^  (RV.  m.)  14  I  K.  ii^sf.  Am.  i^i  Jer.  497-22 
Ez.  35  Is.  34,  &c.),  are  to  be  overruled  by  the  recollection  of 
the  ties  of  consanguinity  which  bound  the  two  nations  together 
(cf.  on  2*). — Thou  shall  nol  abhor  an  Egyptian^  becatise  Ihou 
wasl  a  slranger  in  his  land  (lo^^)]  the  case  with  Egypt  is 
similar.  In  spite  of  the  Egyptians'  oppression  of  Israel,  in 
spite,  too,  of  the  distrust  and  suspicion  with  which  the  prophets 
viewed  the  political  interference  of  the  Pharaohs  with  the 
affairs  of  Palestine  (comp.  on  17^^),  the  Israelites  had  once 
been  sojourners  in  their  land  ;  and  the  recollection  of  this  fact 
should  soften  their  attitude  towards  them. — 9  (8).  Children 
thai  are  born  lo  Ihem  of  Ihe  Ihird  generalio7i\  i.e.  the  descend- 
ants, in  the  third  generation,  of  an  Edomite,  or  Egyptian, 
settled  in  Canaan,  may  share  the  full  privileges  of  the  native 
Israelite  (of  course  upon  condition  that  they  consented  to  be 
circumcised,  and  made  a  general  profession  of  Israel's  faith). 
It  is  probable  that  under  the  monarchy  there  was  a  good  deal 
of  intercourse  between  Egypt  and  Palestine :  Israelites  are 
mentioned  more  than  once  as  visiting  Egypt,  the  writers  of 
the  same  period  show  considerable  acquaintance  with  the 
peculiarities  of  the  Egyptian  climate  or  soil  (Is.  19;  Am.  9^ 
Nah.  3^''-  Jer.  46")  ;  and  no  doubt  Egyptians  frequently  visited 
Palestine  in  a  similar  way. 

7.  CDiSc  cmn  vh]  Jer.  29''  38^  ())  Ezr.  9^-(+  En3ici,  as  here).— 9.  It  is 
better,  syntactically,  to  place  the  athnah  at  en!?, — '<As  for  the  children 
who  shall  be  bom  to  them,  the  third  generation  may  enter,"  &c 


XXIII.  S-I5  (7-14)    ^  26 


o 


10-15  (9-14).  On  the  purity  and  cleanliness  of  the  camp. — 
When  Israel  is  engaged  in  a  military  expedition,  the  camp  is 
not  to  be  defiled  by  the  presence  within  it  of  any  accidental 
pollution,  V. ^1-12  (10-11).  and  a  place  is  to  be  reserved  outside 
the  camp  for  the  necessities  of  nature,  v.^^-^^^^^'^^).  P  has  a 
law  analogous  to  the  first  of  these  provisions  in  Nu.  s^^^ 
where  it  is  prescribed  that  everyone,  of  either  sex,  who  is  a 
leper,  or  has  an  issue  (see  Lev.  152- 1^-  ^^),  or  is  unclean  through 
contact  with  a  corpse  (Nu.  19^1  311^),  is  to  be  excluded  from 
the  camp :  but  the  two  laws  are  not  identical ;  for  while  the 
prohibition  in  Nu.  is  much  more  comprehensive  than  that  in 
Dt.,  the  particular  case  which  is  alone  contemplated  in  Dt.  is 
not  included  in  Nu.  at  all. — 10  (9).  TV7ie7i  thou  goest  fort]i\  20^ 
2 1 1''. — Thou  shall  keep  thee  (2*)  from  every  evil  thing\  i.e.  (here) 
from  whatever  is  conventionally  unbecoming :  cf.  17^  (phil.  n.). 
— 11  (10).  That  is  7iot  clean  by  reason  of  an  accident  of  the  night] 
see  Lev.  15^*5. — 12  (11).  Be  shall  bathe  himself  with  water;  and 
when  the  sun  goeth  down  (16*^  24^^  Jos.  8-^)  he  shall  come  within 
the  cainp\  the  purification  enjoined  agrees  with  that  prescribed 
in  Lev.  15^''  under  the  same  circumstances,  "he  shall  bathe 
all  his  flesh  with  water,  and  be  unclean  until  the  even."— 
14  (13).  A  paddle  CD^)]  the  word  commonly  denotes  a  tent-pin 
or  -peg  (Jud.  421-  22  ^26  ^/_^^  sometimes  a  peg  or  nail  (Is.  22^^) : 
here  it  must  signify  an  implement  of  similar  form,  suitable  for 
digging  in  the  ground. — 15  (14).  The  reason  of  the  foregoing 
prohibitions,  viz.  lest  Jehovah,  who  accompanies  Israel  in  its 
wars  (20^-  4),  be  obliged  to  withdraw  Himself  from  the  camp 
(cf.  Nu.  5^^). —  Walketh  (l^nnn)]  the  hithp.  conjug.  is  stronger 

10.  n:nD  Ni;n  '3]  "when  thou  goest  forth  as  a.  camp"  :  cf.  2  K.  5^^  "And 
Aram  mna  in^'  came  forth  as  marauding-  bands,"  &c.,  njno,  onnj,  being 
accusatives  defining  how  the  going  forth  took  place  (E\v.  §  279<i;  G-K. 
§  118.  5  c). — 11.  n-ip]  St.  c.  of  nii^.— 12.  my  n-\:sh]  Gn.  2^'^^- :  cf.  ■ip3(n)  msh 
Ex.  14'^^  Jud.  19-6  Ps.  46''t- — 13.  t]  i.e.  side,  place  :  cf.  Nu.  2^'^  Jer.  6^;  and 
on  2^'. — ii.  IMn]  only  here.  Kj'i,  Syr.  saino,  is  a  common  Aram,  word, 
meaning  wea/o»(  =  Heb.  '"jd):  NriN  in  (Zu  (in  J'^'iN  n'2  quiver,  lit.  receptacle  of 
weapons,  Is.  49-  al.)  means  the  same;  and  the  Hcb.  [ix,  prob.  a  technical 
term,  appears  to  be  the  same  word.  The  word  is  construed  collectively ; 
but  many  MSS.  have  the  plural  I'JIt?.  <&  {Iv,  rni  Z,^vns  ffcv),  U  express  hv 
ITiN.  In  IJIN  ^y,  ^V  has  the  sense  of  «w  addition  to,  together  with  (Gn.  28''^ 
31*^  Nu.  318  a/.:  Lex.  Vy  4  b):  cf.  on  22®. — inxs]  AV.,  following  the  Rabb. 


264  ■       DEUTERONOMY 

than  the  qal  [y''^  20'),  and  implies  going  to  and  fro,  going  about 
(see  e.g.  Gn.  3^  13^^  2  S.  y**-"),  i.e.  accompanying-  the  camp 
wherever  it  went. — That  he  may  see  in  thee  no  nakedness  of  a 
thing  ("IIIT  ri^"});')]  i.e.  no  indecency.  The  expression  is  pecuHar, 
but  recurs  24^:  ''nakedness"  is  the  word  commonly  used  to 
denote  the  pudenda  (Gn.  9^2  and  often),  also  used  fig.  of  the 
nakedness  of  a  land  (Gn.  42^- ^^j. — Turn  back  frot7i  following 
thee  ("innso  yy\)]  Ruth  i^*'  i  K.  1921  and  often  ;  of  Jehovah, 
Jer.  32*^.     lAt.  fro>}i  after  thee. 

16-17  (15-16).  Humanity  to  be  shown  to  a  fugitive  slave. 
— A  slave  fleeing  from  hard  treatment  in  a  foreign  land,  and 
taking  refuge  in  Israel,  is  not  to  be  delivered  up  to  his  master, 
but  allowed  to  dwell  in  the  land,  wherever  he  may  please. — 
16(15).  Unto  thcc]  i.e.  to  Israel.— 17  (16).  Within  one  of  thy 
gates^  i.e.  in  one  of  thy  cities  (15''  16''  172  iS*'^;  see  on  12^-), 
implying  that  hitherto  he  had  been  in  a  foreign  land. — 
Thou  shall  not  oppress  him  (I33in  N7)]  Ex.  2220  Lev.  19'"  (of  the 
Gcr) ;  not  elsewhere  in  Dt. 

18-19  (17-18).  Against  religious  prostitution. — No  Israelite, 
of  either  sex,  is  to  become  a  temple-prostitute ;  nor  is  the 
gain  derived  from  any  kind  of  prostitution  to  be  offered  in 
payment  of  a  vow. — Temple-prostitute\  the  allusion  is  to  the 
immoral  and  repulsive  custom,  common  in  Canaanitish  and 
Phoenician  cults,  by  which  persons  of  both  sexes  prostituted 
themselves  in  the  service  of  a  deity.  The  law  in  v.^^^^")  is 
peculiar  to  Dt.  ;  but  Lev.  1822  (cf.  20^^),  though  general  in  its 
wording,  is  aimed  probably  at  the  same  practice. 

Tlie  rendering-s  "harlot"  and  "sodomite"  are  both  inadequate:  in 
neither  case  is  ordinary  immorahty  intended,  but  immorahty  practised  in 
the  worship  of  a  deity,  and  in  the  immediate  precincts  of  a  temple  :  see 

deriv.  from  Hi",  "that  which  cometh  of  thee";  and  the  same  convenient 
euphemism  is  retained  in  RV.  :  but  comparative  philolog-y  shows  that  the 
word  has  really  no  connexion  with  Nii'  (  =  Aram.  NT:  cf.  Dr.  §  178),  but  that 
it  is  cos^fnate  with  the  Syr.  NNi  (P^..)  focdavif,  anrKHf,  NnN^,  sordes,  puTo;, 
and  meansy/7/A  (cf.  nxiii  Is.  4-* «/.).— I'jna]  sing:  (G-K.  §  93.  3.  3).— 16.  cv^] 
j^vj.i:t.i8  Ex.  22"  Lev.  25^1.-17.  i'?  aiaj]  Gn.  20"^  2p  yrv^  3iE5,  Jer.40^''-'.— 
18.  2^3]  the  term  caS^  occurs  in  a  (partly  mutilated)  enumeration  of  the 
ministers  and  other  attendants  attached  to  a  temple  of  "Ashtoreth  at  Larnaca 
in  Cyprus  {CIS.  I.  i.  86  B'"),  whence  it  has  been  supposed  that  it  was  the 
recognized  Phoenician  designation  of  the  Z-ev/JsA/'w  {ib.  p.  95;  OTJC.'-  ^6^  >i.). 


XXIII.   10-19  (i5-i8)  265 

Hdt.  5.  199  (in  Babylon)  ;  Ep.  of  Jeremy  43  (also  in  Babylon)  ;  Strabo,  xii. 
36  {'Aifp/>lirr,s  lifxi  at  Koniana  in  Pontus)  ;  Lucian,  Lucius,  §  38  ;  Athan.  c. 
Gentes,  p.  24  E  ;  Ges.  Thes.  s.v. ;  and  of.  on  22^  Kddcsh  and  Kedcshnh 
are,  respective!)',  the  masc.  and  fern,  of  the  same  adj.  (lit.  sacred),  which 
denotes  a  person  dedicated  to  a  deity  for  the  purposes  indicated  (ffi  TiXunp'opoi 
and  TiXia-Ko/^ivo;,  i.e.  initiafes).  The  kedcshiin  (masc.)  and  kedcshuth  (fern.) 
are  frequently  alluded  to  in  the  OT.,  especially  in  the  period  of  the 
monarchy,  when  rites  of  foreign  origfin  made  their  way  into  both  Israel 
and  Judah  :  see,  for  the  former,  i  K.  14"^  15'-  (banished  from  Judah  by 
Asa)  22^7  («)  2  K.  23''  Job  36"!  ;  for  the  latter,  Gn.  38-i-"  Hos.  4"!  :  comp. 
Jcr.  3--6-8f.  i3_     ^q_  'n,l,y^xxa-yfi'nioi,  i.e.  changed  {oi  se-x)  ;  cf.  on  22^ 

19  (18).  Hire  (pnx)]  the  word  used  regularly  of  the  payment 
made  to  a  harlot  {e.g.  Mic.  i'''  Is.  23^"- ^^  Ez.  i6-^'^) ;  the  ex- 
pression thus  includes  the  g"ains  made  by  an  ordinary  harlot, 
as  well  as  those  of  the  kedeshoth  mentioned  in  the  previous 
verse. — Nor  the  price  of  a  dog\  i.e.  (as  the  context  shows)  the 
price  or  payment  (Mic.  3'^^)  which  a  "dog-"  receives,  "dog" 
(2^3)  being  an  opprobrious  designation  of  the  male  kedcshivi 
referred  to  in  v.^^(i'^) :  comp.  ktVc?  Apoc.  22^^,  and  the  note  below. 
In  the  impure  worships  of  antiquity,  it  was  not  uncommon  for 
the  gains  of  prostitution  to  be  dedicated  to  a  deity  (cf.  Hdt.  i. 
199;  Lucian,  de  den  Syria,  §  6,  Dial.  Meretr.  7,  i;  14,  3; 
Clem.  Al.  Protrcp.  p.  13). — The  house  of  Jehovah  thy  God]  only 
here  in  Dt.  :  cf.  Ex.  2319  =  3426  (JE),  Jos.  62^  Jud.  19I8.  Very 
often  in  Kings,  &c. ,  as  a  designation  of  the  Temple. — Both  of 
theni]  i.e.  both  the  hire  of  a  whore,  and  the  price  of  a  "dog," 
not  both  the  givers  and  their  gifts  :  see,  on  the  force  of  02, 
22^2  (phil.  note). — An  aboniiiiation,  &-'c.]  18^2^ 

20-21  (19-20).  On  usury  (interest).— The  Israelite  is  not 
to  lend  to  his  brother-Israelite  upon  usury  (interest)  ;  he 
may  lend  upon  these  terms  to  a  foreigner,  but  not  to  his 
brother,  if  he  desires  Jehovah's  blessing  to  rest  upon  his 
undertakings.  V.2f  ('•')  is  parallel  with  Ex.  222-i(-'')  in  JE,  and 
Lev.  25'6-37  in  H,  in  both  of  which  passages  a  brotherly  treat- 
ment of  the  impoverished  Israelite  is  inculcated,  and  it  is 
forbidden  to  take  interest  from  him  for  a  loan  ;  the  permission 
to  receive  interest  from  a  foreigner  (though  implicit  in  the 
terms  of  Ex.  and  Lev.)  is  granted  explicitly  only  in  Dt.  ;  and 
the  promise  of  Jehovah's  blessing  is,  of  course,  character- 
istically Deuteronomic  (on  2").     Virtually  all  loans  in  ancient 


266  DEUTERONOMY 

Israel  were,  it  is  probable  (p.  178,  and  below),  those  directed 
to  the  relief  of  distress  ;  and  these  accordingly  are  the  loans 
contemplated  in  the  present  law. — 20  (19).  Thou  shall  nol  make 
thy  brolher  give  inleresl  (^'^'P),  inleresl  of  money,  inlerest  of 
vicluals,  i7tleresl  of  atiylhing  off  which  inlerest  is  givefi]  Ex. 
2224(25)  QE^  <(jf  thou  lend  {'^fp^)  money  to  my  people,  even 
him  that  is  poor  with  thee,  thou  shalt  not  be  to  him  as  a 
creditor  [on  15^];  ye  shall  not  lay  interest  (^^.^)  upon  him"; 
Lev.  2^^^^-  (H)  "Take  thou  of  him  (thy  impoverished  brother, 
V.S5J  no  interest  or  increase  (n''3'ini  !i^3) ;  but  fear  thy  God, 
that  thy  brother  may  live  with  thee.  Thy  money  thou  shalt 
not  give  him  for  interest ;  and  for  increase  thou  shalt  not  give 
(him)  thy  victuals."  "  Usury"  (AV.,  RV.),  it  need  hardly  be 
said,  is  not  used  in  the  OT.  in  the  modern  sense  of  the  term, 
of  exorbitant  interest,  but  (in  accordance  with  its  general 
usage  in  old  English)  of  interest  generally  (whether  reasonable 
or  exorbitant).  The  Heb.  verb  "^^'J  means  commonly  to  bile : 
hence  'nti'J  is,  no  doubt,  properly  something  hillen  off  the  sum 
lent,  in  modern  parlance,  inlerest.  Interest  is  mentioned  else- 
where in  the  OT. — always  with  reprobation — Ez.  i8^-  ^^-  ^''  22I- 
Ps.  155  Pr.  2S^.— Inleresl  of  mo7jey,  &c.]  cf.  Neh.  510.— 21  (20). 
Unto  a  foreigner,  &c.\  comp.  15^. — May  bless  thee,  &c.\  i^^^^ 
24^9^;   12^.— In  the  land,  &'c.]  7I  iiio-29. 

In  condemning'  the  practice  of  taking-  interest  on  money  lent,  Hebrew 
legislation  agreed  with  the  thinkers  of  Greece  and  Rome  (Plato,  Legg.  v. 
742  ;  Arist.  Pol.  i.  10.  5  ;  Cato,  ap.  Cic.  de  Off.  ii.  25  ; — Arist.,  for  instance, 
arguing,  in  view  of  its  Greek  name  toko;,  that  money  being  naturally  barren, 
to  extract  offspring {tova.  it  must  be  contrary  to  nature) ;  and  the  same  opinion 
was  shared  largely  in  the  early  Christian  Church.    The  change  of  sentiment 

20.  'Ji  THN*?  Tii'n  N^]  lit.  (as  it  seems)  "  thou  shalt  not  make  thy  brother 
hite  off,  a  bttingof  Silver ,  &c.,  even  a  d///«o' of  anything  off  which  one  hiteth" 
viz.  for  the  purpose  of  giving  to  the  lender  what  is  so  "bitten  off"  from  the 
principal  lent.  Comp.  Hab»2'-*,  where  there  is  a  play  on  the  double  mean- 
ing of  the  verb :  the  Chaldzean  (v.*^)  "  increases  what  is  not  his  "  (cf.  Pr. 
28"),  i.e.  treats  the  nations  subject  to  him  as  a  usurer :  these  then  rise  up 
against  him  as  his  "debtors,"  but  also  as  those  who  will  "bite"  him 
("I'Dtyj),  i.e.  requite  him  painfully  for  his  extortions.  "  In  Arabic  there  is  a 
parallel  expression  'to  eat  usury.'  For  the  connexion  in  which  ic:  here 
appears  there  is  a  curious  parallel  in  Hadlth  Bokharl,  vii.  60  of  the  Bulaq 
vocalized  edition,  where  the  price  of  blood,  the  price  of  a  dog,  and  the 
'eating  of  usury"  are  forbidden  together.  I  think  this  is  merely  curious; 
probably  the  Hadith  is  due  to  Jewish  influence"  (W.R.S.). 


XXIII.    20-2I    (I9-20  267 

which  has  supervened  in  modern  times  is  due  partly  to  a  clearer  perception 
of  the  nature  and  use  of  money,  partly  to  the  fact  that  the  purposes  for 
which  loans  are  now  required,  are  (as  a  rule)  dift'erent  from  those  for 
which  they  were  needed  in  ancient  societies.  In  modern  times  loans  are 
required  principally  by  merchants  and  other  traders,  for  the  purpose  of 
developing  an  industry  by  increasing  the  capital  with  which  it  is  worked  ; 
and  the  increased  capital  bringing  with  it  an  increased  income,  it  is  both 
natural  and  proper  that  a  reasonable  payment  should  be  made  for  the 
accommodation,  just  as  would  be  done  for  the  loan  {i.e.  the  hire)  of  a 
house,  or  of  any  other  commodity.  In  ancient  times,  however,  commercial 
relations  were  comparatively  undeveloped,  and  loans  were  commonly 
needed  for  the  purpose  of  relieving  distress  (cf.  Ex.  22-''  (^^)) ;  the  borrower 
was  not  a  solvent  man,  able  and  willing  to  pay  a  price  for  what,  as  he 
well  knew,  would  enable  him  to  extend  his  business  with  profit  to  himself, 
but  a  man  reduced  to  poverty  by  misfortune  and  debt,  to  exact  interest 
from  whom  seemed  tantamount  to  making  gain  out  of  a  neighbour's  need. 
The  loans  on  which  interest  was  prohibited,  were  thus  originally  not 
advances  of  money  needed  for  the  development  of  a  commercial  industry, 
but  advances  intended  for  the  relief  of  destitution  (cf.  p.  178) ;  a  system  of 
commercial  loans  (as  distinguished  from  charitable  loans)  was  only  intro- 
duced gradually ;  and  even  when  it  was  introduced,  it  was  still  long 
before  it  was  clearly  seen  that  the  two  stood  upon  different  footings,  and 
that  interest  on  the  former  (provided  its  rate  was  not  exorbitant)  was 
legitimate  and  just.  But  the  feeling  with  which  the  ancients  regarded  all 
interest,  is  of  course  still  rightly  maintained  towards  excessive,  or  usurious 
interest.  Cf.  Grote,  Hisf.  of  Greece,  Part  ii.  ch.  xi.  pp.  311-315,  356  f. 
By  the  later  Jews  the  practice  of  taking  interest  was  strongly  condemned 
(Hamburger,  Real-Encycl.  f.  Bibel  u.  Talm.  \.  s.v.  ZiNS  ;  supplementary 
volume,  ^.2/.  Wucher),  and  abstention  from  it  was  considered  so  meritorious 
that  it  was  deemed  tantamount  to  accepting  "  the  yoke  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  "  {Siphra,  p.  109"=,  on  Lev.  25^^).  In  Mt.  25^^  (the  parable  of  the 
talents)  it  is  mentioned  without  any  mark  of  disapproval. 

22-24  (21-23).  On  vows. — A  vow,  once  made,  is  to  be 
religiously  performed  :  but  being-  an  obligation  incurred  volun- 
tarily, it  is  no  sin  to  a  man  if  he  does  not  make  one.  The 
habit  of  making  vows,  i.e.  of  promising  solemnly  before  God 
to  offer  a  sacrifice,  or  perform  some  other  religious  duty,  in 
case  a  prayer  or  other  earnest  desire  be  granted,  was  a  common 
one  in  antiquity ;  and  many  instances  are  recorded  in  the  OT. 
(Gn.  2820  Nu.  2i2  Jud.  ijso  i  S.  i^i  2  S.  15'f);  hence  it  is  not 
more  than  natural  that  laws  should  have  been  framed  for  the 
purpose  of  regulating  the  practice,  and  defining  the  conditions 
under  which  a  vow  should  be  valid.  No  legislation  on  the 
subject  is  however  contained  in  JE ;  in  P,  the  conditions  under 
which  vows  are  valid  are  defined  in  Nu.  30,  the  passage  which 


268  DEUTERONOMY 

is  parallel  to  the  present  law  beinj^  v.^^-),  which  lays  down  the 
principle  that  a  vow  made  by  a  man  is  in  all  cases  binding- 
(the  rest  of  the  chapter  specifying-  the  conditions  under  which 
vows  made  by  women  are,  or  are  not,  binding).  The  place  at 
which  all  vows  are  to  be  paid,  has  been  stated  previously  in 
Dt.  I2C-11- 17. 2c^ — 22(21).  When  thoic  shall  vow  a  vow  unto 
Jehovah  thy  God.,  Ihoii  shall  nol  delay  la  pay  tt\  Nu.  3o''(-'> 
"When  a  man  voweth  a  vow  unto  Jehovah,  or  sweareth  an 
oath  to  bind  a  bond  upon  his  soul  (himself),  he  shall  not 
profane  his  word :  according-  to  all  that  g-oeth  forth  out  of  his 
mouth  shall  he  do."  Not  only  is  the  vow  to  be  performed  as 
it  was  promised,  the  performance  of  it  is  not  to  be  unduly 
deferred.  Much  stress  is  laid  in  the  prophetic  and  poetical 
books  on  the  payment  (D?'^',  lit.  to  make  whole,  i.e.  make  good, 
pay  fully)  of  vows,  partly  as  a  duty  to  be  promptly  rendered, 
partly  as  implying  the  welcome  fact  that  the  hope  or  desire, 
which  inspired  the  vow,  has  been  gratified:  see  Is.  19^1  Nah. 

21  (1^5)  Jon.  210  Ps.  222<;  501-1  561^  61!^  652  ee'sf-  7612  nei-i-is 

Job  22^7;  comp.  also  (based  on  this  and  the  next  verse)  Eccl. 
g3f.  (4f.),  Warnings  ag-ainst  precipitate  vows  are  given  in 
Pr.  2o25  Eccl.  5^(''). — Require  it  of  thee\  iS^^, — And  it  will  he  sin 
in  thee]  viz.  if  thou  do  not  pay  it:  cf.  v. 23 (■2-')  159.-24  (23). 
The  utterance  (8=*)  of  thy  lips  (^'nsit;'  syio)]  or  "that  which  is 
gone  forth  out  of  thy  lips."  The  expression  is  used  of  a  solemn 
declaration  or  promise;  Nu.  3013(12)  pg.  g^.-is  jej-.  171":  cf.  the 
cogn.  verb,  Nu.  30^(2)  222-*  Jer.  44^"  Is.  452^;  and  ''  "S  N^'io 
c.  8'^. — Observe  and  do]  4''. — According  as  thou  hast  vowed  freely 
unto  Jehovah  thy  God  that  which  thou  hast  spoken  [promised) 
with  thy  7nouth]  the  words  are  explanatory  of  the  preceding- 
"pris:;'  S^*1?D  ;  whatever  has  been  voluntarily  offered  to  Jehovah 
in  the  vow,  is  to  be  duly  rendered  to  Him.  '^'^Ih  it  seems, 
must  be  taken  adverbially  (Hos.  i4^('*));  it  is  ag-ainst  the 
rend,  of  RV.,  that  a  "free-will  offering"  was  made  under 
different  conditions  from  a  vow,  and  is  mentioned  as  something- 
distinct  from  it  (Dt.  i2*'-i7  Lev.  7'**  «/.). — Spoken  with  thy 
nwuth]  cf.  I  K.  81^-  2^  Jer.  4420. 

25-26  (24-25).  Regard  to  be  sho-wn  for  a  neighbour's  crops. 
22.  Ci'O  m]  1 813. 


XXIII.  22  (2i)-XXIV  269 

— The  Israelite,  as  he  passes  through  a  neighbour's  vineyard, 
may  pick  and  eat  the  grapes,  as  he  goes  along,  but  may  not 
carry  any  away  in  a  vessel ;  similarly,  as  he  passes  through  a 
neighbour's  cornfield,  he  may  pluck  the  ears  with  his  hand, 
but  must  not  cut  off  any  with  a  sickle.  Both  laws  are  peculiar 
to  Dt.  They  are  adapted  to  check  an  avaricious  spirit  on 
either  side.  The  owner  of  a  vineyard,  or  field  of  grain,  is  not 
to  grudge  the  passer-by  a  few  grapes  or  ears  of  corn,  if  he 
plucks  them  as  he  walks  along  (comp.  the  case  of  the  gleaners, 
24^9-21^ ;  on  the  other  hand,  the  passer-by  is  not  to  take  advan- 
tage of  the  liberty  thus  granted  to  him,  for  the  purpose  of 
enriching  himself  unreasonably  at  his  neighbour's  expense. — 
25  (24).  At  thine  own  pleasure]  lit.  according  to  thy  sonl,  i.e.  thy 
appetite;  cf.  Pr.  1325  (irSJ  V±h  ^DN  p^^V)  Ps.  1079  Is.  58^1,  and 
on  1220  1426. — 26(25).  The  disciples  of  Jesus  were  justified  by 
this  law  in  what  they  did  in  the  cornfields,  Mt.  12^  Lk.  6^.  The 
Rabbinical  teachers  of  Christ's  day,  however,  treated  "pluck- 
ing" as  a  species  of  reaping,  and  "rubbing"  (Lk.  6^)  as  a 
species  of  threshing ;  hence  both  came  under  the  category  of 
"work"  or  "business"  (riDS^D),  and  were  pronounced  unlaw- 
ful on  the  Sabbath  day.  See  Edersheim,  Life  and  Times  0/ 
Jesus,  ii.  56,  780.  The  custom  is  still  observed  in  Palestine 
(Rob.  BR.  i.  493,  499). 

XXIV.  1-4.  On  divorce.  A  divorced  woman,  after  con- 
tracting a  second  marriage,  is  not  to  be  re-married  to  her 
former  husband. — The  rend,  of  AV.,  RV.,  is  not  here  quite 
exact;  v.^-^  form  the  protasis,  stating  the  conditions  of  the 
case  contemplated,  v.*  is  the  apodosis.  The  law  is  thus  not, 
properly  speaking,  a  law  of  divorce :  the  right  of  divorce  is 
assumed,  as  established  by  custom  (comp.  22^^-  ~'^,  two  cases 
in  which  the' right  is  forfeited);  but  definite  legal  formalities 
are  prescribed,  and  restrictions  are  imposed,  tending  to 
prevent  its  being  lightly  or  rashly  exercised  (see  p.  272). 
There  is  no  corresponding  law  in  the  other  Codes  of  the  Pent.; 
like  Dt.,  H  and  P  take  the  custom  of  divorce  for  granted 
(Lev.  2i7-i4  22^^  Nu.  3o'"(''^);  but  they  contain  no  legislation 

25.  li'ac']  accus.  of  manner :  cf.  ll2'a^  ^;n  Lev.  25^^  26^ — 26.  1'JnJ  Ex. 
20^  Job.  &^  Is.  io^\ 


270  DEUTERONOMY 

respecting'  It.  The  law  of  Dt.  is  quoted,  and  applied  didactic- 
ally, in  Jer.  3^  (in  v.^^  read  as  RV.  marg.'). — 1-4.  Render: 
**  When  a  man  taketh  a  wife,  and  marrieth  her,  and  it  cometh 
to  pass,  if  she  find  no  favour  in  his  eyes,  because  he  hath 
found  in  her  some  indecency,  that  he  writeth  her  a  bill  of 
divorce,  and  delivereth  it  into  her  hand,  and  sendeth  her  out 
of  his  house,  (2)  and  she  departeth  out  of  his  house,  and  goeth 
and  becometh  another  man's  wife,  (3)  and  the  latter  husband 
hateth  her  and  writeth  her  a  bill  of  divorce,  and  delivereth 
it  into  her  hand,  and  sendeth  her  out  of  his  house ;  or  if  the 
latter  husband,  which  took  her  to  be  his  wife,  die ;  (4)  her 
former  husband,  which  sent  her  away,  may  not  take  her  again 
to  be  his  wife,  after  that  she  is  defiled." — 1.  Fhicl  no  favour  in 
his  eyes]  a  common  Hebrew  expression :  Gn.  6^  18^  19^^  &c. 
— Becatise  he  hath  found  in  her  some  indecency]  the  feeling 
prompting"  a  husband  to  divorce  his  wife  must  rest  upon  a 
definite  and  substantial  ground.  The  expression  rendered 
•'indecency"  (13'^  ri1")y)  has  occurred  before  in  23^5(14).  jt  jg 
lit.  the  nakedness  of  a  thing,  and  signifies  most  probably  some 
improper  or  indecent  behaviour  ((5  a.cryri\i.ov  Trpayixa). 

The  expression  is  a  peculiar  one  ;  and  different  views  have  been  held 
as  to  what  is  denoted  by  it.  Of  the  Jewish  legalists,  the  school  of 
Shammai  (i  cent.  B.C.),  pressing  the  word  "nakedness,"  understood  it  of 
unchastity,  the  school  of  Hillel,  pressing  (in  Rabbinical  fashion)  the  word 
"thing,"  and  the  clause  "if  she  find  no  favour  in  his  eyes"  (though  this, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  is  qualified  by  the  following  words,  "because  he  finds 
some  indecency  in  her"),  supposed  the  most  trivial  causes  to  be  included, 
declaring,  for  instance,  that  a  wife  might  be  divorced,  even  if  she  burnt 
her  husband's  food  (I'j'B'^n  nnnpn  i'j^sn),  or  if  he  saw  a  woman  who  pleased 
him  better  (Gi/iin,  ix.  10:  cf.  Mt.  19^  :/  .  .  .  xara  -rairat  a!rUv;  Jos.  Ani. 
iv.  8.  23  Kxf  a.An-n'ordvt  a'lTias).  It  may  however  be  doubted  how  far  the 
latter  opinion  was  literally  acted  upon.  The  grounds  mentioned  in  the 
Mishnah  as  justifying  divorce  are,  violation  of  the  law  of  Moses,  or  of 
Jewish  customs,  the  former  being  said  to  consist  in  a  woman's  causing  her 
husband  to  eat  food,  on  which  tithe  has  not  been  paid  ;  in  causing  him  to 
oftcnd  against  the  law  of  Lev.  I8'^  in  not  setting  apart  the  first  of  the 
dough  (Nu.  is'-"'-)*  3^"d  in  failing  to  perform  any  vow  which  she  has  made  ; 
and  the  latter  in  appearing  in  public  with  dishevelled  hair,  spinning  (and 
exposing  her  arms)  in  the  streets,  and  conversing  indiscriminately  with 
men,  to  which  others  added,  speaking  disrespectfully  of  her  husband's 
parents  in  his  presence,  or  brawling  in  his  house  {Kethuboth  vii.  6). 
The  Karaite  Jews  limited  the  grounds  of  divorce  more  exclusively  to 
offences  against  modesty  or  good   taste,  a   change   of  religion,  serious 


XXIV.   1-3  271 

bodily  defects,  and  repulsive  complaints  (see  Ad.  Neubauer,  .Uis  der 
Petersh.  Bihliothek,  1866,  pp.  nJ,  loi  ;  Aaron  ben  Elia,  Can  'Eden,  p.  ^3p5, 
c.  24  of  cx':  ms).  That  the  iii  nnv  denotes  something-  short  of  actual 
unchastity,  may  be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  for  this  a  different  penalty 
is  enacted,  viz.  death  {22--^;  in  23'^  ('■*',  also,  the  same  expression  is  used, 
not  of  what  is  immoral,  but  only  of  what  is  unbecoming-.  It  is  most 
natural  to  understand  it  of  immodest  or  indecent  behaviour. 

Writeth  her  a  hill  of  divorce  (nn''13  "•??)]  lit.  a  writ  of  cutting 
off  (cf.   Sir.  25^6   ttTTOTe/Ae),  or  scparaiiofl   (ffi  (3l/3Xiov  aTroo-rao-tov, 
as  Mt.  5^1  197  Mk.  lo*) :  so  v.^  Jer.  3^  Is.  c^o^j.     The  husband's 
determination    to   divorce   his   wife   must   be   attested   by   a 
properly  formulated  legal   document. — A?2d  delivereth  it  into 
her  hand\  so  v. 3.     The  deed  must,   so  to  say,   be  formally 
served  upon  the  wife.     The  conditions  which  a  deed  of  divorce 
(called  in  post-Biblical  Hebrew  a  Get),  in  order  to  be  valid, 
must  satisfy,  and  the  formalities  to  be  observed  for  its  due 
delivery  to  the  woman,  as  defined  by  the  later  Jews,  are  stated 
at  lensfth  in  the  treatise  of  the  Mishnah  called  Gittin. — And 
sendeth  her  away  ip^T^'^)  out  of  his  hotise]  a  third  formality  (so 
V.3) :  the  woman  must  be  sent  forth  formally,  by  her  husband, 
out  of  his  house,     np'j'  to  send  away  or  dismiss  is  the  usual 
Heb.  word  for  divorce;    cf.  v.*  22i9-29  Is.   50^   Mai.   2^^.     A 
divorced  woman  is  '^t;?'^"'?,  lit.  one  driven  out,  expelled  {Lev.  21^^ 
22^3  Nu.  30^0  Ez,  44221) .  but  the  verb  en:  is  not  found  in  this 
sense   (Gn.    21^''  being  scarcely  an  instance).     The  right  of 
divorce,  it  will  be  noticed,  rests  solely  with  the  husband ;  no 
provision  is  made  for  the  case  of  a  wife  seeking  redress  for  her 
husband's  misbehaviour.     By  the  later  Jews,   the  wife  was 
permitted   in    certain   cases   to   claim   a   divorce,   viz.    if  her 
husband  were  a  leper,  or  afflicted  with  a  polypus,  or  engaged 
in  a  repulsive  trade  [Kethuboth,  vii.  10). — 3.  Hate  her]  cf.  22^''. 
The  expression,    which  includes   no   reference   to  a   positive 
offence  on  the  woman's  part,  might  be  taken  to  show  that  a 
husband    could    divorce   his  wife   upon   slight  and   arbitrary 
grounds  ;  but  as  a  second  husband  would  hardly  enjoy  greater 
liberty  of  divorce  than  a  first,  it  is  only  reasonable  to  interpret 
it  in  the  light  of  v.^,   as  implying  some  impropriety  as  its 

XXIY  2.  )  nn'ni]  prop,  come  to  belong  to,  become  the  property  of',  of  a 
woman,  the  standing  expression  for  to  be  married  to  :  Jud.  14-"  15*^  cA 


272  DEUTERONOMY 

occasion. — 4.  Aflcr  tlidt  she  is  dcfilcd\  the  union  of  a  divorced 
woman  with  another  man,  from  the  point  of  view  of  her  first 
husband,  faUing  into  the  same  category  as  adultery,  to  which 
this  term  is  applied  (Lev.  18^0  Nu.  5i:i.i4. 20),  "The  marriage 
of  a  divorced  woman  is  thus  treated  implicitly  as  tantamount 
to  adultery,  and  the  way  is  prepared  for  the  teaching-  of  Christ 

on  the   subject   of  marriage,  os  euv  aTroAcAv/xeVr/v  ya/jiya-r)  fJ.(>Lx<iT(a 

Mt.  5^2"  (Keil). — A71  ahominatlon  before  JchovaIi\  a  variation 

of  the  usual  expression  "Jehovah's  abomination"  (on  'j--'); 

"  before  "  as  v.^^  Gn.  7^ — And  tJion  shalf  not  cause  the  land  to 

shi\  cf.  Jer.  3^     The  land  is  conceived  by  the  Hebrews  as  in 

moral  sympathy  with  the  people  living  upon  it,   and  is  thus 

almost  personified  (Ez.  14^^  Is.  24-O'') ;  it  is  "  polluted  "  under 

its  inhabitants  (Is.   24-^),  and  "defiled"  by  their  immoralities 

(Lev.  18-'').     Here  to  sin  denotes  (or  at  least  includes)  to  incur 

the  guilt  and  consequences  of  sin  ;  cf.   Is.  29^^  Eccl.  5^ ;  and 

the  subst.  sin  (nDH)  in  15^^, — Is  giving  thee\  4-^ 

Hebrew  law,  as  remarked  above,  does  not  institute  divorce,  but 
tolerates  it,  in  view  of  the  imperfections  of  human  nature  {^fh  -rh' 
a-xXtipoxupSiiicv  iifiuv,  Mt.  19*),  and  lays  down  regulations  tending  to  limit  it, 
and  preclude  its  abuse.  Thus  the  law  of  Dt.  provides  //iree  guarantees 
against  rash  or  arbitrary  divorce  :  a  definite  and  substantial  ground  must 
be  alleged  ;  a  proper  legal  instrument  must  be  prepared  ;  and  the  case  (it 
is  implied)  must  be  brought  before  some  public  functionary,  who  would 
not  only  secure  the  due  observance  of  the  requisite  legal  formalities,  but 
also  take  care  that  the  grounds  alleged  were  sufficient,  and  consider  any 
defence  that  might  be  offered.  The  deed,  moreover,  in  order  that  the 
divorce  may  be  legally  valid,  must  be  delivered  into  the  wife's  hand,  and 
she  must  be  formally  sent  by  her  husband  out  of  his  house.  It  is  evident 
that  the  time  and  expense  involved  in  these  formalities  would  tend  to  check 
a  divorce  suit  being  rashly  instituted  ;  the  husband  would  have  opportunity 
for  reconsideration,  and  the  intervention  of  a  public  magistrate  would 
prevent  proceedings  being  instituted  upon  wanton  or  frivolous  grounds. 
The  further  provision  in  Dt.  that  a  divorced  woman  who  had  married  a 
second  time,  should  not  return  to  her  former  husband,  would  operate 
similarly  as  a  deterrent  from  hasty  divorce,  or,  if  the  divorce  had  actually 
taken  place,  it  would  lead  the  husband  to  consider  the  possibility  of  taking 
his  wife  back,  while  he  was  still  at  liberty  to  do  so,  viz.  before  she  had 
bound  herself  to  a  second  husband  ;  it  would  also  be  of  value  in  a  different 
direction  by  checking,  on  the  part  of  a  woman  desirous  of  returning  to  her 
former  home,  the  temptation  to  intrigue  against  her  second  husband.     In 

i,  riN^an]  G-K.  §  54^:  the  pausal  form  (for  nx-pon)  on  account  of  the 
Zaqef{c.i.  on  7^). 


XXIV.  4-6  273 

two  cases  tlio  n>;lit  of  divorce  is  Avitlihcld,  viz.  where  a  man  slanders  his 
newl^'-married  wife  as  unchaste,  or  seduces  her  before  marriage  (22^'"  -"), 
the  ground,  no  doubt,  being,  in  tlie  former  case,  that  a  husband  guilty  of 
such  a  mean  attempt  to  get  rid  of  his  wife  deserved  to  forfeit  the  right 
altogether,  and  in  the  latter  case,  that  a  woman  who  had  been  so  treated 
had  a  claim  to  special  consideration  at  her  husband's  hands,  and  should 
not  be  exposed  to  the  additional  disgrace  of  a  divorce. 

Malachi  (2^^"'")  deplores  the  frequency  of  divorce  in  his  day,  and 
declares  that  it  is  hateful  to  Jehovah.  The  Rabbis  in  a  later  age  dis- 
couraged the  practice  as  much  as  they  could  do :  at  the  same  time,  the 
passages  from  the  Mishnah  cited  above,  show  that  it  was  permitted  upon 
grounds  which,  judged  by  a  Christian  standard,  would  be  deemed  in- 
sufficient ;  and  perhaps  the  indistinctness  of  the  expression  used  in  Dt. 
may  have  contributed  to  this  laxity.     Comp.  the  counsel  of  Sir.  25^^''  f^ii 

Saij  il^ccTi  S/s;«Sov,  ^»;?£  yuvaiK'i  Tfovripa.  i^ovffiav  £i  [A.h  •^oplvirai  xa,Ta  X-'P"'  '^""t  "■'"'^ 
Tuv  fftt.py.ut  aov  aToTffit  auTriV  (see  also  7"*'  '^^'  42^). 

The  minuter  regulations  of  the  later  Jews,  on  the  subject  of  divorce, 
are  contained  chief!}'  in  the  Mishnic  treatises  Kethiihoth  (i.e.  marriage- 
contracts)  and  Gittin, — both  translated  in  De  Sola  and  Raphall,  Eighteen 
Treatises  of  the  Mishna,  1843 :  see  further  Saalschiitz,  Mos.  RecJif, 
p.  799  ff.  ;  Edersheim,  Life  afid  Times  of  Jesus,  ii.  332-334  ;  Hamburger, 
Real-EncycL  f  Bibel  u.  Taint.  \.  s.v.  ScHElDEN,  ii.  s.v.  SCHEIDUNG  (where 
the  formalities  that  must  be  observed  in  the  preparation  of  a  legal  Get  are 
enumerated) ;  Kitto,  Bihl.  Cyclop.^  iii.  89  f.  The  legal  form  of  a  Get  may 
be  seen  in  Selden,  Uxor  Hebr.  (1673)  p.  369  f.  ;  Surenhusius,  Mishna,  iii. 
323,  325  f. ;  Hamburger,  ii.  I.e. ;  cf.  also  Gittin,  ix.  3.  For  two  interesting 
specimens  of  ancient  A'c/'/zf/ZiOi'/i  (a.  D.  1095  and  1 164)  see  A.  Merx,  Docnmenls 
de  Paliographie  Hebr.  et  Arabe  (1894),  p.  35  ff. — On  divorce-customs  in 
other  countries,  see  Post,  Fam.iUenrecht,  p.  249  ff. 

5.  No  military  service,  or  other  public  duty,  is  to  be 
imposed  upon  a  man  during  the  first  year  after  his  marriage. 
— Peculiar  to  Dt.  The  law  is  analogous  to  those  in  20^"'^,  and 
is  prompted  by  the  same  spirit  of  consideration  for  a  man's 
domestic  relations,  and  the  same  unwillingness  to  interfere 
with  them  unnecessarily. — Neither  shall  any  btisiness  be  imposed 
upon  hhn\X\\..  pass  over  zipon  hi?n  (Job  13^^):  i.e.  his  services 
are  not  to  be  requisitioned  for  any  public  purpose. — He  shall 
he  free  {^\>^)  for  his  house  for  07ie  year\  i.e.  exempted  (i  K.  15^^) 
from  other  duties,  and  free  to  attend  to  the  interests  of  his 
new  home. 

6.  The  mill,  or  the  upper  millstone,  not  to  be  taken  in 

S.  "I3T  727]  7  {  =  as  regards)  is  here  very  peculiar,  though  there  are  some 
approximate  parallels  in  late  Heb.,  i  Ch.  28^''- 21  29*^  2  Ch.  f^  (||  i  K.  98 
without  "?) :  Lex.  *?  5  e  e. — 6.  Nin]  he, — such  a  one  as  is  mentioned  in  cl.* 
(Job  13^8). 

18 


2  74  DF.UTEROXOMY 

pledge. — The  hand-mill  is  an  article  in  every  household  in  the 
East:  it  is  indispensable  for  keeping-  the  family  supplied  with 
food;  and  every  morning  its  dull,  grating  sound  is  heard 
throughout  an  Eastern  village  (of.  Jer.  25^'^  Rev.  iS^^).  The 
law  is  analogous  to  the  one  in  v.^^-ia-  a,nd  like  it  imposes  a 
wholesome  limitation  on  the  power  exercised  by  the  creditor 
over  the  debtor :  how  liable  this  power  was  to  be  abused  may 
be  inferred  from  such  passages  as  Am.  2^  Pr.  22^7  Job  22". — 
The  villi,  or  the  upper  miilstoiie^  i.e.  either  the  whole  mill, 
or  even  the  upper  millstone  alone  (which  revolves  upon  the 
lower  stone,  and  without  which,  of  course,  the  mill  is  useless). 
The  Jidnd-mill  (Q'D?.)  consists  of  two  flat  circular  stones,  worked 
usually  by  two  women  (Mt.  24^^)  seated  on  the  ground,  as 
anciently  by  female  slaves  (Ex.  ii-^  Is.  47-);  the  work  being 
hard,  and  deemed  degrading,  was  not  performed  by  men 
except  such  as  were  captives  (Jud.  16-^  Lam.  5^^).  The 
"upper  millstone"  (337.,  lit.  the  "chariot,"  or  rider)  is  men- 
tioned also  Jud.  g'"''  (2  S.  ii^i). — For  he  (emph.  :  viz.  one  that 
doeth  this)  taketli  a  life  [soul)  in  pledge^  the  hand-mill,  as  just 
said,  supplying-  a  family  with  its  daily  bread,  and  so  being- 
tantamount  to  the  life  of  those  dependent  upon  it. 

7.  Against  man  -  stealing. — A  man  discovered  to  have 
stolen,  and  sold  into  slavery,  a  brother-Israelite  is  to  be 
punished  with  death.  The  law  is  virtually  a  repetition  of  Ex. 
21^*'  in  JE,  the  phraseology  being  merely  recast  in  the  Deutero- 
nomic  mould. — If  a  man  he  found  (21^  22--)  stealing  any  of 
his  brethren  of  the  children  of  Israel,  and  lie  play  the  master 
over  him  (21^-*),  and  sell  him,  then  that  thief  shall  r//V]  Ex.  21^" 
"  He  that  stealeth  a  man,  and  selleth  him,  or  if  he  {i.e.  the 
man  stolen)  be  found  in  his  hand,  shall  surely  be  put  to  death." 
In  Dt.  the  object  of  the  verb  "stealeth  "  is  expressly  limited 
to  an  Israelite.  By  sell  him  is  no  doubt  meant  sell  him  into 
slavery  in  a  foreign  land. — Brethren\  15-. — So  thou  shall  ex- 
terminate, 6-^c.]  i3^(°\ 

8-9.  On  leprosy. — In  dealing  with  the  plague  of  leprosy, 
the  Israelites  are  to  attend  carefully  to  the  directions  given  to 
them  by  the  Levitical  priests ;  and  to  bear  also  in  mind  what 
7.  cn:i\=person,  as  10^  and  often. 


XXIV.  7-IO  275 

Jehovah  did  to  Miriam,  as  they  came  forth  out  of  Egypt  (Nu. 
i2i^'').  In  JE  no  provision  is  made  for  the  treatment  of 
leprosy  ;  but  in  the  Priests'  Code  the  subject  is  handled  with 
great  minuteness,  in  view  of  the  different  cases  that  are  likely 
to  arise,  in  two  long  chapters,  Lev.  13-14.  The  law,  as  it 
stands  here,  cannot  be  taken  as  proof  that  Lev.  13-14  existed 
in  its  present  shape  at  the  time  when  Dt.  was  written  ;  but  it 
is  sufficient  evidence  both  that  a  Torah  on  the  subject  was  in 
the  possession  of  the  priests,  and  that  the  principles  which 
it  embodied  were  of  recognized  authority,  and  referred  to  a 
divine  origin  ("as  I  have  commanded  them"). — 8.  Take  heed\ 
of.  4^. — The  plague  (W3)  oflcpros_\^  lit.  touch  or  stroke  (178  2i5), 
— here  of  the  physical  mark  {irXrjyij)  produced  by  a  malignant 
complaint  (cf.  i  K.  8^'''  Ps.  91^°),  and  a  standing  expression  in 
Lev.  13-14  (v.2-  3-  9  &c.) ;  cf.  the  cogn.  verb,  2  K.  15^. — Observe 
.  .  .  a?id  do]  4®. — According  to  all  that  the  priests  the  Levitcs 
(18^)  shall  direct you\  17^^^'  (where  obedience  to  the  **  direction  " 
of  the  priests  is  similarly  enjoined) :  the  verb  is  the  one  ('"'"J^'^) 
used  of  the  technical  "direction,"  given  by  the  priests  (cf.  on 
17^0);  and  the  regulations  contained  in  Lev.  13-14  are  called 
by  the  corresponding  subst.,  the  Torah  of  leprosy  (13^^ 
1432.54.57^, — ^23]  (G  Sam.  minn  ^33. — As  I  have  commajidcd 
them]  the  first  person,  of  Jehovah,  as  7*. — Observe  to  do]  5^ — 
9.  Remember,  &c.]  cf.  7'*^^;  and  esp.  251''. — Unto  Miriani]  see 
Nu.  12  (JE).  A  solemn  admonition  to  remember  not  only 
how  Miriam  was  suddenly  smitten  with  leprosy,  but  also  how 
seriously  it  was  treated,  Miriam  being  excluded  from  the  camp 
for  seven  days  (Nu.  \2^'^^-').—By  the  waj',  Gt'c]  23''(')  2^^'^. 

10-13.  On  pledges. — When  an  Israelite  lends  to  his  neigh- 
bour on  the  security  of  a  pledge,  he  is  not  to  go  into  the 
house  for  the  purpose  of  fetching  his  pledge  ;  the  right  of 
selecting  the  article  offered  is  to  remain  with  the  borrower. 
And  if  the  borrower  be  a  poor  man,  and  offer  his  mantle  as  the 
pledge,  it  is  to  be  restored  to  him  at  sunset,  in  order  that  he 

8.  a  TCcn]  in,  i.e.  in  the  matter  of  (Ex.  23^''  2  S.  20^"),  when  the  case 
arises;  not  against  (F,  Schultz,  Kail),  which  would  be  p  (23'"  Jud.  13'-' 
Jer.  9^),  not  3. — 10.  nrn]  15-. — laay  eav'?]  for  him  to  give  his  pledge  (cf. 
on  15^), — with  a  change  of  subj.,  as  sometimes  happens  with  the  inf.  (4''). 


276  DEUTERONOMY 

may  not  be  deprived  of  his  covering-  for  the  night.  Loans  on 
interest  (23-"'")  are  forbidden:  but  loans  on  the  security  of  a 
pledge  are  permitted ;  and  the  two  present  provisions  are 
designed  to  prevent  the  creditor's  abusing  his  legitimate  rights, 
or  enforcing-  them  vexatiously  (Job  22''^  24^).  The  second  is 
based  upon  Ex.  22-''^'"(26f.):  the  first  is  peculiar  to  Dt.,  and  like 
those  in  v.^-  ^"*^,  is  intended  as  a  further  restriction  on  the 
arbitrary  power  of  the  creditor.  The  terms  of  both  provisions 
show  that  commercial  and  monetary  transactions  (cf.  p.  178) 
are  still  of  a  relatively  simple  character. — 12.  And  if  he  be  a 
poor  7nan,  thou-  sJialt  not  sleep  in  his  pledge\  as  the  next  verse 
shows,  the  pledge  contemplated  is  a  mantle  (noTw) — perhaps 
the  only  article  that  a  poor  man  would  have  at  his  disposal 
for  the  purpose,  as  well  as  his  only  covering-  by  night  (Ex. 
2220(27)^^  So  Ex.  222^(-'^)  "  If  thou  take  thy  neighbour's  mantle 
(no^c)  to  pledg-e,  thou  shalt  restore  it  to  him  against  sunset." 
A  garment  was  a  common  article  to  offer  as  a  pledge  (24^^ 
Am.  2^  Pr.  20^"  27^'^  Job  22*^) ;  and  the  salmCih  (or  simlaJi)  was 
the  larg-e  quadrangular  over-mantle,  or  plaid  (cf.  on  22I"), 
which  was  used  for  sleeping-  in,  and  for  other  purposes  (Ex. 
12^*  Jud.  8'^^  I  S.  21^0).  On  the  duty  of  restoring  pledges,  see 
also  Ez.  1 8"-  ^2  3315^ — And  to  thee  it  shall  he  righteousness^  6^^. 

14-15.  Justice  towards  hired  servants. — The  wages  of  a 
poor  hired  servant  are  not  to  be  withheld  from  him  after  the 
time  when  they  are  due  ;  they  are  to  be  paid  to  him  regularly 
at  the  end  of  his  day's  labour.  One  of  the  many  laws  in  which 
Dt.  abounds,  not  less  than  the  codes  of  JE  and  H,  inculcating 
equity  and  consideration  towards  those  in  a  position  of 
dependence  or  want.  The  parallel  in  H  is  Lev.  ig^^b^ — Thoic 
shalt  not  oppress  (or  defraud)^  I'V'V  is  used  specially  of  oppression 
by  robbery  or  fraud:  2829-33  j  S.  123-4  Am.  4I  Ez.  i8is  22^0 
Mai.  35  (I'^b'  iDb'  *P^V). — Of  thy  brethren,  or  of  thy  strangers, 
iSr'c.]  the  expressions  are  Deuteronomic  (15^  12^2  3112), — 15_ 
Iti  his  day,  cSr'c.]  Lev.  19^''^  "the  wages  of  an  hired  servant 
shall    not   remain   all   night  with  thee  until  the  morning^. — 

13.  noVe-]  as  Ex.  228- =5;  Dt.  usu.  has  nW^-  (8^  lo'^  21"  223-5-17),  but 
no'^B'  29^  (  =  8^).  — 14.  ?l-)3s]  collect.,  as  Lev.  17*- 1"-^^  a/.— 15.  noB-  \nT\]  with- 
out 1!?,  idiomatically,  as  Gn.  30'"  Ex.  2"  Jon.  i^ ;  Zc.  11^*. 


XXIV.   I2-I6  2/7 

Scffcth  his  heart  upon  ii\  lit.  li/lcth  tip  his  soul  to  it,  a  Hebrew 
idiom  signifying  " setteth  his  desire  upon  it":  cf.  on  i2-'>,  and 
see  Hos.  4^  Jer.  22^^  4414  Ez.  24^5  Ps.  24*,  and  in  a  religious 
sense  (with  God  as  the  object  of  desire)  25^  i43^'  With  the 
thought,  cf.  Job  72  14*'. — Lest  he  cry  against  thee  unto  Jehovah, 
and  it  be  sin  in  thee]  15^:  cf.  Ex.  2222(23). 

16.  Responsibility  for  a  crime  is  to  be  confined  to  the 
criminal :  bis  family  are  not  to  suffer  with  him. — Peculiar  to 
Dt.  Judged  by  a  modern  standard,  this  provision  seems  to  be 
a  superfluous  one  ;  for  the  practice  prohibited  appears  to  be 
inconsistent  with  the  fundamental  principles  of  justice  :  but  in 
the  light  of  ancient  ideas,  and  ancient  usage,  it  was  by  no 
means  unnecessary.  In  ancient  times  the  family  was  the  unit 
of  society,  much  more  than  the  individual ;  the  guilt,  and  not 
merely  (as  with  us)  the  disgrace,  of  a  crime  perpetrated  by  an 
individual,  was  shared  by  the  rest  of  his  family ;  and  it  was 
only  gradually  that  the  doctrine  of  individual  responsibility 
acquired  recognition.  Hence  among  ancient  nations,  especi- 
ally in  the  East,  the  family  of  a  criminal  often  suffered 
punishment  with  him  (Est.  g'^''-,  Herod,  iii.  119,  Dan.  62^(2^)). 
Whether  the  same  custom  prevailed  in  Israel  can  only  be 
inferred  by  conjecture:  the  cases  Jos.  72^^-  2  S.  2i^-9  are  of  an 
exceptional  nature,  and  hardly  authorize  an  inference  as  to 
the  ordinary  judicial  procedure.  But  in  2  K.  14'^  (where  the 
present  law  is  quoted  by  the  compiler  of  Kings)  Amaziah 
appears  to  be  praised  on  account  of  his  unusual  clemency ; 
and  that  there  was  felt  to  be  a  danger  of  the  practice  is  shown 
by  the  existence  of  a  law  forbidding  it. 

The  doctrine  of  individual  responsibility  is  strongly  insisted  on  by 
Ezekiel  (c.  i8).  The  principle  of  the  present  law  has  been  asserted  before, 
7^".  It  does  not  conflict  with  the  teaching-  of  5^  (Ex.  20'').  There  the 
reference  is  to  the  providence  of  God,  operating-  naturally  through  the 
normal  constitution  of  society :  children  are  linked  to  their  parents  by  tics, 
physical  and  social,  from  which  they  cannot  free  themselves  ;  and  they 
suffer,  not  because  they  arc  guilty  of  their  fathers'  sins,  but  because  by  the 
self-acting  operation  of  natural  laws  their  fathers'  sins  entail  disgrace  or 
misfortune  upon  them.     Here  a  law  is  prescribed  for  humn7i  action,  and  a 

16.  "jy]  may  be  eitherybr  (ffi  o^e/j)  Jc".  15^^  Ps.  69*  44"^,  or  together  ivith 
(on  23"). — 16".  in3v]  G  Sam.  U5  mo;  (so  2  K.  14"  Kt.),  ©  pma':  tiie 
difference  is  immaterial. 


278  DEUTERONOMY 

principle  is  laid  down  for  the  administration  of  justice  by  the  State:  the 
family  of  a  criminal  is  not  to  be  punished  judicially  with  him.  The  two 
cases  are  thus  altog'ether  different :  it  is  one  thing  that,  in  virtue  of  the 
physical  and  social  conditions  in  which  they  live,  children  should  suffer 
for  their  fathers'  sins  ;  it  is  another  thiiiic  that,  by  the  deliberate  inter- 
vention of  human  authority,  they  should  be  punished  for  criminal  acts 
which  they  have  not  committed.  Cf.  J.  B.  Mozley,  Ruling  Ideas  in  Early 
Ages,  Lect.  iv.  p.  1 1 1  fT. 

17-18.  The  stranger  and  the  fatherless  not  to  be  treated 
with  injustice,  nor  the  widow  with  hard-heartedness. — The 
same  three  typical  classes  of  the  necessitous  and  unprotected 
are  as^ain,  as  already  in  Ex.  22-''''- (^if-)^  and  often  elsewhere  in 
Dt.  (comp.  on  14-''),  commended  to  the  considerate  reg^ard  of 
the  Israelite.  Eacli  of  the  two  provisions  is  substantially  the 
application  to  a  special  case  of  the  general  principle  of  Ex. 
2  220.21.25(21.22.20)  23O.  9  and  Lcv.  iQ-^f-  (the  Stranger  uot  to  be 
oppressed).  —  TJioii  sluilt  not  -wrest  the  judgment  (i6'^)  of  the 
stranger,  (or)  the  fatherless^  Ex.  23'''  "Thou  shalt  not  wrest 
the  judg"ment  of  the  poor  in  his  cause." — Nor  take  the  w/e/vw's 
garment  to  pledge\  a  provision  analogous  to  the  one  in  v.''. 
Comp.  Job  24-%  where  taking  the  widow's  ox  for  a  pledge  is 
mentioned  as  a  piece  of  oppressiveness  side  by  side  with 
removing  landmarks,  robbing  flocks,  and  driving-  away  the  ass 
of  the  fatherless. — But  thou  shalt  remember,  fi^'c]  the  whole 
verse  nearly  as  15^^;  cf.  below,  v.^^ 

19-22.  Gleanings  in  the  cornfield,  the  olive-garden,  and 
the  vineyard,  are  not  to  be  claimed  in  a  grasping  spirit  by 
the  owner,  but  to  be  left  for  the  stranger,  the  fatherless,  and 
the  widow. — The  first  and  the  third  provisions  ag^ree  sub- 
stantially with  Lev.  ig^""-  2'Tf'~,  in  the  Law  of  Holiness,  only 
the  phrasing-  being  Deuteronomic ;  the  second  is  an  extension 
of  the  same  principle  to  the  olive-g^arden. — 19.  When  thou 
reapest  thine  harvest,  &c.]  cf.  Lev.  ig^-  ^^b  (  =  2322). — ]\iay  bless 
thee,  &€.]  142''^'  2321  (■■20)b^_20.  When  thou  beatest  {\:^2nT\  'd)  thine 
olive  tree]  alluding  to  tlie  method  by  which  the  fruit  of  the 
olive  tree  was  collected ;  so  Is.  27^2.  Comp.  the  parallel 
.expression,  Is.  ij''  24^^  n;T  ^PZ'2  <'  as  at  the  striking  of  an  olive 
tree." — 21.  IV/ieti  thou  gatherest  thy  vineyard  (Jud.  92"),  <Src.] 
of  Lev,  19^^^ — 22.  And  thou  sluilt  renunnber,  &c.\\.^^  \^'^. 
20.  nxsn]  dcnom.  from  n-jNS:  the  so-called  Fiel privaliviiin  (G-K.  §  52.  2^). 


XXIV.   17— XXV.  3  2  79 

XXV.  1-3.  Precautions  against  undue  severity  in  the  in- 
fliction of  corporal  punishment  (the  bastinado). — If  a  culprit 
be  condemned  by  a  lawful  tribunal  to  be  beaten  with  stripes, 
the  sentence  is  to  be  carried  out  in  presence  of  the  judge,  the 
stripes  are  to  be  counted  one  by  one,  and  the  entire  number 
given  is  not  to  exceed  forty.  Peculiar  to  Dt.  A  provision 
both  equitable  and  necessary  in  an  age  when  little  regard  was 
apt  to  be  paid  to  human  suftering,  and  when  corporal  punish- 
ment was  liable  to  be  inflicted  with  extreme  severity.  The 
expression  in  v.^  "cause  to  lie  down''''  makes  it  probable  that 
the  particular  punishment  contemplated  in  the  law  is  the 
bastinado,  which  was  a  common  form  of  punishment  in  Egypt 
(Wilkinson-Birch,  1878,  i.  305,  308;  HWB.^  899^,  914)  and 
in  other  Eastern  countries,  and  which  lends  itself  with  peculiar 
facility  to  abuse.  The  infliction  of  stripes  is  often  alluded  to 
in  the  OT.  as  an  obvious  and  ordinary  form  of  punishment, 
e.g.  Ex.  21^0  (which  shows  that  a  master  would  sometimes 
beat  his  slave  with  such  violence  as  to  cause  his  death),  Pr. 
1013  1726  ig29  2&  (on  the  back;  cf.  Is.  50"),  Jer.  20^  371^:  but 
it  is  nowhere  described  as  authorized  by  law  except  here,  and 
(probably)  22^^. — 1.  TJiey  sliall  justify  the  righteous,  and  con- 
demn the  wicked^  comp.  i  K.  8"-  (of  God).  Righteous  and 
wicked  are  here  used  in  their  forensic  sense,  to  signify 
righteous  and  wicked,  in  respect  of  the  particular  charge  of 
which  a  person  is  accused,  i.e.  they  are  equivalent  to  innocent 
and  guilty  respectively ;  cf.  Ex.  9^^  23^.  P''"^.V'?  and  V''V'"!'?)  lit. 
make  (i.e.  declare^  righteous  (innocent)  and  wicked  (guilty),  as 
2  S.  154  Is.  523  Ps.  823  ;  Ex.  22'^ CO  Ps.  37^^  94'-^'^— 2.  Worthy  to 
be  beaten]  lit.  a  child  of  beating  (nisn  |3),  by  a  well-known 
Hebrew  idiom:  comp.  "a  child  of  death  "  (nvo  p)  i  S.  20^1  al. 
— To  be  beaten  before  his  face,  according  to  what  is  sufficient  for 
his  wickedness,  by  number]  provisions  evidently  adapted  to 
protect  the  criminal  against  maltreatment :  the  punishment  is 
not  to  be  left  to  the  discretion  of  subordinate  oflicials,  it  is  to 
be  inflicted  in  the  presence  of  the  judge  ;  the  stripes  are  to  be 
counted,  not  administered  at  random ;  and  their  number  is  to 
be  strictly  proportionate  to  the  gravity  of  the  ofi'ence. — 3.  A 
XXY.  2.  'n  nD]  cf.  Lev.  25-«. 


28o  DEUTERONOMY 

further  limitation:  the  number  of  stripes  is  never  to  exceed 
forty. — Forty  stripes  he  may  give  Jiiin,  he  shall  not  exceeil\  by 
the  later  Jews  the  number,  to  avoid  the  possibility  of  a  mis- 
take, was  fixed  at  39  (nnx  ipn  D"'j;zi1X  Maccoih^  iii.  10  ff.,  where 
the  process  is  described ;  2  Cor.  ii^*  Jos.  Ant.  iv.  8.  21,  23). — 
TV/j' ^roZ/f^r]  the  term  is  here  used  with  force;  see  on  15'-^. — 
Be  dishonoiired\  on  the  idea  expressed  by  "^^P?,  see  on  27I'''. 
The  meaning  is  that  an  excessive  punishment  is  a  humiliation 
inconsistent  with  the  respect  that  is  due  to  a  human  being- ; 
it  brings  with  it  a  degradation  which  even  a  criminal  does  not 
deserve. — Before  thy  eyes]  aggravating  the  indignity ;  cf.  on 
i^o.     [Seem  of  AV.  RV.  is  incorrect:  see  below.) 

4.  The  ox  not  to  be  muzzled,  while  he  is  treading  out  the 
corn. — Peculiar  to  Dt.  The  law  affords  another  example  of 
the  humanity  which  is  characteristic  of  Dt.,  and  which  is  to 
be  exercised  even  towards  animals  (cf.  probably  22''^- ;  and 
Pr.  12^'').  I  Cor.  9^  I  Tim.  5^^  ^^g  j^w  is  quoted,  in  illus- 
tration of  the  principle  that  "the  labourer  is  worthy  of  his 
hire."  The  custom  of  threshing  corn  in  the  manner  here 
alluded  to,  prevails  still  in  the  East.  The  ears  of  corn  are 
spread  out  upon  the  threshing  floor,  the  oxen,  yoked  together 
in  pairs,  are  led  by  a  rope,  or  made  to  move  round  a  pivot  in 
the  centre,  and  their  hoofs  passing  over  the  ears,  separate  the 
grain  from  the  husk.  See  DB'-.  i.  65  (in  Egypt) ;  Thomson, 
The  Land  and  the  Book  (1881),  i.  p.  153  f.  (at  Yebna) ;  Rob. 
BR.  i.  550  (near  Jericho :  here  the  oxen  of  the  Christians  were 
muzzled,  those  of  the  Moslems  unmuzzled).  Oxen  (or  other 
animals)  still  thresh  unmuzzled  '*in  Mauretania  (Hocst, 
Marok.  p.  129),  Mesopotamia  (Buckingham,  Mesop.  \.  418), 
Syria  (Russell,  Aleppo,"^  i.  76),  Arabia  and  Palestine  (Wellsted, 
Reisen  in  Arabicn,  1842,  i.  194;  Lynch,  Narrative,  1S52, 
p.  218)"  (Knob.).  Conder  [Tent  Work,  1887,  p.  329)  says, 
**I  have  seen  them  muzzled,  though  this  is  rare." 

5-10.  The  law  of  Levirate-marriage. — If  there  are  two 
brothers  living  as  neighbours,  and  one  die  leaving  no  son,  his 

3.  'Ji  ff^v  js]  RV.  "lest,  if,"  &c.  :  see  on  S'^.— Tri'"?  rhp:^]  not  "should 
seem  vile  unto  thee":  "in  the  eyes  (=  judgment)  of"  is  'J'i'3  {e.g.  Gn.  19'^): 
'J'i'7  is  always  before,  in  view  of  {e.g.  v.**). 


XXV.  4  28  I 

widow  is  not  to  be  married  into  another  family,  the  surviving- 
brother  is  to  take  her  as  his  wife,  and  the  eldest  child  born  to 
them  is  to  succeed  to  the  name  and  inheritance  of  the  deceased 
brother,  v.^"''.  In  case  the  surviving  brother  declines  to  do 
this,  a  formal  declaration  to  that  effect  is  to  be  made  by  both 
of  them  before  the  elders  of  the  city,  after  which  the  widow  is 
to  loosen  her  brother-in-law's  sandal  from  his  foot  in  token 
that  he  has  formally  renounced  his  right,  and  to  express 
publicly,  by  word  and  gesture,  the  contempt  which  he  deserves 
for  having  failed  to  discharge  this  duty  towards  his  deceased 
brother,  v.'''"^'^.  Peculiar  to  Dt.  The  motive  of  the  law  is 
obvious.  It  is  to  prevent  the  extinction  of  a  family ;  for  it 
was  deemed  a  disaster  if  a  man,  who  had  once  secured  for 
himself  a  wife  and  home,  should  be  left  without  a  descendant 
to  perpetuate  his  name.  As  however  in  so  many  other  cases, 
the  law  of  Dt.  does  not  create  a  new  institution,  but  merely 
codifies  an  old  one.  The  Levirate-marriage  must  have  been 
an  ancient  tribal  institution  in  Israel ;  for  the  duty  of  a  sur- 
viving brother  to  marry  his  brother's  childless  widow  is  in 
Gen.  38  (see  esp.  v.^-  ^'^^-  -'^)  presupposed  for  the  patriarchal 
age.  But  the  institution  is  not  confined  to  the  Hebrews : 
with  modifications  in  detail,  the  custom  by  which  it  becomes 
the  duty  of  a  surviving  brother  to  marry  his  deceased  brother's 
wife  (or  wives),  and  to  make  provision  for  his  children,  is  a 
widely-diffused  one,  which  prevails  among  very  many  different 
nations,  and  under  the  most  different  systems  of  relationship 
(for  instance,  kinship  through  women,  not  less  than  kinship 
through  men).*  The  Hebrew  institution,  however,  differs 
from  the  normal  Levirate-marriage  in  three  respects — (i)  it 
was  limited  to  the  case  where  the  deceased  left  no  male  issue ; 
(2)  even  then  it  was  only  put  in  force  when  the  two  brothers 
were  dwelling  on  the  same  family  estate ;  (3)  the  surviving 
brother,  though  he  took  his  deceased  brother's  widow  as  his 
wife,  and  enjoyed  during  his  lifetime  (so  far  as  appears)  his 

*  See  the  long^  list  of  peoples  cited  by  Westermarck,  Hisi.  of  Human 
jlfarriage,  p.  5iof. ;  and  the  very  clear  synopsis,  with  fuller  details,  in  A. 
H.  Post's  brochure,  Einl.  in  das  Stud,  der  Ethnol.  Jurispnidciis  {\SS6),  pp. 
28-47  5  ^Iso  (fo"^  Africa)  Afrik.  Jurisprudenz  (1887),  pp.  419-425. 


282  DEUTERONOMY 

brother's  estate,  did  not  found  a  family  for  himself:  the  issue 
of  the  marriage  succeeded  to  the  name  and  estate  of  the 
deceased  brother.  Similar  limitations  prevail  in  India,  Mada- 
gascar, and  among-  the  Calchaquis  of  Brazil.  Hindu  law 
restricts  the  practice  to  the  case  in  which  the  deceased  leaves 
no  issue  of  either  sex  ;  but  the  union  with  the  widow  cannot 
here  be  termed  a  marriage,  for  it  is  only  permitted  to  con- 
tinue as  long  as  may  be  necessary  to  ensure  the  birth  of  a 
single  son,*  its  special  aim  being  merely  to  provide  an  heir 
who  may  be  qualified  to  perform  duly  certain  sacrificial  rites 
in  honour  of  the  deceased.!  In  Madagascar  it  is  the  duty  of 
a  younger  brother  to  raise  up  seed  to  his  elder  brother  in  case 
he  dies  childless.  J — 5.  Dwell  together\  i.e.  on  the  same  family 
estate  (Gn.  13^  36'^  do  not  illustrate  the  usage  here) :  when  the 
members  of  the  family  were  separated,  the  law  did  not  apply. 
It  was  a  collateral  object  of  the  institution  to  prevent  a  family 
inheritance  from  being  broken  up,  and  (see  the  next  clause 
but  one)  passing  into  strange  hands. — And  have  no  son\  this  is 
the  natural  meaning  of  the  Hebrew  (p),  and  it  is  so  understood 
by  Onq.,  Knob.,  Ew.,  Dillm.,  Oettli,  Benzinger,  Arch.  p.  346, 
Nowack,  Arch.  i.  345,  RV.  ;  but  (G  {o-n-ep/jia)  understands  p  in 
the  general  sense  of  child  (of  either  sex) ;  so  Jos.  Anl.  iv,  8. 
23,  and  in  the  quotation  by  the  Sadducees,  Mt.  22-*  (  =  Mk. 
i2i9  =  Lk.  2o28),  U,  Rabb.,  Schultz,  Keil,  al.  Had  this,  how- 
ever, been  intended,  seed,  or  so7i  or  daughter,  would,  as  Dillm, 
remarks,  have  been  certainly  said  in  legal  phraseology. — 
Without  (Jud.  12*^)  to  a  stranger^  i.e.  to  a  man  belonging  to 
another  family  or  clan  :  she  was  to  remain  (with  her  property) 
in  her  own  family. — Perfortn  the  duty  of  an  hushand^s  brother 
unto  her]  the  idea  conveyed  by  these  words  is  expressed  in 
the  Heb.  by  a  single  word,  a  verb  derived  from  the  Hebrew 
term  for  "husband's  brother"  (Q^;),  viz.  ^^}''.\  i.e.  "-treat  her 
as  a  2T,  or  husband's  brother'"  (so  Gn.  38^).  The  fact  of  Heb. 
5.  ^  .  .  .  n'nn]  242.— n'Vy  n3']  Gn.  19^' :  usu.  "jn  xa. 

*  Institutes  o/Manu,  v.  59-63  ;  Mayne,  Hindu  La-w  and  Usage,*  1883, 
§§  68-69.  Actual  marriage  with  the  widow,  however,  prevails  among' 
particuHar  tribes  of  India  {ib.  §  70). 

t  Cf.  on  this  duty,  Maine,  Earlv  Laiv  and  Custom,  chaps,  iii.-iv. 

%  Sibree,  The  Great  African  Island,  1S80,  p.  246. 


XXV.  5-IO  283 

possessingf  a  special  word  to  indicate  this  particular  relation 
is  evidence  that  it  must  have  been  a  prominent  factor  in 
ancient  Hebrew  society,  and  that  the  rights  and  duties 
connected  with  it  must  have  been  important  ones. — 6.  Shall 
succeed  lo  the  iin?ne  of  his  hrotJier  that  is  de(n(\  lit.  '■'■stand  vp 
upon  the  name,"  &c.,  i.e.  assume  a  position  (or  be  established) 
as  his  heir,  and  the  perpetuator  of  his  name  and  family. — That 
/lis  name  be  not  blotted  out  from  Israel\  comp.  for  the  figure  9^* 
29I9  Ps.  9'^  109I3;  for  the  thought  Ru.  45-10  i  S.  24-^-^(-')  2  S. 
i4'i'. — 7.  Sliall  go  vp  to  the  gate  (Ru.  4I),  unto  the  elders]  in 
order  that  her  brother-in-law's  renunciation  of  his  office  may 
be  officially  attested  and  sanctioned:  cf.  21^^  22^^.— To  raise 
1/p,  &c.]  cf.  Ru.  45-10  (in^nj  by  non  DC'  D"'pnb). — 9-  Then  shall 
his  brother  s  wife  draw  nigh  iinto  him  in  the  presence  of  the 
elders,  and  loose  his  sandal  from  off  his  foot,  and  spit  in  his 
face ;  and  she  shall  ansioer  and  say,  So  sliall  it  be  done  tinto 
the  man  that  doth  not  build  up  his  brothers  house]  according  to 
Ru.  4"'"-,  it  was  the  custom  in  ancient  Israel,  when  property 
was  transferred,  or  a  right  ceded,  to  take  off  the  sandal,  and 
hand  it  to  the  person  in  whose  favour  the  transfer  or  cession 
was  made,  as  a  symbolic  attestation  of  the  act,  investing  it 
with  legal  validity.  Here  the  sandal  is  taken  from  the  foot  of 
the  husband's  brother,  in  token  of  his  renunciation  of  the  right 
which  the  law  gave  him  over  his  deceased  brother's  wife 
(comp.  the  Bedouin  form  of  divorce,  "she  was  my  slipper, 
and  I  have  cast  her  oft'";  Smith,  Kinship,  p.  269);  but  it  is 
removed  not  by  himself,  but  by  the  woman,  as  an  indication, 
apparently,  that  he  allows  an  honourable  privilege  to  be  taken 
from  him,  and  voluntarily  renounces  a  duty  which  affection 
for  a  deceased  brother  should  have  made  dear  to  him.  The 
discredit  which  was  felt  to  attach  to  his  conduct,  appears 
further  from  the  contemptuous  act  which  the  woman  is  after- 
wards directed  to  perform  (see  Nu.  12^^  Job  30^0  Is.  50''),  and 
from  the  disparaging  words  with  which  she  is  to  accompany 
it.  For  build  up,  cf.  Ru.  4I1 ;  also  Gn.  16^  30'^  (RV.  m.). — 
10.  And  his  name  shall  be  called  in  Israel,  The  house  of  him 

9.  V333]  " /w  the  face  of "  (in  a  hostile  sense),  as  Nu.  12";  c.  7^  (see  note) ; 
Job  16^  Hos.  5".     "Before"  {Jebainoth,  12";  Rabb. ;  Espin)  would  be  'Js"?. 


284 


DEUTERONOMY 


that  hath  his  sandal  loosed]  or,  more  pointedly,   "of  the  un- 

sandalled  one," — a  contemptuous  soubriquet,  which  will  cling" 

to  his  family,  and  perpetuate  the  recollection  of  his  unbrotherly 

act. — ^S1C''2  \0U  Xip']  Ru.  4^^  (in  a  different  application). 

An  institution  so  widely  diffused  as  the  Levirate-marriagfe  must  rest 
througfhout  upon  some  common  basis,  and  be  due  to  the  operation  of  some 
common  principle,  or  principles,  influencingf  society.  By  J.  F.  McLennan  * 
it  was  strongly  contended  that  the  peculiar  position  taken  in  it  by  the 
brother  can  be  properly  understood  only  as  a  survival  from  an  antecedent 
pofyandrous  stage  of  society — in  particular,  of  the  kind  known  as  Tibetan 
polyandry,  in  which  a  group  of  brothers  living  together  share  a  single 
wife,  and  the  children  of  the  brotherhood  are  all  (by  a  legal  fiction) 
reckoned  as  belonging  to  the  eldest  brother.  But  though  undoubtedly 
polyandry  has  prevailed,  and  prevails  still,  in  many  parts  of  the  globe  t 
(notably  in  Central  Asia),  the  best  independent  judges  are  of  opinion  that 
McLennan  greatly  exaggerated  its  extent  and  importance  as  a  stage  in 
the  development  of  society ;  and,  in  particular,  that  the  usages  connected 
with  the  Levirate-marriage,  to  which  he  appealed  as  evidence  of  its  former 
existence,  were  not  so  conclusive  as  he  supposed.  J  The  institution  of  the 
Levirate-marriage,  it  is  probable, §  originated  in  a  state  of  society  in  which 
the  constituent  units  were,  more  largely  than  with  us,  not  single  families, 
but  groups  of  related  families,  or  joint  family  groups.  In  primitive  and 
semi-primitive  societies  women  do  not  possess  independent  rights,  they 
are  treated  as  part  of  the  property  of  the  family  to  which  they  belong.  A 
married  woman,  upon  the  death  of  her  husband,  passes  consequently,  with 
her  children,  and  her  late  husband's  estate,  to  the  new  head  of  the  family, 
who  assumes  in  relation  to  them  the  same  rights  and  duties  which  the 
husband  had  :  he  holds  towards  them  the  joint  position  of  guardian  and 
owner ;  and  this  brings  with  it  as  a  corollary  the  right  to  treat  the  widow 
as  his  wife.  And  it  is  the  brother  who  thus  becomes  the  deceased  man's 
heir,  because,  from  his  age  and  position,  he  is  (as  a  rule)  the  person  who 
is  best  fitted  to  be  the  new  head  of  the  family,  and  the  guardian  of  its 

*  Studies  in  Anc.  Hist.  1888,  p.  97  ff.,  asp.  109-114  ;  Fortnightly  Revieis.', 
i8yj,  i.  694  ff. 

t  Including  Arabia :  see  Strabo,  p.  783 ;  Bokhari,  iii.  206  (\V.  R. 
Smith,  Kinship,  122-135  »  Wellh.  in  "  Die  Ehe  bei  den  Arabcrn,"  in  the 
Gc5tt.  Nachrichten,  1893,  p.  460  ff.). 

+  H.  Spencer,  Fortnightly  Review,  ib.  p.  895  ff.  ;  Westermarck,  Human 
Marriage,  pp.  3,  510-515  ;  Wake,  Marriage  atid  Kinship,  ch.  v.,  esp.  pp. 
172-178;  A.  H.  Post,  Ent7vicl'l  u?igsgesch.  des  Familienrechts,  pp.  ^Sf.,  63; 
Starcke,  The  Primitive  Family,  pp.  128-170.  (The  reader  should  be 
aware  that  the  term  "Levirate-marriage"  is  used  by  different  writers  in 
different  senses  :  by  some  it  is  used  in  the  broader  sense  noticed  above  (p. 
281),  by  others  it  is  limited  to  the  special  type,  such  as  prevailed  among 
the  Hebrews  and  the  Hindus.) 

§  Post,  Ethnol.  Jurisprudent,  p.  40  ff.  ;  Starcke,  pp.  141,  152  f.,  159  f., 
165-167. 


XXV.  II-I2  285 

interests  and  rig-hts.  As  remarked  above,  the  Levlrate-marriagfe  prevails 
with  many  modifications  of  detail :  frequently,  for  example,  it  is  limited  to 
the  case  where  the  surviving  brother  is  young-er  than  the  deceased 
brother  ;  *  as  the  strongf  sense  of  family  unity  which  gave  it  rise  becomes 
weakened,  the  brother,  though  he  must  still  make  provision  for  the  widow, 
often  retains  only  the  right,  and  not  the  duty,  to  take  her  in  marriage  ;  f 
elsewhere  it  is  permitted  only  where  the  education  of  the  deceased  brother's 
children  has  to  be  provided  for.J  Not  improbabl}'  the  Hebrew  institution 
was  once  considerably  wider  in  its  operation  than  appears  in  the  OT.  : 
there,  very  nearly  as  among  the  Hindus  and  the  Malagasy,  it  is  confined 
to  the  particular  case  in  which  the  widow  has  no  sons,  and  in  which  there- 
fore some  special  provision  is  necessary  to  secure  the  perpetuation  of  the 
deceased  man's  family,  and  maintain  the  integrity  of  his  estate.  That 
the  issue  of  the  marriage  is  counted  as  belonging  to  another  than  his 
real  father  is  due  to  the  operation  of  a  "legal  fiction,"  of  which  numerous 
examples  are  to  be  Ibund  in  ancient  law. 

The  marriage  of  Bo'az  and  Ruth  (in  spite  of  Nowack,  Arch.  i.  346  f.) 
is  not  a  Levirate-marriage  :  Bo'az  is  not  Ruth's  brother-in-law ;  but  he 
"purchases"  her  (4^"),  together  with  No'omi's  estate  (4*j,  which  he 
"redeems":  he  takes  her  consequently  not  as  Levir,  but  as  Go'el;  and 
this  office  devolves  upon  him,  as  i^^''  hints,  just  because  No'omi  has  no 
sur\'iving  son,  able  to  discharge  the  duty  of  Levir.  The  resemblances  to 
Dt.  25  in  Ru.  4  are  due  to  the  general  community  of  subject-matter  (the 
elders  intervening  in  a  case  of  family  law,  the  "  gate,"  &c.),  not  to  the 
fact  that  the  same  case  is  being  described.  From  a  legal  point  of  view, 
the  marriage  of  Bo'az  and  Ruth,  and  the  perpetuation  of  Mahlon's  name 
^^5b.  lOj^  are  elements  in  the  transaction,  subordinate  to  the  question  of  the 
redemption  of  Elimelech's  estate  (4^"^). 

In  Lev.  18^^  20^'  marriage  with  a  brother's  wife  (widow)  is  forbidden. 
The  two  laws  are  usually  harmonised  by  the  supposition  that  Lev.  pre- 
scribes the  general  rule,  which  is  superseded  in  the  law  of  Dt.  by  the 
exceptional  circumstances  there  contemplated.  As  the  conditions  under 
which  the  marriage  is  permitted  are  very  precisely  described  in  Dt.,  this 
explanation  may  be  the  correct  one.  (The  difference  is  otherwise  ex- 
plained by  Benzinger,  Arch.  p.  346;  Nowack,  Arch.  i.  346.) 

11-12.  Against  immodesty  in  women. —  When  men  stri-ve 
iviih  one  another  (D"'D'JX  IV^  ""d)]  as  Ex.  2122. — 12.  Thine  eye 
shall  not  spare\  7^^. — "The  case,  significant  for  the  manners 
of  the  age,  was,  nevertheless,  assuredly  not  of  such  frequent 
occurrence  as  to  call  for  prohibition  by  a  special  enactment : 
it  is,  however,  selected  typically  (as  e.g.  \if)  out  of  a  number 
of  others,  in  order  to  serve  as  a  standard  for  the  judgment 
to  be  pronounced  in  similar  cases.  Immodesty,  even  when 
extenuating  circumstances  are  present,  is  to  be  checked  as 
stringently  as  possible.     It  is,  moreover,  apart  from  the  jus 

*  Post,  p.  45  f.  t  lb.  p.  42.  :j:  lb.  p.  46. 


286  DEUTERONOMY 

tiilionis  [see  on  19-^],  the  only  case  in  which  the  law  prescribes 
the  mutilation  of  the  person  as  a  punishment"  (DiUm.). 

13-16.  On  honesty  in  trade. — The  IsraeHte  is  not  to  have 
in  his  possession  unjust  weig-hts  or  measures ;  for  Jehovah 
abhors  dishonesty,  whereas  His  blessing  rests  upon  those  who 
deal  uprightly.  Justice  in  the  administration  of  judgment  has 
been  insisted  on  previously  (iG^^'^o) :  here  justice  in  commercial 
transactions  is  insisted  on  likewise.  Lev.  ig^^"^",  in  the  Law 
of  Holiness,  is  parallel:  "Ye  shall  do  no  unrighteousness 
(hy)  in  judgment,  in  meteyard,  in  weight,  or  in  measure. 
Just  balances,  just  stones,  a  just  ephah,  and  a  just  hin,  shall 
ye  have :  1  am  Jehovah  your  God,  which  brought  you  out  of 
the  land  of  Egypt." — 13.  TJiou  shall  vol  have  in  thy  bag  (Mic. 
6^^  Pr.  16^^)  Iwo  diffcycnl  {sto)ics)\  lit.  a  slone  a^id  a  slone,  i.e. 
stones  of  different  size  and  weight,  or  (as  the  following  words 
explain),  "  a  great  and  a  small," — the  larger  one  for  buying, 
and  the  smaller  for  selling ;  Am.  8^  shows  how  this  type  of 
dishonesty  prevailed  in  N.  Israel.  Slones  were  frequently 
used  for  Aveights  in  ancient  countries.  For  the  Heb.  idiom 
employed,  comp.  Pr.  20-^  (the  same  expression),  Ps.  12-'  (lit. 
"with  a  heart  and  a  heart")  i  Ch.  i2'''\ — 14.  T7V0  diffcrcnl 
cphahs\  the  most  ordinary,  and  standard,  Heb.  measure  is 
taken  as  the  example ;  comp.  Lev.  19^''  Am.  8^  Mic.  6^*^  Ez. 
4510. — 15,  A  whole  and  jusl  slone]  "whole,"  i.e.  not  deficient 
in  any  respect,  not  under  weight.  Comp.  Pr.  ii^  (noiD  "'JfSO 
"lj"l\n  r\r2b'y  pXI  nin^  nayin). — Thai  Ihy  days  may  he  long,  &c.] 
5^*^  (Ex.  20^'');  cf.  4'*':  see  on  ^'^^  i^o. — 16.  For  everyone  Ihat 
doclh  these  things,  &fc.\  the  ground,  exactly  as  18^2  22^: 
see  also  7^^  ("abomination"). — (Even)  every  one  that  doeth 
jmrighteousjiess  \>)V)\  hv  nt;*y,  as  Lev.  1915. 35  (hj^  quoted 
above,  and  in  Ez.  (3-*'  i8-*-  -'"'  33^^-  ^^-  '^^).  b^V  is  not  a  common 
word,  occurring,  beyond  the  passages  quoted,  only  9  times. 

17-19.  The  'Amalekites  to  be  exterminated  by  Israel. — The 
hostility  displayed  by  'Amalek  towards  Israel  as  they  came 
out  of  Egypt  (Ex.  17^'^^),  when  they  pursued  them  with 
such  pertinacity  as  even  to  cut  off  stragglers  in  their  rear,  is 
not  to  be  forgotten  by  Israel :  when  settled  securely  in  their 
13.  pNi  ]2»]  Lex.  ]  1  i.— 15.  pi^i]  cf.  G-K.  §  131.  2^. 


XXV.   i3-i8  287 

land,  they  are  to  remember  Jehovah's  purpose,  then  solemnly 
pronounced  against  His  people's  foe  (Ex.  ly^'*- 1^').  The  verses 
repeat  and  enforce,  in  the  style  and  manner  of  Dt.,  the  duty 
thus  laid  (implicitly)  upon  Israel.  The  repetition  is  agreeable 
to  the  situation  in  which  the  discourses  of  Dt.  are  represented 
as  having  been  delivered.  The  passage  of  Ex.  declaring 
Jehovah's  purpose  to  "blot  out  the  remembrance  of  'Amalek 
from  under  heaven  "  is  a  striking  and  emphatic  one  ;  and  in  a 
recapitulation  of  the  principles  designed  for  Israel's  future 
guidance,  supposed  to  have  been  addressed  to  them  when  they 
were  on  the  point  of  entering  the  Promised  Land,  it  is  not 
more  than  natural  that  it  should  have  been  repeated.  The 
fact  that  'Amalek,  at  the  time  when  Dt.  was  written,  had 
ceased  to  be  a  neighbour  formidable  to  Israel,  even  if  it  had 
not  ceased  to  exist  as  a  nation  altogether  (cf.  i  S.  15;  30^"; 
I  Ch.  4^^),  does  not  aftect  the  question :  the  injunction  is 
supposed  to  have  been  given  at  a  time  when  its  execution  was 
yet  future ;  and  in  so  far  as  it  had  been  actually  carried  into 
effect,  the  Israelitish  reader  would  have  the  satisfaction  of 
feeling  that  it  was  a  point  on  which  his  nation  had  not  failed 
in  responding  to  the  duty  laid  upon  it. — 17.  Renie?nber  what 
'Amalek,  &-'c.\  the  sentence  is  framed  exactly  as  24^. — In  the 
7C'«)',  &r'c.\  as  235  W. — How  he  met  thee  (^"^i^)  hy  the  way]  cf. 
I   S.    152  (-j-ni  1^  Db'  ^t^•s  bii'\^''?  \h^v  nc^y  ik^n  nx). — 18.  And 

cut  off  at  the  rear  in  thee  all  that  were  fagged  behind  thee\  lit. 
^^  tailed  m  thee,"  i.e.  cut  off  as  a  tail  those  whom  sickness  or 
exhaustion  compelled  to  follow  on  slowly  behind.  Cf.  Jos. 
10^^  (D-)t.  This  particular  incident  is  not  mentioned  in 
Ex.  1 7^-13. — Fagged]  see  below. — Faint  and  weary]  Jud.  S^- ^^ 
(T'y) ;  2  S.  17-  (i'p.^),  cf.  V.29.  Advantage  was  taken  of  a  time 
when  Israel  was  exhausted  by  the  heat,  or  other  accident  of 
the  journey. — And  he  feared  not  God]  "  according  to  the  rules 
of  ancient  Arabian  hospitality,  and  with  some  sense  of  God, 
such  as  may  be  presupposed  even  among  the  heathen  (Gn. 
20''"^  42^^),  the  'Amalekites  ought  to  have  spared,  and  indeed 

18.  3:1]  the  Piel  privat.,  as  24-". — D'W'nj]  of  uncertain  meaning-.  In 
Dan.  2^^  the  Aram.  Sz'T\  is  to  beat  dov.'n,  siihdiie  :  in  Syr.  hcr\  is  to  forge  a 
metal ;  hence  perhaps  beaten  down  (by  heat  or  fatigue),  over-do7ie,  figged. 


2  88  DEUTERONOMY 

rather  assisted,  those  who  lagged  behind,  unfit  for  battle. 
That  they  did  the  contrary,  was  inhuman  and  barbarous:  a 
people  with  such  evil  customs  deserves  no  mercy"  (Dillm.). — 
19.  Glveth  thee  rest,  Cifc.\  so  12^''.  The  period  meant  is  that 
of  the  King's  (cf.  2  S.  7^). — In  the  land  which,  tSr'c]  exactly  as 
\c^^.—Thou  shalt  blot  out,  &c.\  Ex.  171-1  "I  will  utterly  blot 
out  the  remembrance  of  'Amaiek  from  under  heaven."  The 
Divine  purpose,  declared  in  these  words,  is  here  impressed 
upon  Israel  as  a  duty.  —  Tlioit  shalt  not furgci\  cf.  9''. 

XXVI.  Two  liturgical  ceremonies  to  be  performed  periodically 
by  the  Israelite  in  Canaan;  with  an  exhortation  im- 
pressing once  again  upon  Israel  its  obligations  towards 
Jehovah, 

The  subject  of  this  chapter  fits  it  to  form  a  suitable  close 
to  the  code  of  laws  constituting  the  Deuteronomic  legislation 
(c.  5-1 1  ;  12-25).  ^t  provides  the  Israelite  with  the  means  of 
periodically  reminding  himself,  before  God,  of  the  obliga- 
tions unde*-  which  he  lives,  and  of  the  spirit  of  grateful  and 
ready  acquiescence  in  which  he  should  yield  obedience  to 
them. 

1-11.  A  form  of  thanksgiving,  to  be  used  annually  by  the 
Israelite,  at  the  time  of  presenting  his  first-fruits  at  the 
Central  Sanctuary. — The  Israelite,  bringing  with  him  his  first- 
fruits  in  a  basket  (which  the  priest  will  receive  from  his  hands 
and  present  formally  at  the  altar),  is  to  make  a  solemn  con- 
fession of  Jehovah's  bounty  and  faithfulness  as  manifested  in 
His  dealings  with  his  nation,  and  in  grateful  acknowledg- 
ment of  His  goodness  to  offer  to  Him  the  first-fruits  of  the 
soil  which  He  has  given  him  to  possess. — 1.  When  thou  art 
come,  &'c.\  nearly  as  i7i-'. — For  an  inheritance\  4^1  &c. — 2. 
Some  of  the  first  (18^)  of  all  the  fruit']  whether  the  "  some  of" 
is  to  be  taken  strictly,  or  not  (cf.  v.^''),  is  uncertain;  comp. 
on  v.ii. — Unto  the  place,  &c.\  i25-ii. — 3_  The  priest  that  shall 
be  171  those  days]  i.e.  the  priest  for  the  time  being  (17^  ^9^^)- 
By  the  sing,  is  meant,  probably,  the  chief  priest  (acting,  if 
necessary,  through  one  of  his  deputies). — 3.  I  declare  this  day, 
&cJ]  the  Israelite  confesses  that  he  owes  his  present  enjoy- 


XXVI.  i-ii  289 

ment  of  the  land  to  Jehovah's  faithfuhiess. — Sware]  1^. — 5-9. 
How  Jehovali  had  wonderfully  multiplied  the  nation,  and 
brought  it  from  servitude  in  Egypt  into  fertile  Canaan.  The 
passage  consists  largely  of  reminiscences  of  JE's  narrative  in 
Ex.,  with  one  or  two  from  Nu.  20. — 5.  An  AranicBan  ready 
to  perish  p^i^)  loas  my  father^  Jacob  is  so  styled,  with  inten- 
tional disparagement,  on  account  of  his  foreign  connexions  ; 
his  mother's  home  had  been  in  Aram-Naharaim  (Gn.  2^^'^-  2^), 
and  he  spent  himself  many  years  in  the  same  country  (Gn. 
29-31)  in  the  service  of  his  mother's  brother,  Laban  "the 
Aramaean"  (Gn.  2520  28^^  in  P;  3120.24  ;„  je),  whose  two 
daughters  he  married.  "l^X,  prop,  pcrisliing  (Job  29^^  Pr. 
31'^),  when  applied  to  animals,  esp.  sheep,  suggests  the  idea 
of  lost  (and  so  in  danger  of  perishing)  hy  straying  (Jer.  50*^ 
Ez.  34'*- ^"^  Ps.  119^"^;  comp.  i  S.  g^- 20) ;  and  as  such  an  idea 
would  be  applicable  to  Jacob,  with  his  many  wanderings,  it  is 
not  improbable  that  it  may  have  been  felt  to  be  associated 
with  the  word  here;  hence  RV.  inarg.  "Or,  wandering;  Or, 
lost":  of.  Is.  271^.  But  the  once  destitute  foreigner,  slender 
as  his  chances  of  life  might  have  appeared  to  be,  became 
ultimately  a  great  people. — To  sojourn  there]  Gn.  47'*. — F'ew  in 
number]  cf.  Gn.  34^". — Great,  mighty,  and  populous]  Ex.  i'-'; 
cf.  c.  1^^. — 6.  Evil  entreated  us  ("ijnx  ly^l)]  Nu.  20^^  (JE). — 
4^//r/(Y/ z^j- (IJIJ^"!)]  Ex.  1 12. — Hard  bondage  (nci'p  m^y)]  Ex.  ii-i 
6^  (both  P) ;  also  i  K.  12-'  Is.  14^. — 7.  Cried  unto  Jehovah] 
Nu.  20^'^;  cf.  Ex.  3^. — The  God  of  our  fathers]  Ex.  315- if. — 
Heard  our  voice]  Nu.  20^'^. — Saw  our  affliction]  Ex.  3^  a^'^. — 
And  our  oppression  {^Virb)]  Ex.  3^. — 8.  Brought  us  forth,  &c.] 
the  expressions  as  above,  8^*  4''^. — 9.  Ujito  this  place]  1^^  9"  i  r^. 
— Flowing  with  fnilk  and  honey]  6'^  &c. — 10.  So  shall  thou  set 
it  down  .  .  .  and  worship]  viz.  with  the  ceremonial  just  described 
(v.4-ioa).  In  point  of  fact  it  is  the  priest  who  is  actually  to  "set 
down"  the  basket  (v.^). — 11.  And  thou  shall  rejoice  because  of 
all  the  good,  d-c]  comp.  1 2Cf- "f- i"f-  i6ii-i*,  which  make  it 
e\ident  that  what  is  meant  is  the  joy  of  a  sacred  meal,  held  at 
the  sanctuary,  in  which  the  needy  Levite  and  the  stranger  (as 
in  the  passages  quoted)  are  to  be  invited  to  share. 
XX YI.  5.  Ci'O  Tca]  so  28^2 :  the  2  as  10^. 
19 


290  DEUTERONOMY 

In  iS^  the  rcshith  forms  part  of  the  revenue  of  the  priests.  The  present 
passatje  is  not  necessarily  in  conflict  with  that,  thoiit;fh  the  exact  manner 
in  which  the  first-fruits  were  disposed  of  is  not  certain.  In  may  be  natur- 
ally supposed  that  the  first-fruits  presented  at  the  altar  became  afterwards 
the  property  of  the  priests  :  in  this  case,  as  it  is  not  distinctly  said  that  the 
sacred  meal  of  v.'^  consisted  of  the  first-fruits,  the  reference  may  be  to  the 
sacred  meal  accompanying- one  of  the  three  annual  Pilj^rimagcs,  perhaps 
that  of  Weeks  (16'^),  at  which  the  first-fruits  may  have  been  offered.  Or 
if  the  part.  JO  (some  of  the  first-fruits)  in  v.^  is  to  be  taken  strictly,  as  the 
amount  of  the  first-fruits  is  not  defined  in  18^,  it  may  have  been  considered 
sufficient  to  hand  over  a  part  to  the  priest  (v.^*  "'•  ^**),  the  remainder  being 
consumed  at  a  sacred  meal.     The  former  alternative  seems  preferable. 

12-15.  A  solemn  profession  of  obedience  in  the  past,  with 
a  prayer  for  a  blessing  in  the  future,  to  be  made  by  the 
Israelite  after  he  has  completed  his  payment  of  the  triennial 
tithe. — The  tithe  of  the  third  year  was  appropriated  to  charit- 
able purposes  in  the  Israelite's  native  place  (14-^f) :  this  not 
being  in  itself  a  religious  act,  a  substitute  is  provided,  con- 
sisting in  a  form  of  words,  expressing  the  worshipper's  sense 
of  the  obedience  which  he  owes  to  God,  and  of  His  dependence 
upon  Him  for  future  blessing. — 12.  In  the  third year^  the  year 
of  tithing^  see  on  1428. — And  givest  it  to  the  Levitc,  tSr'c.]  as 
prescribed  in  14-^^-. — 13.  Before  Jehovah  thy  God^  possibly,  as 
Gn.  277,  in  the  Israelite's  own  home,  "before  God  the  all- 
present"  (Knob.,  Keil) ;  but,  more  probably  (Riehm, /THT). 
1794'',  Di.),  in  view  of  the  general  usage  of  D,  "before 
Jehovah  at  the  central  sanctuary"  (v.^- 1"  1 37- 12.  is  1423.20  1^20 
16^1  19^")) — probably,  on  the  occasion  of  the  pilgrimage  thither 
at  the  end  of  the  year,  at  the  Feast  of  Booths. — I  have 
exterminated  (13'^^*'))  that  which  is  holy  out  of  my  housc\ 
"Holy"  (cf.  on  122^^)  refers  to  the  tithe,  which,  being  con- 
secrated to  Jehovah,  so  long  as  it  remains  in  a  private  house, 
is  of  the  nature  of  an  unpaid  debt,  a  due  wrongfully  withheld  ; 
hence  the  strong  verb  employed,  signifying  its  total  removal 
from  the  house. — Have  given  them,    &-'c.\   \a^^. — I  have  not 

12.  nb^^]  for  Tryn^  (cf.  Neh.  10^^  it?y5) :  G-K,  §  53.  3  R.^-^.  But  the 
Hif.  does  not  occur  elsewhere  ;  and  prob.  Tb't;  should  be  read,  as  14^ 
Gn.  28-^. — ici'On  njc]  ffi  to  "ivjTipov  ivti^Karav,  introducing  the  idea  of  the 
"second  tithe"  (above,  p.  170).  But  this  could  be  only  'Jcn  nryori,  of 
which  iB'i'on  njc  is  not  a  probable  corruption.  The  rendering  possesses 
no  exegetical  or  critical  value ;  and  implies  merely  that  fiJK'  was  read 
(ungrammatically)  as  n'^?'. 


XXVI.    12-14  291 

transgressed  any  of  thy  commandnients\  the  context  (on  both 
sides)  shows  that  the  reference  is  to  the  particular  command- 
ments relating  to  the  tithe  :  the  worshipper  affirms  that  he 
has  paid  it  in  full  to  those  who  were  authorized  to  receive  it : 
the  words  are  thus  not  conceived  in  a  spirit  of  self-righteous- 
ness ;  for  they  relate  only  to  a  particular  and  limited  duty, 
which  it  would  require  no  severe  moral  effort  to  perform. — • 
14.  He  has,  moreover,  while  it  was  in  his  custody,  guarded  it 
carefully  against  defilement. — /  have  not  eaten  thereof  in  my 
sorrow^  i.e.  in  my  mourning ;  pX  as  Hos.  9^.  Contact  with  a 
corpse,  or  even  proximity  to  it  in  the  same  house,  occasioned 
ceremonial  uncleanness  (Nu.  ig^i-^^,  in  P) ;  if  a  man,  there- 
fore, whilst  he  was  unclean  from  this  cause,  partook  of  the 
tithe,  the  whole  would  become  unclean  in  consequence. 
*'  Bread  of  sorrows"  is  alluded  to  as  unclean  in  Hos.  9^. — Nor 
exterminated  thereof  ivhilst  nnclean\  he  has  been  careful,  while 
removing  (v.^^)  the  tithe  from  his  house,  to  be  in  other  respects, 
also,  ceremonially  clean.  Contact  with  holy  things,  whilst  a 
person  was  unclean,  whether  through  proximity  to  a  corpse, 
or  from  any  other  cause,  had  to  be  avoided :  comp.  (of  the 
priests)  Lev.  22^-'^  (H)  Nu.  i8^^- ^^  (P). — Nor  given  thereof  for 
(or  to)  the  dead\  the  exact  sense  of  these  words  is  uncertain, 
the  Hebrew  being  ambiguous.  If  the  rendering  for  the  dead 
(14^)  be  correct,  the  allusion  will  be  to  the  custom  of  the 
friends  of  a  deceased  person  testifying  their  sympathy  with  the 
mourners  assembled  in  the  house  by  sending  to  them  gifts  of 
bread  or  other  food,  for  their  refreshment  (2  S.  3^^  Jer.  16^  Ez. 
24^7) ;  food  consumed  at  such  funeral  feasts  being  naturally 
(see  above)  "unclean,"  it  would  be  deemed  unlawful  to  apply 
any  part  of  the  tithe  to  such  a  purpose  (so  Kn.,  Ke.,  Ew.  Antiq. 
p.  204,  Oettli).  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  rendering  to  the  dead 
be  correct,  then  the  allusion  will  be,  most  probably,  to  the 
practice  which  was  widely  prevalent  among  ancient  nations 
(Tylor,  Primitive  Culture,^  i.  490  ff.,  ii.  30-43,  including  sur- 
vivals among  Christian  peoples),  and  was  in  vogue  also  among 
the  later  Jews  (Tob.  a^^ :  comp.  Sir.  30^^^-,  where  the  practice 
is  ridiculed),  of  placing  food  in  the  grave  with  the  dead,  for 
14.  NDaal  "a5  one  unclean"  (on  v.") :  cf.  ku'  p?n3  Is.  40^**. 


292  DEUTERONOMY 

the  use  of  the  departed  spirit  on  its  journey  to  the  Underworld. 
The  practice  referred  to  was  common  in  Egypt,  where  "small 
tables  were  sometimes  placed  in  the  tombs,  bearing"  offerings 
of  cakes,  ducks,  or  other  things,  according  to  the  wealth  or 
inclination  of  the  donors  "  (Wilkinson-Birch,  Anc.  Egypl.  ed. 
1878,  iii.  432,  where  there  is  a  representation  of  such  a  table 
found  at  Thebes,  now  in  the  British  Museum).  So  Dillm., 
Oort  {Th.  Tijdschr.  1877,  p.  354 f.),  Wellh.  {Arab.  Hcid.  162). 
Such  a  custom,  though  not  otherwise  attested  in  the  OT., 
might  well  have  prevailed  among  the  more  superstitious 
Israelites,  for  whom  such  prohibitions  as  those  in  iS^*^"^-  were 
necessary. 

According-  to  others,  the  allusion  is  to  actual  sacrijices,  offered  to  the 
dead  for  the  purpose  of  rendering  them  propitious  to  the  survivors  :  so 
Haldvy,  Mi'Ianges  de  Crit.  1883,  p.  371  ;  Stade,  Gesch.  i.  389,  425  ; 
Schvvally,  Das  Leben  nacli  dem  Tode,  1892,  pp.  22,  25;  Benzinger,  Arch. 
165,  166  f  ;  Nowack,  Arch.  i.  196  f.,  ii.  300  :  cf.  Spencer,  Legg.  Heh.  II.  xxiv. 
%Z-  2)  (of  offerings  to  deities  such  as  Osiris  or  Adonis).  This  is  possible  : 
but  it  is  not  required  by  the  text  of  the  passage ;  and,  in  spite  of  Schwally 
and  Nowack,  it  is  far  from  established  as  a  Hebrew  custom  by  Jer.  \G. 

I  have  hcarkencdy  &c.\  a  renewed  profession  of  the  con- 
scientious completeness  with  which  this  religious  duty  has  been 
discharged. — 15.  As  the  worshipper  can  thus  conscientiously  say 
that  he  has  rendered  to  Jehovah  the  due  which  He  claims  of  the 
produce  of  the  soil,  so  he  closes  with  the  prayer  that  Jehovah, 
on  His  part,  will  still  vouchsafe  to  bless  His  land,  and  the 
people  dwelling  upon  it. — Look  forth  (nD''pt-"'^)]  P^-  H"  102-*^. — 
Thy  holy  habitation  (T^np  pyo)]  Jer.  2'5''o  Zc.  2^7  Ps.  68''  2  Ch. 
3o2''t  :  pyo,  in  classical  Heb.,  is  confined  to  poetry,  and  the 
elevated  prose  of  the  prophets.  Cf.  Is.  63^^. — Ajid  the  ground, 
<2r'c.]cf.  1112.  i4f.^ — As  thou  swa  rest]  i^. — A  laudJloii.nng,  err.]  v.^. 

16-19.  Closing  exhortation,  reminding  Israel  of  the  mutual 
obligations,  undertaken  by  Jehovah  and  the  people  respectively, 
in  the  covenant  subsisting  between  them. — This  da\^  4^  51  &c. 
— These  statutes  and  judgments]  i.e.  those  contained  in  c. 
12-25;  cornp-  12^. — Observe  and  do  them]  4'"'. —  With  all  thine 
heart  and  with  all  thy  soul]  on  6^ — 17.  Thou  hast  this  day 
17.  tdnh]  sov.^t.  The  rend,  adopted  above  is  that  of  Ges.,  Ew.  {Ant. 
p.  28),  Kn.,  Keil,  and  is  the  most  satisfactory,  others  that  have  been  pro- 
posed being  questionable  philologically. 


XXVI.   15-19  293 

caused  Jehovah  to  say  (n~iDXn)  tJiat  he  will  be  thy  God,  (T-rr.] 
"I'pxn  (which  occurs  only  here  and  v.^^)  was  perhaps  a  term 
used  technically  by  the  contracting-  parties  in  a  covenant,  each 
causing  the  other  to  recite  the  terms  of  the  agreement  between 
them.  So  here  Israel,  by  listening  so  readily  to  the  command- 
ments set  before  it,  has  (virtually)  "caused  Jehovah  to  say" 
that  He  will  be  its  God,  and  that  it  should  observe  His  com- 
mandments ;  and  Jehovah  has  at  the  same  time  "caused 
Israel  to  say"  that  it  will  be  His  people  and  keep  His  com- 
mandments, and  that  He  will  then  respond,  on  His  part,  by 
promoting  it  above  the  nations  of  the  earth.  That  Israel 
^* caused,  or  occasioned,  Jehovah  to  say,"  is  not,  of  course, 
literally  exact ;  but  the  expression  follows  from  the  nature  of 
the  case,  and  is  a  consequence  of  Jehovah's  having  con- 
descended to  become  one  of  the  contracting  parties  to  a 
covenant. — To  be  to  thee  for  a  God  (p'^rh^h  "]?  DVn?)]  a  common 
phrase  (with  thee,  you,  them,  &c.,  as  the  case  may  be)  :  29'-; 
2  S.  724  (=  I  Ch.  1722)  Jer.  723  n*  24^  3022  3133  (cf.  ^y)  Ez.  i  1^0 
14I1  3424  362s  3723.  27Zech.  88;  in  P  (inch  H),  Gn.  177-8  Ex.  6" 
2945  Lev.  11^5  22^3  2538  2612-45  Nu.  is^if  (differently  Gn.  2821 
(JE) ;  Ex.  4^^). — To  walk  in  his  ways,  (Sr'c]  the  expressions, 
as  8^,430-40  &c. — 18.  And  Jehovah  hath  this  day  catiscd  thee  to 
say  {v.^'')  that  thou  wilt  be  to  him  a  peculiar  people\  7''  (with 
note),  based  on  Ex.  19^  (n^jD  'h  Dn"m),  the  passage  here 
referred  to  ("as  he  said  unto  thee").  The  phrase  is  an 
expansion  of  the  common  one  "to  be  to  him  (or  me)  for  a 
people,"  the  correlative  of  "to  be  to  thee  for  a  God,"  and 
often  found  in  combination  with  it;  27^  (n''^■^J)  Jer.  723  ii4  13I1 
247  3022  3133  (cf,  v.i)  3238  Ez.  ii'20  14I1  3628  3723. 27  Zech.  2^5  88, 
in  H,  Lev.  26^2.  ^.j^i-,  oti^er  verbs,  Dt.  29^2  {T:^>^r\),  i  S.  1222 
(ncy)  2  S.  723  (mD)2'  (pn  ;  in  the  ||,  i  Ch.  1722  jnj),  in  P,  Ex. 
6^  (np^)t :  and  the  undertaking  being  given  by  a  human 
subject,  as  here,  2  K.  11^''=  2  Ch.  23^*'. — And  keep  all  his 
commandments^  explanatory  of  the  conditions  involved  in 
Israel's  agreeing  to  be  Jehovah's  npJD  oy.'- — 19.  And  that  he 
'will  set  thee  high,  &r'c.\  281^';  cf.,  of  the  Israelitish  king,  Ps. 
gg28(27\ — Which  he  hath  made\  Ps.  86^. — For  a  praise,  and  for 
a  name,  and  for  an  honour  (lit.  an  ortiafnent)]  i.e.  to  be  an 


294  DEUTERONOMY 

object  of  pride  and  renown  unto  Jehovah  ;  so  Jer.  13"^  (the 
same  words),  of.  33^  Zeph.  319-20, — jin  Jioly  people,  &fc.\  7^ 
142-21  28^;  varied  from  Ex.  19^  (ti'np  Mj),  which  is  referred  to 
here  ("as  he  hath  spoken"),  as  v.^is  referred  to  in  the  last  verse. 
From  its  position,  the  condition  of  being  a  holy  people  to 
Jehovah  appears  to  be  viewed  here  as  a  privilege  conferred 
upon  Israel  by  God  (cf.  28^),  rather  than  as  a  duty  (which  it 
is  Israel's  part  to  realise  for  itself  (142- 21).  Naturally,  con- 
secration to  Jehovah  has  this  double  aspect,  either  side  of 
which  may  be  brought  into  prominence,  according  to  the 
truth  which  a  writer  on  a  particular  occasion  desires  to 
enforce. 

XXVII.  Instructions  relative  to  a  symbolical  acceptance  by 
the  nation  of  the  Deuteronomic  Code,  after  its  entrance 
into  Ca7iaan. 

In  this  chapter  the  discourse  of  Moses  is  interrupted,  and  the 
writer  uses  the  third  person  (as  i^-^  441-43  gi  2gi  (2)fr.).  It  contains 
injunctions  relative  toyb«r  ceremonies  :  (i)  the  inscription  of  the 
Deuteronomic  law  on  stones  upon  Mount  'Ebal,  v.^"^-^;  (2) 
the  erection  of  an  altar  and  offering  of  sacrifices  on  the  same 
spot,  v.5-7;  (3)  the  ratification  of  the  new  covenant  by  the 
people  standing  on  both  mountains,  six  tribes  upon  each, 
v.ii"i2;  (4)  the  twelve  curses  to  be  uttered  by  the  Levites,  and 
responded  to  by  the  whole  people,  v.i*-2c.  V.^"i<'  consists  of  a 
practical  exhortation  addressed  to  Israel. 

The  chapter  presents  considerable  critical  difficulties.  Not 
only  are  the  various  parts  of  which  it  consists  imperfectly 
connected  with  each  other  (see  the  notes),  but  it  stands  in  a 
most  unsuitable  place.  C.  28  forms  manifestly  the  proper 
close  of  the  Deut.  Code  (c.  5-26),  and  connects  well  with  26^^  ; 
but  c.  27  lacks  connexion  both  with  c.  26  and  with  c.  28  (the 
transition  from  27^^-26  to  28^  being  peculiarly  abrupt),  while 
at  the  same  time  it  interrupts  the  discourse  of  Moses  with 
directions,  the  proper  place  of  which  is  after  c.  28,  and  with 
a  series  of  imprecations  (v.i^-26)  which  (where  they  now  stand) 
anticipate  unduly  28^^^-.  It  is  hardly  possible  that  the  chapter 
can  form  part  of  the  original  Dt.     It  seems  that  a  Deutero- 


XXVII.  1-2  295 

nomic  nucleus  has  been  expanded  by  the  addition  of  hiter 
elements,  and  placed  here,  in  an  unsuitable  context,  by  a  later 
hand. 

1-8.  The  Israelites,  on  the  day  that  they  cross  Jordan,  are 
to  take  great  stones,  to  inscribe  upon  them  the  Deuteronomic 
law,  and  to  set  them  up  upon  Mount  'Ebal,  at  the  same  time 
erecting  an  altar,  and  offering  sacrifices,  to  Jehovah. — The 
ceremony,  here  prescribed,  is  intended  evidently  as  a  public 
and  official  acceptance  by  the  nation  of  the  Deuteronomic 
Code,  ratified  by  religious  sanctions. 

The  passage  appears  to  be  composite.  V.^"^  and  v.^  belong  closely 
together  (all  relating  to  the  siones,  and  to  what  is  to  be  written  upon 
them)  ;  but  they  are  interrupted  by  v.^"^  (relating  entirely  to  the  altar), 
sji-i.  8  (as  also  v.'^)  abound  with  marks  of  the  Deut.  style,  which  are  absent 
from  v.^-'^*.  It  seems  that  an  older  injunction  (JE),  v.^"''%  respecting  a 
sacrifice  on  'Ebal,  has  been  taken  up  by  D  (or  a  follower  of  D),  supple- 
mented by  the  addition  of  v.''^,  and  combined  with  the  instructions,  written 
in  his  own  words,  for  the  inscription  on  stones  of  the  Deut.  law.  It  is  a 
further  question  whether  v.^"'**  ®  itself  is  the  work  of  one  hand  or  two. 
Dillm.  points  out  that  v.^"^''  are  repeated,  largely  in  the  same  words,  in 
v.''*^  with  the  diiTerence  that  while  in  v.* 'Ebal  is  specified  as  the  place 
where  the  stones  are  to  be  set  up,  in  v.^''^  they  are  to  be  set  up  immediately 
after  the  passage  of  Jordan  (note  not  only  v.^  "  on  the  day,"  but  v.^  "  that 
thou  mayest^o  in"  &c.)  :  hence  he  assigns  v.^'^  to  D,  v.'*-'^-*  to  R'^.  But 
the  repetition  may  be  due  to  the  diffuse  character  of  the  Deut.  style  (Kucn. 
Th.  T.  xii.  299),  and  the  other  difference  may  arise  from  the  fact  that  the 
writer,  looking  back  to  a  distant  past,  may  not  have  reflected  on  the  time 
that  must  actually  have  elapsed  between  the  passage  of  Jordan  and  the 
arrival  at  'Ebal.  In  1 1^"  'Ebal  seems  to  be  represented  as  nearer  to  Jordan 
than  it  actually  is. 

1.  And  the  cldcrs\  elsewhere  in  Dt.  Moses  is  represented  as 
alone  laying-  commands  upon  Israel.  Why  the  elders  (31^)  are 
here  exceptionally  associated  with  him,  it  seems  impossible 
satisfactorily  to  explain;  the  sing.  •|^"'l,  and  the  pron.  "I," 
show  that  in  any  case  they  are  assigned  only  a  subordinate 
position  beside  him. — ALL  the  comma ndtnent,  &c.^  i.e.  the 
Deut.  law;  cf.  on  8^ — 2.  On  the  day  when,  &'c.'\  hardly  = 
"  in  the  time  when  " ;  for  (i)  1L"X  Cii'li  is  not  quite  the  same  as 
D^""?  (sq.  inf.  or  pf.),  Gn.  2^  Nu.  3^  and  where  it  occurs  besides 
(2  S.  i(f^  Est.  9I)  denotes  a  literal  "  day  "  ;  and  (2)  in  v.^^  only 
the  passage  of  Jordan  is  contemplated,  the  occupation  of 
XXYII.  1.  •\t^']  5I-  16'  ;  cf.  on  i^".— 2.  n'v']  v.-"  Am.  2'  Is.  3312+. 


296  DEUTKRONOMY 

Canaan  being-  yet  in  the  future.  If  v,^  ('Ebal)  is  by  the  same 
hand  as  v.^-^,  the  difference,  it  seems,  can  only  be  explained 
as  suggested  above. — Great  stoncs\  because  much  was  to  be 
inscribed  upon  them. — Plaisler  ihcm  with  plaister\  i.e.  coat 
them  with  lime  or  gypsum  p'^'),  in  order  to  secure  a  surface 
on  which  the  writing-  inscribed  might  be  clearly  legible.  The 
letters  were  not  to  be  carved  in  the  stone  (as  is  usually  the 
case  in  ancient  inscriptions),  but  to  be  inscribed,  with  some 
suitable  pigment,  upon  a  prepared  surface.  The  practice  was 
Eg-yptian.  In  Egypt  it  was  the  custom  to  put  a  layer  of 
stucco,  or  paint,  over  the  stone  used  in  architecture,  of  what- 
ever quality,  even  granite  :  and  in  the  case  of  sandstone,  which 
was  porous,  a  coat  of  calcareous  composition  was  laid  on 
before  the  paint  was  applied.  The  black  pigment,  used  in 
Egypt,  consisted  of  ivory  or  bone  black ;  and  figures,  or 
characters,  inscribed  by  this  method  were  very  permanent 
(Wilkinson-Birch,  Anc.  Eg.  ii.  286-288).  It  was  a  common 
custom  in  antiquity  to  engrave  laws  upon  slabs  of  stone  or 
metal,  and  to  set  them  up  in  some  public  place.  At  Carthage 
the  regulations  respecting-  sacrifices  were  thus  engraved  {CIS. 
I.  i.  166-170).  In  Greece  such  slabs  were  called  o-TjyAat  {e.g. 
Plato,  Crit.  119  C,  E;  Demosth.  Lept.  p.  495):  many  laws 
and  decrees  of  Athens,  and  other  Greek  states,  so  inscribed, 
have  been  discovered  during  recent  years  (see  e.g.  Hicks, 
Greek  Hist.  Inscriptions,  1882,  passini). — 3.  All  the  words  of 
this  /rtw]  i.e.  of  the  Deuteronomic  Code  (c.  5-26),  according  to 
the  general  usage  of  the  expression  "this  law"  (i^).  Others 
have  supposed  the  reference  to  be  to  the  blessings  and  curses 
(Jos.  Ant.  iv.  8.  44,  who  says,  inexactly,  that  they  were 
inscribed  on  the  altar),  or  to  the  613  precepts  which  the  Jews 
computed  to  be  contained  in  the  Pent.  (Sotah,  vii.  5  ;  Knob., 
Ke.) ;  but  neither  of  these  explanations  is  consistent  with  the 
term  used.  Whether  the  whole  of  c.  5-26  is  intended,  or  the 
laws  alone  (without  the  hortatory  introductions  and  comments), 
must  remain  undetermined.  This  inscription  of  the  Deut. 
Code  is  intended  as  a  declaration,  on  the  part  of  the  people, 
made  as  soon  after  their  entry  into  Canaan  as  possible,  that  it 
is  the  rule  under  which  in  future  they  elect  to  live,  while  the 


XXVII.  3-8  297 

laws  inscribed  upon  the  slabs  remain  as  a  permanent  record  of 
the  fact  (cf.  Is.  8^  30*). — In  order  that  thou  may  est  go  in,  &r'c.\ 
the  phrases  as  4'***  6-''.  The  words  seem  clearly  to  contemplate 
the  occupation  of  Canaan  as  still  future ;  see  on  v. 2. — 4. 
' Ebai\  Sam.  has  "Gerizim,"  the  sacred  mountain  of  the 
Samaritans.  No  doubt,  an  arbitrary  alteration  of  the  text : 
see  Ges.  de  Pent.  Sam.  p.  61  ;  De  Rossi,  Var.  Lect.  adloc. — 
5-7.  The  altar  to  be  erected  on  the  same  spot.  It  is  to  be 
built,  according-  to  the  ancient  law  of  Ex.  20-^  (JE)>  in  simple 
fashion,  of  ivholc,  i.e.  of  unhewn  stones,  upon  which  no  tool 
has  been  used.  Burnt-offering"s  are  to  be  offered  upon  it,  and 
also  peace-offerings  (cf.  Ex.  20^^),  the  latter  accompanied  by 
the  usual  sacrificial  meal.  The  nation's  public  acceptance  of 
the  Deut.  law  in  Canaan  is  to  be  marked  by  religious  cere- 
monies, similar  to  those  by  which  the  covenant  of  Sinai  was 
concluded  (Ex.  2^^-  ^1).  The  representation  cannot  be  destitute 
of  an  historical  basis  :  no  doubt  at  the  time  when  E  wrote, 
there  was  such  an  altar  on  'Ebal,  togfether  with  slabs  of  stone 
inscribed  with  parts  of  the  law,  which  tradition  told  had 
been  set  up  there  shortly  after  Israel's  entrance  into  Canaan. 
Comp.  Jos.  8'*^  Burnt-  and  peace-offerings  are  often  men- 
tioned together  in  the  historical  books,  as  Ex.  24^  Jud.  20'-" 
21'^  I  S.  lo^  2  S.  61"  I  K.  3!^ — 7.  Peace-offerings  (□''p^l.")]  else- 
where in  Dt.  (on  12*^  1 8-')  these  are  denoted  by  the  term  "  sacri- 
fices "  (Q'n?0  ;  see  126-  n-  27  iS^,^Eat]  on  12^.— And  thou  shalt 
rejoice  before  Jehovah^  as  12^-.  This  clause,  if  the  view  adopted 
above  be  correct,  will  be  an  addition  made  by  D  (or  R'')  to  the 
passage  (v.^-"^)  taken  by  him  from  E.^ — 8.  Upon  the  stones'l  i.e. 
those  named  in  v.--  ^  (see  w."^),  not  those  mentioned  in  v,^. 

9- 10.  Israel  is  reminded  of  the  oblig-ations  involved  in  its 
character  as  Jehovah's  people. — The  verses  have  been  often 
supposed  (Ewald,  J/ist.  i.  121  ;  Kleinert,  p.  183;  Kuen.  Th.  T. 
1878,  p.  302  f..  Ilex.  §  7.  21  ;  Dillm.  ;  Westphal,  p.  99),  not 
without  reason,  to  have  been  the  link  which  originally  con- 
3.  '•|':n]  as  2;^-^  Ex.  20-^  ;  cf.  Is.  lo^^  In  Arab,  to  raise  aloft;  in  Heb., 
coupled  with  the  idea  of  moving'  to  and  fro,  to  swing  or  7vave  (the  hand, 
&c.). — 6.  'Ji  niD^B'  D":aN]  in  appos.  with  ''  naiD  nx :  Engl,  idiom  inserts 
"  of."  So  Gn.  2?  Ex.  20''  25I8  &c.  (Dr.  §  195.  i  ;  G-K.  §  117.  5  b  S).— 8.  nxn] 
Hab.  2- ;  cf.  i'. — Z'Z'7\  n.x2]  the  double  inf.  abs.,  as  9"'. 


298  DEUTERONOMY 

nected  c.  26  with  c.  28.  On  the  one  hand,  they  are  unconnected 
either  with  v.^-^  or  with  v.^^-^*^  (for  not  only  does  a  new  intro- 
duction follow  in  v.^^,  but  the  expression  "commandments 
and  statutes,"  which  elsewhere  denotes  the  Deut.  Code  as  a 
whole,  is  too  general  to  be  understood  of  the  imprecations 
v^i4-26j ;  on  the  other  hand,  they  are  kindred  in  thought  with 
26IM9  (cf.  v.^  this  day  with  this  day  26^'';  and  the  similar 
argument  based  in  both  passages  on  the  fact  of  Israel  being 
Jehovah's  people) ;  and,  while  2']'^^--^'  is  followed  very  abruptly 
by  c.  28,  2(^-'^'^  would  be  a  suitable  and  natural  introduction  to 
it. — 9.  The  priests  the  Levites\\  see  on  i8^ — All  Israel]  i^ — 
Hear,  O  Israel]  5^. — This  day  thou  art  become  a  people  unto, 
&c.]  26^^. — 10.  Hearken,  then,  unto  the  voice,  ^c]  cf.  26^''. — 
Comtnandments  and  statutes]  4^''  6^  lo^s  28^^  30^",  cf.  26^'. — 
Which  I  am  commanding  thee  this  da\']  4''°  and  repeatedly. 

11-13.  The  Deuteronomic  Code  to  be  ratified,  and  symbolic- 
ally accepted,  by  Israel  at  a  national  solemnity  to  be  cele- 
brated on  Mount  Gerizim  and  Mount  'Ebal. — The  verses  have 
reference  to  1120-010^  where  a  blessing  is  promised,  in  case 
Israel  obeys  Jehovah's  commandments,  and  a  curse  in  case  it 
departs  from  them ;  and  the  blessing,  it  is  then  said,  is  to  be 
"set"  upon  Mount  Gerizim,  and  the  curse  upon  Mount  'Ebal. 
The  last  words  point  evidently  to  some  kind  of  symbolical 
ceremony  ;  and  the  present  passage  indicates  what  the  nature 
of  the  ceremony  intended  is :  six  of  the  tribes  are  to  stand 
upon  one  of  the  two  mountains  named,  invoking  a  blessing 
upon  the  people,  in  the  event  of  their  obedience,  and  six  upon 
the  other,  invoking  similarly  a  curse,  in  the  event  of  their 
disobedience.  The  sons  of  Jacob's  legitimate  wives,  Leah  and 
Rachel,  are,  it  may  be  observed,  chosen  for  the  blessing,  the 
sons  of  his  two  concubines,  Zilpah  and  Bilhah  (Gad  and  Asher, 
and  Dan  and  Naphtali),  for  the  curse,  the  numbers  on  the  two 
sides  being  equalized  by  Reuben,  who  forfeited  his  birthriglit 
(Gn.  49^),  and  Zebulun,  as  the  youngest  son  of  Leah  (Gn. 
30^^' ),  being  transferred  from  the  former  division  to  the  latter 

9.  n??'?]  only  here.  Saiata  in  Arab,  is  to  he  silent  {e.g.  Gn.  15^-  Ex.  15'® 
Saad.). — n"nj]  the  Nif.  is  elsewhere  hardly  used,  except  of  an  occurrence, 
to  be  brought  about:  cf.  4^^.-13.  ^v\  nearly  =/or  (rare):  cf.  Ex.  i2-»  29^ 
Ps.  89^**  {Lex.  "?;;  1  g  2). 


XXVII.  9-13  299 

(Knob.,  Keil.,  Dlllm.).  On  the  two  mountains  selected,  see 
on  ii^''.  For  the  manner  in  which  the  instructions  here  given 
are  stated  to  have  been  carried  out,  see  Jos.  8'^^  (D^). 

14-26.  A  series  of  twelve  imprecations,  to  be  pronounced 
by  the  Levites,  and  responded  to  by  the  people,  declaring  God's 
curse  against  twelve  typical  forms  of  sin. — Of  the  offences 
ag'ainst  which  these  curses  are  directed,  all  are  reprobated 
elsewhere  in  the  Pent.,  though  not  all  in  one  and  the  same 
Code;  thus  seven  are  forbidden,  or  (the  twelfth)  deprecated, 
in  other  parts  of  Dt.,  six  in  the  laws  of  JE  (Ex.  20.  21-23.  34)> 
nine  in  Lev.  17-26  (H). 

The  following  table  exhibits  the  parallels  in  a  synoptical 
form : — 

Ex.                                        Deut.  27.  Lev.  17-26. 

2Q-1. 23  2^^i7    y_i5  ^^]-(g  secret  worship  of  an  imag-e)  :  cf.  4^^"  ^'  ^^  19*  26^* 

20^^  21^^      v.^'' (dishonour  of  parents) :  5^",  cf.  2 1^^"^^  20^ 
v.^'  (removal  of  landmark) :  19^^ 

v.^^  (misleading  the  blind)  19^^ 

2221-24  2^3    v.^''  (wresting-   the    judg^ment    of    the    stranger,  19^"'* 
fatherless,  and  widow)  :  24^^ 

V.-"  (incest  with  step-mother) :  23'  (22'"')  18*  20" 

2218(19)         V.21  (bestiality)  18-'' 2o'5 

v.^-  (incest  with  half-sister)  18'*  20^'' 

V.-'  (incest  with  mother-in-law)  ■  18^^  20^^ 

2q13  21I2      V.-*  (murder)  24^'' 
cf.  23^          v.^  (receiving  bribes  for  slaying  the  innocent)  : 
cf.  1619 

*    ♦    *       v.^**  (disregard  of  the  Deuteronomic  law)  «    *    * 

The  parallels  agree  in  substance,  but  the  resemblance  is 
seldom  verbal :  hence  the  imprecations  will  hardly  have  been 
taken  directly  from  the  corresponding  prohibitions.  The 
offences  against  which  they  are  directed  are  the  dishonour  of 
Jehovah,  certain  grave  breaches  of  filial  and  neighbourly  duty, 
and  certain  typical  forms  of  immorality.  The  principle  upon 
which  the  particular  offences  named  are  selected  is  not 
apparent.  Only  three  of  the  offences  prohibited  in  the 
Decalogue  are  included  ;  and  yet,  while  adultery,  for  instance, 
is  not  noticed,  three  separate  cases  of  incest  are  specified. 
It  has,  however,  often  been  observed  that  the  offences  selected 
for  imprecation  are,  at  least  mostly  (note  "in  secret,"  v.^^--*), 


300  DEUTERONOMY 

such  as  would  not  readily  be  brought  to  justice  before  a  human 
tribunal. 

The  verses  agree  so  indifTerently  with  what  precedes  that 
it  is  hardly  possible  for  them  to  have  been  the  original  sequel  of 
v.i^'13,  or  even  to  have  formed  part  of  the  original  Deuteronomy. 

(i)  V.'^"^^  speaks  of  a  blessing  to  he  pronounced  on  Mt.  Gerizim,  and 
a  curse  upon  Mt.  'Ebal ;  and  we  expect  accordintjly  (cf.  u^")  some  invoca- 
tion of  blcssinj^s  and  curses  upon  the  two  mountains  respectively.  Instead 
of  this,  however,  there  follows  a  series  of  curses  alone.  The  supposition 
(Keil)  that  the  curses  are  omitted,  because  the  law,  owing  to  the  sinful 
character  of  human  nature,  brings  chiefly  a  curse  to  man,  is  inadequate  : 
this  might  explain  why,  for  instance,  in  a  general  exposition  of  man's  rela- 
tion to  the  law,  the  consequences  of  human  disobedience  were  dwelt  upon 
more  full}'  and  emphatically  than  those  of  human  obedience  (as  is  actually 
the  case  in  Dt.  28  and  Lev.  26) :  it  docs  not  explain  why,  when  an  express 
arrangement  has  just  been  described  for  pronouncing  a  blessing  upon  the 
people,  as  well  as  a  curse,  instructions  should  follow  for  the  latter,  but 
not  for  the  former.  And  v.'-'-,  interpreted  in  the  light  of  ii'-*"^,  seems 
clearly  to  point  to  some  description  of  the  consequences,  respectively,  of 
Israel's  obedience  and  disobedience,  in  the  same  general  manner  as  c.  28, 
not  to  an  enumeration  of  twelve  particular  offences  to  be  visited  by  God 
with  His  curse. 

Further,  (2)  while  v.""^^  represents  the  whole  people  as  divided  into  two 
halves,  six  of  the  tribes  (including  Levi,  which  is  treated  here  as  a  lay- 
tribe,  Ephraim  and  Manasseh  being  counted  as  one)  standing  on  Gerizim 
for  the  purpose  of  blessing,  and  six  on  'Ebal  for  the  purpose  of  cursing,  in 
y_i4-i;6  jjjg  li'hoJe  people  respond  to  a  series  of  curses  uttered  by  the  Levites 
alone.  Certainly  v.^**  does  not  necessaril}'  contradict  v.'-  (for  v.'-  might 
refer  to  the  tribe  of  Levi  in  general,  while  the  "Levites"  of  v.'^  might 
denote  a  minority,  selected  to  officiate  on  the  occasion) ;  but  the  two 
representations,  taken  in  the  whole,  are  manifestly  inconsistent. 

(3)  Had  the  imprecations  been  the  work  of  the  author  of  Dt.,  it  is 
natural  to  suppose  that  they  would  have  borne  some  definite  relation  to 
the  Dcut.  legislation,  and  presented  an  epitome  of  the  sins  which  he  himself 
deemed  the  gravest,  or  the  most  prejudicial  to  Israel's  welfare.  But  in 
point  of  fact,  some  of  those  which  he  warns  the  Israelite  most  earnestly 
against,  are  not  included  in  the  list  (for  instance,  the  worship  of  "other 
gods,"  and  the  sins  characterized  by  him  as  Jehovah's  "abomination"), 
while  several  which  are  not  meiilioned  elsewhere  in  Dt.  find  a  place  in  it. 
The  list  being  thus  constructed  without  special  reference  to  Dt.,  it  is 
probable  that  it  is  in  reality  not  the  work  of  the  author  of  Dt.,  but  an  old 
liturgical  office,  used  on  solemn  occasions,  which  has  been  inserted  by  a 
later  hand  in  the  text  of  Dt.,  and  accommodated  to  its  position  there  by 
the  addition  (or  adaptation)  of  v.-"". 

14.   The  Lcvites\  i.e.  (if  written  from  the  standpoint  of  Dt.) 

14.  m  Vip]  only  here,  the  usual  syn.  being  Snj  "^ip  (2  S.  15-^  al.).  Cf. 
Vip  D'Tn  Is.  132  al. 


XXVII.    I4-I6  30I 

members  of  the  tribe  of  Levi  (whether  acting-  as  priests,  or 
not);  cf.  iS"  2^'^-  ^f  written  from  the  standpoint  of  P, 
"  Levites  "  in  the  sense  of  the  inferior,  non-priestly  members 
of  the  tribe  (p.  219)  will  be  intended. — Attswcr]  in  the  sense  of 
"begin  to  speak,"  as  2r. — 15.  Cursed]  a  formula  of  impre- 
cation, used  sometimes  colloquially,  as  the  expression  of  a 
merely  human  disapproval,  Jos.  9^^  (JE)  i  S.  26^^  (with 
"  before  Jehovah  "),  Jer.  20''*- 1^,  sometimes  in  connexion  with 
an  oath,  involvingf  grave  consequences  for  the  persons  con- 
cerned Jos.  6"^  (with  "  before  Jehovah  "),  Jud.  21^^  i  S.  i^^"^-^^, 
sometimes  on  a  prophet's  lips,  or  in  the  mouth  of  God  Himself, 
as  the  emphatic  declaration  of  a  Divine  sentence,  as  here  and 
V.  15-26;  cf.  Gen.  s^^- 1'  4I1  9^^  2720  (  =  Nu.  240)  49^  Dt.  28i'5-i« 
Jer.  11^  175  48^*^  Mai.  i^^f,  Ps.  iig-^  (disregarding-  accents). 
The  copula  is  unexpressed  in  the  Heb.  ;  and  zs,  be,  or  shall  be, 
must  be  understood,  according  to  the  context.  Here  is  is 
most  suitable. — JehovaKs  abomination]  "]-'.  —  TJie  work  of  the 
hands  of  the  craftsman  {p~\T\  ''T'  ^E^'y?::)]  so  Jer.  lo-';  comp.  ib. 
V.9  Hos.  132;  also  Hos.  ^^  ig.  4019-20  ^^i  ^^n-is  45i6._/„ 
secret]  cf.  i3'''('').  Even  the  secret  idolater  (Job  312''')  does  not 
elude  the  Divine  judgment. — Amen  (IP^)]  lit.  an  adj.  firm, 
assured,  used  adverbially,  as  an  emphatic  expression  of 
assent,  assuredly,  verily,  i  K.  i^*^  Jer.  11"  28''  (ironically), 
Neh.  513 ;  as  a  liturgical  formula  Nu.  522  (px  ;ds)  ;  as  here, 
and  v. 1^-26,  in  the  mouth  of  the  people  g-enerally  Neh.  8''  (jcN 
|DS),  and  in  the  doxology  to  the  fourth  book  of  the  Psalms, 
Ps.  io648  (so  I  Ch.  \&%  cf.  Ps.  41I4  72I9  8953  (jcsi  }DX).  Only 
twice  besides  (differently)  Is.  ^^^- 1^.  It  is  true,  the  other 
examples  of  the  use  of  Amen,  which  are  perfectly  parallel  to 
this,  are  post-exilic ;  but  the  passages  in  Kings  and  Jeremiah 
are  proof  that  the  term  itself  was  used  at  a  much  earlier 
period ;  and  there  is  no  suflicient  ground  for  supposing  that 
it  was  not  employed,  as  a  solemn  liturgical  formula,  in  pre- 
exilic  times. — 16.  Dishonoureth  (i^PiPP)]  not  so  strong  as  b?i^P 
"curseth"  (Ex.  21^"^  Lev.  20^);  but  the  exact  opposite  of  the 
"  Honour  "  C??)  of  the  Decalogue.  Both  ~;"i^  and  the  cognate 
subst.  ''^'?  [ignotniny,  disgrace)  are  often  opposed  to  H^S  and 
15.  an.  .  .  wy  nB'N]  Jud.  i^^  1  S.  17^6  al.  (Dr.  §  115). 


302  DEUTERONOMY 

^i3^  honour;  see  (in  the  Heb.)  Is.  3^  16^^  (AV.  "brought 
into  contempt"),  Pr.  12^;  Hos.  4''  Hab.  2^*  Pr,  3^5;  and 
cf.  c.  253. — 18.  That  niakcth  .  .  .  to  go  astray  {'"13^0)  in  the 
way]  cf.  Pr.  2810  Job  i2i«.— 19.  That  wresteth,  &c.]  20^^.— 
20.  Uncovered  his  father's  skirt]  see  on  23^  (22'"). — 22.  The 
dajighter  of  his  father,  or  the  daughter  of  his  mother,  i.e.  his 
half-sister  by  either  parent:  so  Lev.  18^  20^''.  Marriage 
of  the  first  kind  here  specified,  viz.  with  a  half-sister  not 
uterine,  was  more  anciently  deemed  admissible  (see  Gn.  20'^ ; 
and  in  the  time  of  David  2  S.  13^''') ;  it  was  practised  in 
Jerusalem  in  Ezekiel's  day,  but  reprobated  by  the  prophet 
(22^  ^).  Relationship  on  the  father's  side  was  regarded  as  not 
so  close  as  relationship  on  the  mother's  side.  Cf.  Smith, 
OTfC^  p.  370;  and  on  the  same  practice  among  the  Phoenicians 
and  elsewhere.  Kinship,  p.  162  f. — 24.  That  smiteth  .  .  .  in 
secret]  not  the  usual  expression  for  murder :  no  doubt  chosen 
here  for  the  purpose  of  embracing  in  the  curse  even  the 
murderer  who  is  successful  in  escaping  detection  by  human 
justice.  "inD3,  as  v.^^  13'''  28''''';  of  other  crimes,  2  S.  12^2  pg. 
loi^  Job  13^°  31^'^' — -25.  That  taketh  a  bribe  to  slay  an  innocent 
person]  in  16^**  Ex.  23^  the  receiving  of  bribes  is  forbidden 
generally,  not  with  reference  to  the  special  case  here  con- 
templated. Cf.  Ez.  22^2  «<in  thee  have  they  taken  bribes  to 
shed  blood." — 26.  The  -words  of  this  law]  i.e.,  as  v.^,  of  the 
Deuteronomic  law. — Confinneth  (Cp*)]  lit.  causeth  to  stand 
up,  i.e.  giveth  effect  to  (comp.  lo-rw/xe;/  Rom.  3"'i),  as  2  K. 
223.24  (of  Josiah,  in  the  same  connexion);  also  i  S.  1511-13 
Jer.  3514  al. 

XXVIII.  Peroration  to  the  D enter o7iomic  Legislation. 

XXVIII.  A  solemn  declaration  of  the  blessings  (v.^'^*),  and 
the  curses  (v.^^"^^),  which  Israel  may  expect  to  attend  the 
observance  or  neglect  of  the  Deuteronomic  law. — The  Deutero- 
nomic Code,  like  the  Law  of  Holiness  (Lev.  2&-^^),  follows 
the  precedent  of  the  Book  of  the  Covenant,  which  ends  with  a 

25.  'pj  DT  t^SJ  man'?]  "to  smite  a  soul  (Lev.  za^''-'^^  Nu.  35H-i5.8o.  (.f.  'to 
smite  as  to  the  soul,'  c.  19"),  (even)  innocent  blood  "  :  'p:  Di  is  in  appos. 
with  rfl),  in  virtue  of  the  principle  tfSJn  t<in  m.T  12'^. 


XXVII.   i8— XXVIII  303 

passag-e  of  similar  import  (Ex.  22-°'°^)'  The  chapter  forms  an 
eloquent  and  impressive  peroration  to  the  great  exposition  of 
Israel's  duty  which  has  preceded  (c.  5-26) :  in  sustained 
declamatory  power,  it  stands  unrivalled  in  the  OT.  In  its 
general  literary  character,  it  resembles  the  prophetic  discourse 
of  Jer.  or  Ez.,  rather  than  that  of  one  of  the  earlier  prophets : 
but  it  displays  greater  regularity  of  form,  and  artistic  com- 
pleteness, than  is  common  in  Jeremiah ;  and  a  larger  variety 
of  ideas  than  Ez,  usually  throws  into  a  single  prophecy.  The 
blessings  and  the  curses  open  symmetrically  (v.^-''^;  v.^^"^^) ; 
but,  these  verses  ended,  the  treatment  in  each  case  becomes 
freer,  the  curses  being  developed  at  much  greater  length  than 
the  blessings,  and  indeed  forming  the  most  characteristic 
feature  of  the  chapter.  The  scheme  of  this  part  of  the  dis- 
course should  be  noted.  It  does  not  consist,  as  in  Lev.  26 
(see  p.  304),  of  a  series  of  stages,  one  following  another 
chronologically,  and  each  induced  by  the  failure  of  the  preced- 
ing one  to  effect  a  reformation  in  Israel's  character ;  it  is 
developed  in  a  series  of  parallel  pictures  of  the  calamities 
which  Israel  may  expect,  each  ending  in  national  disaster  or 
ruin,  the  last  two  presenting  a  more  appalling  prospect  than 
the  others  (v.20-26.  27-37. 38-44. 49-57.  ss-gs).  a  recurrence  of  sub- 
stantially the  same  thought,  though  usually  in  different 
language,  may  be  noted  more  than  once  (v.^if- 27. 35. 60  j  v.25. 48- 
y  28. 34 .  y  31.  51 .  y  32.  41 .  y  36f.  64^ .  but  in  most  cascs  this  is 
attributable  to  the  plan  of  the  discourse,  just  explained  ;  and 
only  twice  is  the  repetition  alien  to  the  context  in  which  it 
now  stands,  and  liable  consequently  to  the  suspicion  of  being 
interpolated  (v.^^;  v.^^).  In  general  style  and  phraseology 
the  discourse  is  thoroughly  Deuteronomic;  though  naturally 
(on  account  of  the  special  character  of  the  subject-matter)  it 
contains  several  words  and  phrases  not  found  elsewhere  in  Dt. 
The  occurrence  in  it  of  expressions  of  which  Jeremiah  makes 
more  frequent  use  (v.^o'J-  25b.  20.  37)  jg  not  sufficient  to  show  inter- 
polation from  him ;  the  other  parts  of  Dt.  afford  little  or  no 
occasion  for  the  repetition  of  such  expressions,  whereas  Jer. 
(who  in  other  instances  also  borrows  largely  from  Dt.,  and  is 
besides  singularly  apt  to  repeat  the  phrases  which  he  uses) 


304  DEUTERONOMY 

inig'ht  consistently  with  his  general  practice  both  appropriate 
and  repeat  them.  See,  further,  ag'ainst  the  supposition  either 
that  c.  28  is  a  later  addition,  by  another  hand,  to  the  main 
body  of  Dt.,  or  that  it  has  been  to  any  appreciable  extent 
interpolated,  Kuenen,  Hex.  §  7.  21  (2).  It  is  particularly  to 
be  noted  that  deportation  to  a  foreig'n  land  (v.^^'-  ^7. 41.  g3-08^ 
is  not  the  sole  prospect  which  the  author  holds  out  before 
his  people,  it  is  but  one  beside  many  other  afflictions,  most 
of  which  are  to  fall  upon  Israel  in  its  own  land  (failure  of 
crops,  &c.). 

It  may  be  worth  wliile  to  compare  c.  28  briefly  with  the  corresponding 
discourses  in  Ex.  2'^-'^  and  Lev.  26'"^^.  In  Ex.  the  treatment  is  consider- 
ably briefer  as  well  as  more  special ;  the  rewards  of  obedience  consisting 
in  fertility  and  health  for  land  and  people,  success  in  the  struggle  with  the 
Canaanites,  wide  and  secure  territory,  and  the  penalty  of  disobedience 
being  touched  on  only  in  a  single  verse  (v.-"').  There  is  no  appreciable 
literary  dependence  of  Dt.  28  upon  Ex.  23''"^'^.  In  Lev.  26  the  subject  is 
developed  in  a  style  and  manner  bearing  a  greater  general  resemblance 
to  Dt.  28  :  the  rewards  of  obedience  (v.'*'^-')  are  fertility  of  the  soil,  success 
against  foes,  and  Jehovah's  favourable  presence  with  His  people  ;  the 
penalties  of  disobedience  are,  successively,  disease  and  defeat  by  foes 
^y_i4-i7^^  drought  (v.^"'-"),  country  ravaged  by  wild  animals  (v.-^"^),  invasion 
by  foe,  siege,  and  pestilence  (v.^"^®),  desolation  of  cities  and  land,  and 
scattering  among  the  nations  (v.^'^),  in  misery  and  distress  (v.^^'-*), 
followed  by  a  promise  of  restoration  in  the  event  of  the  exiled  Israelites 
repenting  (v.^""*'').  Although,  however,  the  thought  in  Lev.  26  is  in 
several  instances  parallel  to  that  in  Dt.  28,  and  here  and  there  one  of  the 
two  chapters  even  appears  to  contain  a  verbal  reminiscence  of  the  other 
(comp.  Dt.  28--- '^- 5^' ''^'' with  Lev.  26'"- ''■'•-''*•"  respectively),  the  treatment 
in  the  two  cases  is  different,  and  the  phraseology,  in  so  far  as  it  is  charac- 
teristic, is  almost  entirely  distinct.  Lev.  26  presenting  affinities  with 
Ezekiel  {L.O.T.  \).  140),  Dt.  28  with  Jeremiah:  in  fact,  the  two  chapters 
present  two  independent  elaborations  of  the  same  theme. 

1-14.  The  blessings  of  obedience. — Comp.  above  712-16 
11I3-15.  22-25_  v.1-2  introductory. — 1.  A7id  it  shall  come  lo  pass] 
as  remarked  on  pp.  294,  298,  these  words,  continuing-  the 
discourse  of  Moses,  stand  in  no  connexion  with  2'j'^*-^'^,  and 
were  once  probably  the  immediate  sequel  of  26^''"^^  or  27^"^°. — 
If  thou  shall  hearken  diligently  (i'ClJ'n  yiD^  CXi)]  n^^  15^:  cf. 
Ex.  2322  (also  Ex.  i^^  \if). —  Will  set  thee  on  high,  <2rr.]  as 
261'-'. — Come  7ipon  thee  and  overtake  thee]  the  blessings,  like 
the  curses,  v.^^-^^,  are  almost  personified,  and  represented  as 


XXVIIT.   1-9  305 

pursuing-  their  objects,  like  li\  ing-  agents.      Yov  overtake  (yC^Tl), 
cf.  Job  2720  Is.  59^  Ps.  4oi:^ 

3-6.  Prosperity  in  every  department  of  the  national  life. — 
Six  clauses,  each  introduced  by  Blessed,  specifying-  the  nature 
and  range  of  the  blessings  just  promised :  city  and  country 
will  alike  be  prosperous  ;  offspring  of  men  and  cattle,  and  the 
produce  of  the  soil,  will  be  abundant  and  healthy;  the  fruits 
of  the  earth  will  be  safely  gathered  in  and  stored  ;  success 
\\\\\  attend  every  enterprise  upon  which  the  Israelite  embarks. 
— 4.  The  fruit  of  t/iy  ivomb,  and  tlie  fruit  of  tliy  grouiid^"^^^  (cf. 
also  below,  v.^i- is- ^3.  42.  51.  53  oqO)  .  the  thought  (but  not  the 
expression)  as  Ex.  23-'^. — The  increase  of  thy  kine,  fi^'c]  see 
on  7^3^ — 5,  Xhy  basket  and  thy  kneading-troug]i\  i.e.  the  vessels 
used  for  g-arnering-  and  utilizing-  the  fruits  of  the  earth. — 
Basket  (»<P9)]  V.17  2&-^\.—Kneading-trough'\  v.i7  Ex.  728 
I234f. — 6.  Mlien  thou  contest  in,  and  when  thou  goest  out]  the 
same  phrase,  denoting  the  completion,  and  the  beginning,  of 
an  undertaking,  31- Jos.  1^'^^  1  K.  3"  Is.  37-^  Ps.  121^. 

7-10.  Victory  against  foes ;  prosperous  seasons ;  Jehovah's 
favour ;  the  respect  of  the  -world. — 7.  The  form  of  the  discourse 
here  changes  ;  and  the  thoughts  expressed  compactly  in  v.^"''  are 
freely  expanded. — 7.  S/nitten  before  thee]  !■*-  (Nu.  14^^)  Jud. 
20-2.  39  al. — They  shall  come  out  against  thee  one  iimy,  and  shall 
flee  before  thee  seven  ivays]  the  compact  and  steady  array  of  the 
advancing  troops  of  the  foe  is  contrasted  effectively  with  their 
dispersion,  in  manifold  directions,  after  the  defeat,  Comp. 
Ex.  23^2-  27  Lev.  26"^-. — 8.  Jehovah  C07n7nand  the  blessing  .  .  .  / 
a7id  bless  thee,  &c.]  in  the  Heb.  the  form  of  the  verb  is  jussive 
0V'.)>  sig-nificant  of  the  eagerness  with  which  the  orator 
watches  and  desires  the  future  which  he  announces.  So  (at 
least  as  pointed)  v.^i-  3«3.  If  the  form  be  original  here,  the 
jussive  rend,  should  be  retained  throughout ;  (!j  uses  the  opt. 
from  v."  to  v.^*'. — Command  the  blessiiig]  Lev,  25-^  Ps,  133^. — 
With  thee  (^Jji><)]  i.e.  so  that  it  may  accompany  thee  in  all  thy 
labours.  Not  "upon  thee." — Thy  barns  (•^^DD^5)]  Pr.  '^^\. — 
In  all  that  thou  puttest  thy  hand  to]  12^. — 9  /ehovah  will 
establish  thee  unto  himself  for  an  holy  people  (7**  14^  26^^),  as 
he  sware  u?ito  thee]  He  will  confirm  the  honourable  position 
20 


305  DEUTERONOMY 

promised  in  Ex.  k^'''^-  (thoui,'-h  no  oath  is  there  mentioned),  with 
the  respect  (v.^''),  and  various  material  advantages  (v.^^"^'*), 
thereby  ensured. — Seeing  that  (*3)  thou  wilt  be  keeping,  (Srr.] 
8''.  The  entire  parag^raph,  from  v. 2  to  v.^*,  is  an  apodosis 
dependent  upon  the  "if"  (DX)  of  v.^ ;  but  here  (as  again  in 
v.^^)  the  condition  upon  which  the  promised  blessing  depends 
is  adverted  to  indirectly  by  a  clause  introduced  with  "*?, 
^^when,  or  seeing  that  (in  the  case  supposed)  thou  wilt  keep," 
&c.  (comp.  philol.  note  on  12-"). — 10.  All  the  peoples  of  the 
earth]  comp.  esp.  Jos.  4^1  (D-^)  i  K.  8''-'(  =  2  Ch.  6-'''')co  (all 
Deut.),  Zeph.  3-'';  also  i  K.  8^''  Ez.  31^-t. — Shall  see  that 
JehovaKs  naine  is  called  over  thej\  i.e.  that  He  is  thy  Owner, 
and,  as  such,  surrounds  thee  with  His  protection  (cf.  Is.  61^). 

The  sense  of  the  phrase  appears  clearly  from  2  S.  12^,  where  Joab, 
while  besieging-  Rabbah,  sends  to  urge  David  to  come  in  person  and  take 
it,  "lest  /  (emph.)  take  the  city,  and  7ny  name  be  called  over  it  "  i.e.  lest 
I  gain  the  credit  of  having  captured  it,  and  it  be  counted  as  my  conquest. 
The  phrase  expresses  thus  the  fact  of  ownership — whether  acquired  by 
actual  conquest  or  otherwise  (cf.  Ps.  49^- Pi)) — coupled  at  the  same  time 
with  the  idea  of  protection ;  and  occurs  frequentlj',  especialh'  with  refer- 
ence to  the  people  of  Israel,  Jerusalem,  or  the  Temple.  The  passages 
are:  Amos  9^^  jer.  7IU.  11.14. so  j^g  ,^i6  (of  jej..  himself),  25-9  32'^  34^^  j' k. 
8«  (Deut.)  =  2  Ch.  6'«  Is.  63^9  2  Ch.  7"  Dan.  9'«-i».  It  is  to  be  regretted 
that,  in  the  English  Versions,  the  phrase  is  generally  paraphrased  ob- 
scurely, "called  by  my  name"  (which  really  corresponds  to  a  different 
expression  "Ctrn  Nipj  Is.  43^^,  cf.  48'  Nu.  32'*-) ;  but  the  literal  rendering, 
which  in  this  case  happens  to  be  both  clearer  and  more  forcible  than  the 
paraphrase,  is  sometimes  given  on  the  margin  of  RV.  (e.g.  on  i  K.  8*^'). 

Shall  be   afraid  of  thee]   as   enjoying,    viz.,    thus   visibly, 
Jehovah's  all-powerful  protection  (cf.  2-^  ii^^). 

11-14.  Wealth  accruing  from  Jehovah's  blessing,  and  conse- 
quent material  superiority  over  other  nations. — 11.  Maketheehave 
in  excess  (^TO^^)]  30^  ;  cf.  2  K.  ^■^^-  *^  Ru.  2^4  (<«  leave  thereof"  : 
lit.  have  in  excess,  leave  over).  More  than  "plenteous  "  (RV.). 
—  Unto  good]  i.e.  unto  prosperity:  so  30^. — 12.  His  good  treasury] 
i.e.  the  celestial  reservoirs,  in  which  the  rain  was  conceived  by 
the  Hebrews  to  be  stored  (Gn.  7^1  8^),  "the  waters  above  the 
firmament"  of  Gn.  i^;  the  figure,  as  Job  3822  Jer.  lois^^iie 
(Ps.  135^). — To  give  the  rain  of  thy  land  in  its  season]  cf.  1 1^^  ; 
also  Lev.  26*  (nnyn  CD'r3::'3  TinJl). — And  to  bless  all  the  work  of 
thine hand\  with  especial  reference  to  agricultural  undertakings; 


XXVIII.  I0-20  2>^y 

cf.  14-^,  nnd  on  2".  —  T/ioii  shalt  lend  ttnfo  many  nations,  but 
iJiou  slialt  noi  bonvii)]  viz.  on  account  of  the  abundance  of  thy 
wealth.  Cf.  15'';  also  Ps.  37-". — 13.  The  head,  and  not  the 
tail,  &c.\  Israel  will  take  an  honourable  position  at  the  head 
of  the  nations ;  it  will  he  tending  Ofilv  tipwards,  and  not  tending 
downwards,  i.e.  it  will  be  ever  rising  in  reputation  and  import- 
ance (cf.  v.i  26^^) :  it  will  not  be  suppressed  or  forgotten 
among  other  peoples,  more  fortunate  and  powerful  than  itself. 
For  the  fig.  use  of  "head"  and  "  tail,"  comp.  Is.  gi3f-(i4f.)  igi5_ 
"For  some  Arabic  parallels,  see  the  ZDMG.  1892,  p.  180" 
(W.R.S.). — 13-14.  Seeing  that  ('?)  thou  wilt  be  hearkening  .  .  . 
and  turning  not  aside,  &c.\  the  condition,  as  v.^.  For  the 
phrases,  cf.  4^' ;   520P2);  6^4  819  133(2). 

15-68.  The  curses  of  disobedience.— Comp.  425-28  ^4  gior. 
ii^*'''-  (but  as  a  penalty  for  idolatry  only).  V.^^  ;§  introductory, 
agreeing  completely  in  form  with  v.  1-2,  except  that  two  sub- 
ordinate clauses  are  not  represented;  v.^^-^''  correspond  pre- 
cisely to  v.^"^  (only  v.'^'^-  ^^  being  interchanged).  With  v.-"  the 
form  changes,  as  with  v.^  in  the  blessings  ;  but  the  corre- 
spondence with  the  blessings,  in  literary  treatment,  is  not 
afterwards  maintained,  the  subject  being  developed  at  much 
greater  length. 

16-19.  Failure  in  every  department  of  national  life. — The 
expressions  correspond  exactly  to  those  used  v.^-^ ;  see  the 
notes  there. 

20-26.  Disastrous  years,  pestilential  fevers,  exhausting 
droughts,  ruinous  defeat  in  battle. — 20.  Ctirsing  (Mai,  2^),  and 
discomfiture  (7^^),  and  rebuke,  in  all  that  thou  puttest  thine 
hand  7i?ito]  the  opposite  of  v.^.  In  the  Hebrew,  cursing,  dis- 
comfiture, and  rebuke  have  each  nx,  with  the  article ;  they 
are  specified  with  emphasis,  and  almost  treated  as  material 
agencies  (cf.  v. 2). —  Which  thou  shalt  do  (AV.  for  to  afe)] 
j^^29eHd. — Until  thou  be  destroyed  ('[IDJJ'n  nj?)]  repeated,  with 
knell-like  effect,  v.2'*-  ^s.  51.  ei .  ^f.  723. — And  tintil  thou  perish 
quickly]  cf.  v. 22 ;  420  niT  Jqs.  23^^  (D^)' — ^^^^  ^"vH  of  thy  doings 

XXYIII.  13.  rh^rh  pn]  ^^- nothing  but,  altogetlier,  as  v.*'  Gn.  6^  (VT  pn) 
Is.  28i».  Cf.  -K  V.".— 20.  mNcn]  Mai.  2^  (a  reminiscence),  3^  Pr.  3^  aS-'^f.— 
m;?jcn]  not  elsewhere  :  cf.  yji  Mai.  2*. 


308  DEUTF.ROXOMY 

O'^^V^  V'"^)]  Hos.  9T5  Is.  1 10  Ps.  28',  and  esp.  in  Jer.,— as  here, 
with  because  of,  Jer.  4"*  21^2  26''  44^-,  also  232-22  25^.  Q-^^yc  is 
a  word  which  (except  i  S.  25-')  is  confined  to  the  more  elevated 
prose,  as  Jud.  2^8  (Deut.),  and  esp.  Jeremiah  (17  times).  Only 
here  in  Dt. — Mc\  on  7*. — 21.  Make  the  pesiiletice  {'^?''^^})  cleave] 
in  the  Heb.  the  verb  is  pointed  as  a  jussive ;  cf.  v.^.  13^  is  a 
very  gfeneral  term,  denoting"  what  we  should  call  an  epidemic, 
accompanied  by  great  mortality :  it  is  often  mentioned  in  the 
OT.,  e.g.  Am.  4^*^  i  K.  8'^^;  esp.  in  Jer.  (in  the  combination, 
"the  sword,  the  famine,  and  the  pestilence");  threatened,  as 
here,  in  Lev.  26  (v.25)  DDSinn  "im  "'n^yL^'1. —  Whither  thou  goest 
in,  &c.]  7^ — 22.  Seven  further  plagues,  the  first  four  being- 
such  as  affect  human  beings,  and  the  last  three  injurious  to 
crops. — Consumption  and  fever  (nmp21  nsnca)]  so  Lev.  26^^. — 
Inflammation  and  fiery  heat  (nmnai  np^nai)]  not  elsewhere. — 
Drought]  so  Sam.  F,  Saad.  :  Heb.  "with  the  sword"  (3">n?l) : 
but  in  this  connexion  the  sword  is  out  of  place ;  and 
"drought"  (2^1^?'')  is  decidedly  preferable  (so  Ges.,  Kn.,  Di., 
Oettli).  How  calamitous  a  drought  might  be  in  Palestine, 
hardly  needs  illustration:  see  e.g.  ii^'^  i  K.  S^^  i^itr  ^^n.  4"'"- 
Jer.  i42-'5  Hag.  i^i. — Blasting  and  mildew  (ppi-ll  pSTu'Di)]  so 
I  K.  837  (Deut.)  =  2  Ch.  628  Am.  4^  Hag.  2^7,  with  blasting, 
cf.  Gn.  41^-  23-  27  (atnp  nisn::') ;  the  reference  is  to  the  deleterious 
effects  of  the  hot  and  withering  East  wind  (Hos.  13^^  Jon.  4^). 
— 23-24.  The  consequences  of  the  drought,  mentioned  in  v. 22. 
— 23.  77/1'  heaven  that  is  over  thy  head  shall  be  brass,  &c.]  Lev. 
2510  «<  And  I  will  make  your  heaven  as  iron,  and  your  earth  as 
brass." — 24.  The  rain  of  thv  land  potvder  and  dust]  In  con- 
sequence of  the  drought,  dust  and  sand  being  blown  down, 
instead  of  rain,  upon  the  thirsty  soil.  In  the  sirocco,  this  is 
sometimes  the  case  in  Palestine:  "The  wind  continued  to 
increase  in  violence  and  heat,  and  the  atmosphere  was  now 
full  of  dust  and  sand  ;  the  glow  of  the  air  was  like  the  mouth 
of  a  furnace  "  [BR.  ii.  123). — 25.  Shall  cause  thee  to  be  smitten, 
^c.]  exactly   reversing  the  blessing  of  v. 7.     Cf.    Lev.    26^". 

25.  nu'i]  from  yii  to  shake  (Eccl.  12-''),  move  in  fear,  tremble  (Est.  5^), 
more  common  in  Aram.  (C  tremble,  Syr.  totter,  quake,  tremble  ;  nj,'ii  tremor, 
ffuriics,  trembling) ;  here  of  the  object  at  which  one  trembles  (cf.  -TIjnD  Jer. 


XXVIII.  21-27  3^9 

There  follows,  however,  an  a^-gravation  of  the  fate  pronounced, 
v.",  upon  Israel's  foes. — And  iliou  sJialt  be  a  s/iiuidcring  {^)VV) 
unio  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  earth]  i.e.  an  awe-inspiring- 
spectacle:  so  Jer.  15"*  24^  29^3  2417  (in  all,  "And  I  will  give 
them  (you)  to  be  a  shuddering:  unto  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
earth,"  with  reference  to  the  impending-  exile  of  Judah) ;  cf. 
Ez.  22,^^  2  Ch.  29S. — Kingdoms  of  the  earth]  also  freq.  in  Jer., 
viz.  15*  249  252»3  (but  see  (G),  29I8  34!-"  Is.  2317  2  K.  igis-io 
(Deut.)  =  Is.  37I6.20  2  Ch.  3623  (  =  Ezr.  i2)  Ps.  6^^.—%Q.  The 
ing-lorious  end  of  the  Israelite  warriors. — Thy  carcases  shall 
become  meat  unto  all  fowls  of  the  heaven,  and  unto  the  beasts  of 
the  earth]  so  Jer.  y-'^^  16^  19'^  (with  I  will  give),  342*^1;  cf.  i  S. 
iy44.  46  ps^  yg2_ — J;^^/  thcrc  shall  bc  none  to  fray  them  away  (psi 
T'lri'D)]  no  friend  will  remain  to  save  Israel's  corpses  from  such 
dishonour.  So  Jer.  7^^  (just  quoted) ;  the  phrase  also  occurs 
frequently  (10  times)  besides,  but  in  a  different  connexion,  of 
dwelling-,  or  lying-  down,  undisturbed  (as  Lev.  26*^  Is.  172). 

27-37.  Loathsome  and  incurable  diseases,  mental  infatua- 
tion and  blindness,  resulting  in  Israel's  falling-  a  prey  to 
foreign  invaders,  and  being  led  finally  into  an  ignominious 
exile. — 27.  The  new  paragraph  starts  with  a  fresh  denunciation 
of  the  bodily  plagues,  with  which  Israel,  if  disobedient,  may 
expect  to  be  smitten.— 77/f?  boil  of  Egypt  (Q'lVO  p^V"?)]  the 
"boil"  (pn::') — properly,  inflamed  spot,  the  root  in  the  cognate 
languages,  Arab.  Aram.  Eth.,  having  the  sense  oi  to  be  hot  or 
inflamed — is  mentioned  also  v.^^  Ex.  9^-  i''- ^^  Lev.  131^-  ^^- 20  (a 
symptom  of  elephantiasis)  23  (a  common  ulcer),  2  K.  20''=  Is. 
38-1  Job  2"t.  The  "boil  of  Egypt "  must  denote  some  form  of 
cutaneous  disease,  peculiarly  prevalent  in  Egypt.  Not  im- 
possibly elephantiasis  (see  \. '•'■')  is  meant,  which  was  especially 
associated  by  the  ancients  with  Egypt ;  *  but  the  expression 
does    not    point    distinctively    to    that;     and    as    cutaneous 

48''';  Tns  Ps.  31^;  &c.).  Ges.  divexatio;  Ew.  (§  72'')  play-hall ;  but  only 
the  reduplicated  form  Jjil*'  (Hab.  2'',  and  in  Aram.)  has  the  meaning  shnke 
to  mid  fro.— 2^.  "nVa:]  collect.,  as  Is.  26^^. 

*  Pliny  (Hist.  Nat.  26.  i  §  5)  calls  it  "^gypti  peculiare  malum"  ;  and 
Lucretius  (vi.  iii4f.)  writes,  "Est  clephas  morbus,  qui  propter  flumina  Nili 
Gignitur  JE^ypio  in  media,  ncque  praeterea  usquam." 


3IO  DEUTERONOMY 

eruptions,  of  various  kinds,  are  common  in  Egypt  (on   7'^), 

some  other  kind  of  endemic  boil  or  malignant  pustule  (cf. 

J.  R.  Bennett,  Diseases  of  the  Bible,  p.  64  f.)  may  be  intended. 

—  Tumours  (°'^?J|9^)   i   S.   56.0.12  e"- 5f .      Properly  ^2e;f?///;/^.y,— 

generally  understood  of  haemorrhoidal  swellings  in  the  anus 

(Ges.  Ke.) ;  the  Arab.  ' afal  has  a  similar  meaning. 

In  view,  however,  partly  of  the  position  of  the  word  here  between  two 
other  terms  denotingf  affections  of  the  skin,  partly  of  the  rapid  diffusion  of 
the  □''?2J?  among-  the  Philistines  (i  S.  5-6),  and  of  the  fact  that  the  mouse 
(cf.  Samuel,  p.  48)  was  rei^arded  in  antiquitj'as  the  emblem  of  a  pestilence, 
it  is  thoug-ht  by  others  that  plague-boils  (RV.  2nd  margin)  are  meant  (so 
Hitzig,  Urgesch.  der  Philistder,  1845,  p.  201  ;  Thenius  on  i  S.  5" ;  Schultz, 
ad  loc.  ;  Wellh.  Text  der  Bb.  Satnuelis,  p.  64;  Dillm.  also  inclines). 

Wiih  the  scab  (mjni)  and  with  the  itch  (oin^l)]  the  ganib 
is  mentioned  Lev.  21^0  22^2;  the  heres  only  here.  In  Arabic, 
jarab  is  a  contagious  eruption  consisting  of  pustules,  the 
mange  or  scab ;  and  harasha  and  charasha  both  mean  to  scratch. 
(G  ij/o')pa  aypta  (so  Lev.  l.c.)  kol  Kvrj<f>r] ;  U  scabies  et  prurigo. 
Similar  skin  complaints  are  still  common  in  Syria  and  Egypt ; 
here  they  are  specially  signalized  as  incurable. — 28.  Madness 
and  blindness  and  aslonishnicnt  of  heart\  i.e.  mental  infatuation, 
resulting  (v.^^)  in  ill-considered  and  disastrous  public  policy 
(comp.  in  illustration  of  the  term,  though  not  of  its  application 
in  the  present  passage,  i  S.  ai^^"^^  2  K.  9-"),  blind  incapacity 
to  perceive  what  the  times  require  (cf.  Is.  29^-  ^''-  ^^),  and 
paralysis  of  reason  in  presence  of  unexpected  disaster  (cf. 
Jer.  4^  Is.  13'').  Comp.  the  same  three  words  (but  without 
*' of  heart")  Zech.  12*,  of  a  panic,  seizing  horses  and  horsemen, 
and  rendering  them  helpless  in  the  fray. — 29.  And  thou  shall 
be  groping  at  noonday,  as  the  blind gropeth  in  darkness^  cf.  Job 
5^*  Is.  sg^*'  Zeph.  1^'^.  Israel  will  be  reduced  mentally  to  a 
condition  worse  than  that  of  those  who  are  physically  blind ; 
it  will  be  helpless  when  all  ought  really  to  be  clear  before  it. 
With  the  graphic  "  shalt  be  groping,"  comp.   Is.  30-*'  "shall 

27.  D''73>':3i]  the  Kt.  is  D'^sy.^i :  the  vowels  of  the  Qre  belong  to  D'lnpsi. 
D''r3i'  appears  to  have  been  regarded  by  the  Massorites  as  a  coarse,  or 
indecent,  word  :  for,  wherever  it  occurs,  they  direct  the  reader  to  substitute 
nnna  (which  has  twice,  i  S.  6''*^",  found  its  way  into  the  text).  Dmnsj, 
to  judge  from  the  Syriac  (PS.  1456),  will  mean  dysentery  (lit.  tenesmi). — 
na-xj  =so  that,  as  v.^-  ^^  2^  &.c.— 29.  C';:so  n"ni]  cf.  ou  9'.— In]  as  16'^  naa  -,n. 


XXVITI.   2S-35  311 

be  heholding,^''  59-  "have  come  to  he  se pa  ratings'  Mark  13-^ 
ecrovrai  iKiriiTTovTe';.  —  T//0//  shall  nol  make  Ihy  7vays  lo  prosper\ 
the  hnes  of  action  adopted  by  Israel,  in  its  national  capacity, 
will  result  in  disaster.  For  the  phrase,  cf.  (lit.)  Gn.  24'0, 
(metaph.),  as  here,  Jos.  i^  (D^). — Oppressed {]ftr.  5o''''')  and  robbed 
coiiliniialh]  viz.  by  foreign  assailants. — 30-34.  Different  ways  in 
which  the  foreign  invader  will  "  oppress  and  rob  "  the  Israelites, 
viz.  by  depriving  them  of  contemplated  domestic  enjoyments, 
by  appropriating  their  possessions,  by  carrying  their  children 
into  slavery,  and  by  plundering  their  crops. — 30.  Thoti  shall 
betroth  a  wife,  &c.'\  cf.  20' .^Shall  ravish  her]  the  Heb.  word 
is  a  strong  one,  implying  indelicate  treatment,  such  as  might 
be  expected  at  the  hands  of  a  captor  (comp.  Is.  13^^'  Zech.  14- ; 
elsewhere  only  Jer.  3-).— yi«^«o/  ase  the  fruit  thereof]  see  on 
20^. — With  the  general  thought  of  this  verse,  comp.  Am.  5^^^' 
Mic.  615  Zeph.  ii-- Jer.  6^2  S^o  (contrast  Is.  6521^) ;  also  Jer.  5I". 
— 31.  Before  thine  eyes]  whilst  thou  art  looking  on,  unable  to 
raise  a  hand  to  prevent  it.  Cf.  on  i^O;  and  Is.  i^  (QDiJ^i?). — 
And  thou  shall  have  no  saviour]  the  thought  of  Israel's  friend- 
lessness,  while  thus  pitilessly  plundered,  is  repeated  pathetic- 
ally from  v.-^. — 32.  While  thine  eyes  look,  and  fail  with  longing 
(Lam.  ^^'^)  for  them  all  the  day]  the  parents  watch  their  children 
carried  off  into  exile  and  slavery,  and  long  despairingly  to  see 
them  again. — And  it  shall  not  be  in  tJie  pGwer  of  thy  hand  (to 
help  it)]  so  Neh.  5^ ;  see  below. — 33.  Which  thou  loiowest  not] 
of.  v.^*^,  and  on  13'' ('''^;  also  Jer.  14'^  15^^  17*  22-^. — Eat  np] 
Lev.  26^'^^'. — Oppressed  and  crushed  contitiually]  viz.  by  ex- 
tortion, injustice,  and  violence  (cf.  v. 2^).  For  crushed  (l'''^"^)? 
see  I  S.  123-4  Am.  4^  (in  both,  ||  PC'^;  see  on  241'*),  Is.  58"; 
Jer.  22^7  (nynp,  ||  pt:'y)._34.  And  thou  shall  be  maddened 
because  of,  &c.]  the  appalling  spectacle  of  wasted  lands  and 
ruined  homes  (v.^*'"^^)  will  madden  (cf.  v.^^)  the  survivors,  and 
drive  them  to  desperation. — 35.  Israel  will,  moreover,  bte 
smitten  with  the  terrible  scourge  of  leprosy.     The  verse  is 

31.  '3s'?3]  "  from  he/ore,"  "  from  the  sight  of"  (note  the  ||  Trv"?) :  cf.  i  S. 
21^'  Lev.  aa-^  Ps.  51^^  a/.,  and  on  17^^. — ni:in3]  ]nj'  is  construed  reg'ularly  as 
a.  fetn.  pi. — 32.  ni'?^]  from  n^3,  the  verbal  adj.,  of  the  same  form  as  ni-i, 
ni^,  [.Tin],  f.  m,n,  '&c.— -,t  hvh  pxi]  cf.  with  vi  Gn.  3i--'  Pr.  3-'  Mic.  2}\. 
The  ^  is  the  h  of  norm,  according  to  (n^'). 


312  DEUTERONOMY 

open  to  the  suspicion  of  being'  interpolated  or  misplaced  ;   for 

it  repeats  the  thought  of  v.^^  in  a  slightly  altered  form,  and 

interrupts  the  connexion  between  v.^^-^*  and  v. 36-37. — Upon  the 

knees  and  upon  the  legs  "joith  an  evil  boil]  on  "  boil,"  see  on  v.^^. 

From  the  stress  laid  on  the  knees  and  legs,  it  is  probable  that 

the  disease  meant  is  that  species  of  elephantiasis  known  as 

the   "joint-leprosy,"  or   technically,    from   the   fact  that  the 

nerves     affected     by    it    lose    sensation,    as    the   Ancesthetic 

elephantiasis,  which   "attacks   the  joints  of  the  fingers  and 

toes,  and  afterwards  those  of  the  larger  limbs,  which  drop  off 

bone  by  bone,"  while  "  the  limbs  which  are  affected  but  do  not 

ulcerate  become  at  last  so  completely  devoid  of  sensation  that 

portions  of  them  may  be  burnt,  or  otlierwise  injured,  without 

the   person   being   conscious   of  it "   (see   the   Report  of  the 

College  of  Physicians  on   Leprosy,   quoted   in   the  Speaker s 

Comm.  i.  561).     The  other  species   of  leprosy,  consisting  of 

ulcerous  tubercles,  is  called  the  Tuherciilated.     The  expression, 

"smote  with  an  evil  boil,  from   the  sole  of  his  foot  to  his 

crown,"  is  used  also  in   the  description   of  Job's   complaint 

(Job  2"),  which  the  symptoms  referred  to — e.g.  Job  2^  "^"^-^  17'^ 

19I"  (RV.  2nd  marg.)  -^  30^'^ — show  must  have  been  one  form 

or  other  of  the  same  terrible  malady. — 36-37.  The  climax  of 

the  series  of  disasters  described  in  V.2S-34.    ^he  nation  itself, 

with  its  king,  abandoned  finally  by  Jehovah,  and  led  into  an 

ignominious  exile. — 2)Q.  Jehovah  bring  tltee]  the  Heb.  is  pointed 

as  a  jussive:  of.  v.^. — ^w^/Zzi'^zw^]  powerless  to  aid  thee.     Cf. 

lyiif.  J   2  K.  24^^"^'^  25*"''-. —  Which  thou  hast  not  krtoion,  thou  nor 

thy  fathers]  v.^^;   also  v.«^i'  13"  ('"').     Comp.  Jer.  g^'^O'')  I613^  — 

And  there  shall  thou  seroe  other  gods,  ivood  and  stone]  v.^'*  4-^; 

also  Jer.  i6^^'\ — 37.  And  thou  shall  bccofne  an  astonishment,  a 

proverb,  and  a  byword,  &-'c.]\\z.  by  the  fall  from  thy  high  estate, 

and  the  unprecedented  calamities   overtaking  thee.      Hence 

Jer.  240  I  K.  97  (Deut.)  =  2  Ch.  ^'^^.— Astonishment]  Jer.   iSi*' 

198  259- 18  al.— Byword  ('■^,^'?r')]  Jer.  24^  i  K.  9'  2  Ch.  7-ot.     Lit. 

the  object  oi  sharp  or  cutting  remarks. —  Will  lead  thee]  4^^. 

38-44.  Failure  of  crops,  impoverishing  Israel,  and  reducing 
it  to  a  state  of  dependence  upon  the  foreigner  resident  in  its 
midst. — The  paragraph  starts  from  nearly  the  same  point  as 


XXVIII.  30-43  3^3 

V.22,  and  is  in  designed  contrast  to  v.'*-  ii-i"'\^ — 38  40.  TIic  corn, 
the  \i411e,  and  the  oil,  the  three  staple  productions  of  Palestine 
(7^^),  in  spite  of  the  provision  made  for  an  abundant  yield,  will 
be  destroyed  by  plagues  of  insects. — 38.  T/w?i  shall  carry  much 
seed,  &c.]  cf.  Hag-,  i";  Mic.  &^''.— Shall  finish  it  (njSon^)]  the 
word  occurs  only  here :  in  Aram,  it  means  bring  to  an  end. 
Hdsil,  one  of  the  Heb.  words  for  a  locust,  i  K.  8''''  Is.  33* 
(A.V.  caterpillar),  is  derived  from  the  same  root. — 39.  Thott 
shall  plant  vineyards,  (Sr'c]  Zeph.  i^^. — Nor  gather  in  (the 
grapes)]  or  store:  "iJX  denotes  not  gathering  from  the  trees, 
but  gathering  into  stores  (Pr.  6^  lo^f). — The  worm]  "in  all 
probability  the  Tij/,  1$  of  the  Greeks  (Theophr.  Cans.  PI.  iii.  22. 
5  f . ;  Strabo,  xiii.  i.  64),  a  worm  or  grub  that  destroys  vine- 
buds,  the  cojivolvtilus  oi  the  Romans  (Plin.  H.  N.  i^j.  47),  the 
vine-weevil,  an  insect  very  injurious  to  vineyards"  (Knobel). — 
40.  Not  anoint  thyself  with  oil]  so  Mic.  6^^^.  On  the  practice 
of  anointing,  comp.  2  S.  12-0  142  Ru.  3^  2  Ch.  28^^;  also  Am. 
6*^  Is.  61^  Eccl.  9S  Ps.  23^. — Por  thine  olives  shall  drop  off]  see 
below. — 41.  The  children  born  to  Israel  will  go  into  captivity. 
The  verse  interrupts  the  connexion,  and  seems  to  be  super- 
fluous after  v.^2_ — 42.  TJie  cricket  ^-h^rs)]  the  word  occurs  only 
here;  and  the  particular  insect  meant  is  uncertain,  though  it 
must  evidently  have  been  one  destructive  to  trees  and  crops. 
Probably  one  of  the  many  species  of  locust  (Tristram,  NHB. 
p.  307  ff.)  is  intended.  The  root  from  which  the  word  is 
derived  means  to  clang  or  jingle :  so  doubtless  the  insect 
denoted  by  it  is  so  designated  from  the  stridulous  sound  of  its 
wings. — Possess]  Is.  34"  (cf.  142-^)  Hos.  g*^'. — 43.  Israel  will 
thus  be  steadily  impoverished,  while  the  "stranger"  (10^^), 
who  is  not  in  the  same  degree  dependent  permanently  upon 
the  soil  of  Palestine,  will  increase  in  power  and  wealth,  till  a 
condition  the  reverse  of  that  promised  in  v.'-''~^^'^  is  reached, 
and  the  Israelite  is  compelled  to  borrow  of  him  in  order  to 
procure  the  necessaries  of  life. 

-xO.  -"rnj  "jDn]  16' (Ex.  13'').— iicn  vh  idk'i]  Mic.  6'^  2  S.  14-.— W:]  drop 
off:  see  on  7'.  r\-\  of  the  fruit,  as  Mic.  6". — 42.  tyi;;]  the  Pi.  in  this  sense 
onl\'  here:  Jud.  14'^  dilTerently.  Pcrh.  v~i^\  should  be  read  (cf.  Is.  34'' 
Hos.  9®). — 43.  HDD  ,i:;3  .  .  .  n'?i'D  nVi'2]  on  7--. 


314  DEUTERONOMY 

45-48.  Four  verses,  marking  a  pause  in  the  discourse. 
Jehovah's  voice  has  not  been  hearkened  to,  hence  the  calamities 
enumerated  in  v.^^^* ;  Jehovah  has  not  been  served  with  joy- 
fulness,  hence  Israel  will  have  to  serve  its  enemies  in  want, 
and  the  disasters  described  in  v.*^"*^  will  fall  upon  it. — V.45-46 
form  thus  a  conclusion  to  v.^^"*^;  v.^'^"*^  are  introductory  to 
y  49-68_ — 45_  Shall  come  upon  thee,  and  pursue  Ihee]  v.^^*^-  --''. — 
Because  thou  hearkenedst  not]  v.'^^.  The  past  tense  is  used  (as 
y  20  end"^^  because  the  orator  places  himself  in  imag"ination  in  the 
time  when  the  destruction  is  completed. — 46.  I^or  a  sig?t  and 
for  a  wonder]  a  sign  witnessing"  to  God's  righteous  intervention 
and  judgment,  a  laonder  (4^^)  attracting  men's  attention,  and 
arousing  their  horror.  Comp.  29-1-2'' ('-^2S)_ — And  upon  thy  seed 
for  ever]  these  curses  will  cling-  to  Israel's  posterity  for  ever, 
forming  a  perpetual  monument  of  God's  judgment  upon  wil- 
fulness and  sin.  The  possibility  of  an  ultimate  repentance 
and  restoration  (429-31  30^-10)  is  not  here  contemplated  by  the 
Writer. — 47.  Servedst  not]  as  was  Israel's  duty:  6'^  io20  i3^(^). 
—  With  joyfulness,  &c.]  such  as  was  due  to  a  God  who  had 
lavished  upon  Israel  the  tokens  of  His  love  [6^^^^-  7^^  &c.),  and 
such  as  would  have  been  naturally  rendered  by  Israel,  had  it 
obeyed  the  injunction  to  love  Jehovah  with  an  undivided  heart 
(65  8ic.).—Glad?iess  of  heart  (3^  31^^)]  Is.  651*;  comp.  on  1510. 
— By  reason  of  the  abundance  of  all  tlmigs  (?3  ^"^P)]  \\hich 
led  Israel  to  forget  God,  and  to  offer  Him  a  grudging,  half- 
hearted service  (610-12  32^3-15^, — 43,  A  yoke  ofiro7t]  Jer.  28^*. 

49-68.  Development  of  v.^^,  outlining,  more  terribly  than 
before,  the  final  consequences  of  Israel's  disobedience. 

(1.)  49-57.  Jehovah  will  bring"  against  Israel  from  afar  a 
nation,  fierce,  destructive,  and  relentless,  who  will  desolate 
the  country,  and  besiege  the  inhabitants  in  their  cities  until 
they  are  reduced  to  the  horrible  necessity  of  consuming  their 
own  offspring. — 49.  From  afar,  from  the  end  of  the  earth]  comp. 
Is.  52''  (of  the  Assyrian). — As  the  vulture  dartcth  (i^^""^.)]  descry- 
ing- its  prey  from  afar,  and  alighting  swiftly  and  unerringly 

47-48.  n-i3;('i  .  .  .  -iL-x  nnn]  4-'"-^'*.— 48.  unSc"  n^x  t^'in]  v.''"'--'*5b.5-b  (^f.  i  K. 
8^^)  support  the  correction  ~3"i.s-  (Di.  :  cf.  21I"):  comp.,  however,  on  7^" — 
ITDU'n  n;']  on  7-*. 


XXVIII.  45-53  3^5 

upon  it  (Job  9-"  29'^^'  ^^^-  -4'^)-  ^'*^''  ^^^^  rend,  viillurc,  see  on 
14^-.  The  approach  of  the  Assyrians  is  likened  to  the  swoop 
of  the  same  bird  in  Hos.  8' ;  and  that  of  the  Chalda^ans  in 
Hab.  i^Jer.  48^"  49--.  "  Darteth  "  is  a  poetical  word,  occur- 
ring- only  here  and  Jer.  48^*^  49--  Ps.  i8^^(^^\ —  Wlwsc  tongue  ihoic 
shalt  not  undcrsfand\  cf.  Jer.  5^^.  Isaiah  notes  the  same  fact 
in  connexion  with  the  Assyrians  (Is.  28^1  33^^)-  Both  the 
Assyrians  and  the  Chaldaeans  spoke  a  language — that  in  which 
the  cuneiform  inscriptions  of  Nineveh  and  Babylon  are  written 
— which,  though  Semitic,  and  allied  to  Hebrew,  nevertheless 
diftered  from  it  too  considerably  to  be  intelligible  to  the 
Israelites. — 50.  Of  fierce  couiiteiiance  (D'"J3  Ty)]  lit.  of  strong 
countenance,  i.e.  unyielding,  unmoved  by  considerations  of 
equity  or  pity,  defiant  (cf.  Ez.  2"*  d''JD  ^C'P  ;  3'^  n^;jD  "'pin) :  so  Dan. 
8^3  (of  Antiochus  Epiphanes) ;  comp.  Pr.  7^^  21 2^  Eccl.  8^.  An 
unmoved  countenance  may,  under  particular  circumstances,  be 
a  "fierce"  one;  but  Pr.  7^^  shows  that  fierceness  is  not  what 
the  expression  properly  denotes.  The  direction  in  which  the 
nation  will  display  itself  as  unyielding  is  indicated  in  the 
clauses  which  follow. —  Which  shall  not  regard  the  person  of 
the  old,  (fyc]  comp.  Is.  13^^  (of  the  Medes) ;  47"  Lam.  4^^  s^^f. 
(of  the  Chaldaeans). ^ — 51.  The  desolation  of  the  fields  and 
homesteads  of  Palestine. — And  he  shall  eat,  &-'c.\  comp.  Jer. 
5^"^.  The  expressions  as  before  in  Dt.,  v.'*--'*  71^.— 52.  The 
siege  and  reduction  of  the  strong  places. — In  all  thy  gate s\  i.e. 
cities  (on  12^-).  Stress  is  laid  (in  both  clauses  of  the  verse) 
upon  the  besieging  forces  pursuing  their  work  in  all  parts  of 
the  land. — Come  down]  i.e.  be  reduced:  cf.  20^'^. —  JMierein 
thou  trustest\  so  Jer.  5^"''. — Hath  given  thee]  the  perf.,  as  v.^^-^''^. 
Usually  the  ptcp.  (120.25  &c.).— 53.  A7id  thou  shall  eat,  &-c.] 
comp.  Lev.  26-^  Jer.  19^  Ez.  ^^'^. — The  fruit  of  thy  7vof>ib]  v.^. — 
In  the  siege  and  in  the  straitness  wherewith  tJiine  enemy  shall 
straiten  thee]  the  rather  striking  phrase  recurs,  as  a  kind  of 
refrain,  v.^^-^T;  and  is  borrowed  hence  in  Jer.  19". — 54-57. 
The  thought  of  v.^^  jg  dweh  upon  for  the  purpose  of  illustrat- 
ing,  in  two  vivid    pictures,    the  ghastly  reversal  of  natural 

49.    I'C^Ti]   idiom.  — uuders/and,   as  Gn.    11''    42-^    Is.   ;^;^^^. — 50.  jplV  D'JS] 
pcriphr.  for  jpi  -:s  (G-K.  §  129).— 52.  -,■?  n^mj  i  K.  S="  Jer.  lo^**  ut. 


3l6  DEUTERONOMY 

affection,  to  which  the  severity  of  the  siege  will  give  rise. — 
54.  Tender  .  .  .  and  luxurious^  aTraXo?  koX  rpw^cpos  (tTi).  Cf. 
Is.  47^,  of  Babylon,  under  the  figure  of  a  lady  of  rank,  living 
in  ease  and  luxury. — His  eye  shall  he  evil  against]  i.e.  he  will 
regard  with  disfavour,  grudge  (15"). — The  wife  of  his  bosot}i\ 
137(1;)^ — 56.  Who  had  not  adventured,  &€.]  being  a  lady  of 
rank,  and  therefore  accustomed  to  be  borne  upon  a  litter,  or 
to  ride  in  a  carriage  (Is.  47^''). — 56-57.  Her  eye  shall  be  evil 
against  her  husband  .  .  .  and  against  her  after-birth,  <!yc.]  the 
expression  seems  to  be  used  differently  in  the  two  verses :  she 
will  grudge  her  husband,  her  son,  and  her  daughter,  a  share 
in  the  ghastly  repast  which  she  is  preparing ;  she  will  grudge 
her  after-birth,  and  her  children  whom  she  may  bear  during 
the  siege,  even  the  ordinary  treatment  which,  as  a  mother, 
she  would  naturally  give  them,  putting  the  one  out  of  sight, 
and  fondly  cherishing  the  other ;  in  her  want  of  all  things  she 
will  eat  both  secretly.  In  illustration  of  the  fact,  see  2  K. 
528f.  Lam.  4^0  ^^f^  220);  also  Joseph.  B.J.  vii.  21. 

(2.)  58-68.  Jehovali  will  plague  Israel  with  extraordinary 
afflictions,  and  even  rejoice  over  them,  to  expel  them  from 
their  land ;  homeless  and  helpless  amongst  the  nations,  their 
life  will  be  a  burden  to  them ;  the  survivors,  finally,  offered 
for  sale  in  an  Egyptian  slave-market,  will  find  none  to 
purchase  them. — 58.  The  Writer  begins  his  closing  paragraph 
with  warning  Israel  once  again  (cf.  v.^^.  45j  of  the  fatal  mistake 
which  it  is  yet  in  its  power  to  avoid. — All  the  words  of  this 
law]  1719  273-  8  2928(29)  3 1 12  22^Q^ — That  are  written  in  this  book] 
cf.  v.^i  2919-20.26(20.21.27)  2q10_  The  expression  harmonizes 
imperfectly  with  31^  (where  Moses  is  first  said  to  have 
"written"  the  Deuteronomic  law)  ;  and  betrays  the  fact  that 
Deuteronomy  was  from  the  first  a  written  book.  —  This  glorious 
and  fearful  name]  cf.  (of  God)  10^^. — 59.  The  "  plagues,"  extra- 

54.  Jjyni  13  Tin]  for  the  position  of  13,  cf.  on  7". — 55.  "jo  i"?  TKS-n  'S^a] 
lit.  "  from  lack  of  (9'-^  Is.  5^'')  one's  leaving'  him  anything- "  =  because  nothing- 
is  left  to  him.  The  implicit  subj.  of  "I'Nr.i'is  TNv'Si?  (on  15-) :  TNB'n  (cf.  9'-'*) 
will  be  intended  as  an  inf.  c.  with  hireq;  but  no  doubt  TNcn  should  be 
pointed  (see  on  3^  7-^). — 56.  J^n]  for  the  inversion  {rhi-\  ^p  jsn  would  be  the 
normal  order),  cf.  Is.  49*^  Jud.  9-'*  (Dr.  §  208.  3  Obs.).  The  inf.  abs. 
(irreg.),  as  Is.  42-^  (G-K.  §  113.  i^). 


XXVIII.  54-64  Z^7 

ordinary,  manifold,  and  persistent,  with  which  Jehovah  will,  in 
that  case,  afflict  Israel. — Make  thy  plagues  [stripes)  wonder/id 
("imao  xf'Sni)]  i.e.  unusual,  exceptional  for  their  severity  and 
continuance  (lit.  will  distinguisli,  inake  extraordinary :  (G^ 
excellently  TrapaSo^ao-et) :  cf.  Is.  291*  Job  10^''. — Plagiies\  lit. 
strokes  or  stripes  (25'^) — not  the  word  used  in  24^  (W3) — so  v.*"'^ 
29-1  (■-'••;) ;  cf.  Lev.  26'-^i  (nSD  D^^i^y  ^nSD^I),  is.  i«  ("fresh  stripes" 
RV,  7)iarg.)f  Jer.  G"  ("wounds"),  Jer.  19^  ("plagues"),  30^^ 
("wounds"),  Pr.  20'^^  ("strokes").  It  is  the  subst.  corre- 
sponding with  the  ordinary  verb  rendered  smite  ('^7'?). — Of 
long  contiiiuance  (D^3DN3)]  lit.  assured,  i.e.  constant,  persistent ; 
comp.  of  unfailing  waters,  Is.  33^^  Jer.  15^^.  Usually  in  a 
moral  application,  "trustworthy,"  "faithful." — 60.  And  he 
will  bring  baek  upon  thee  all  the  diseases  of  Egypt\  from  which, 
in  the  event  of  Israel's  obedience,  He  had  promised  to  exempt 
His  people  (y^^^  with  note). —  Which  thou  dreadesi]  9T'. — 
Cleave\  v.^^. — 61.  Even  sicknesses  and  plagues,  not  expressly 
named  in  this  book,  will  be  brought  upon  Israel,  in  order  that 
its  destruction  may  be  secured. — Sickness  and  plague  {stripc)\ 
so  Jer.  6'^. — The  book  of  this  laiv^  i.e.  Deuteronomy  (cf.  \-'). 
Elsewhere  the  expression  used  is  "this  book  of  the  law," 
2920(21)3010  3120  Jos.  1^.— Until  thou  he  destroyed^  v.20.  24. 45. 5i_ 
— 62-64.  Hence  Israel,  now  so  populous  (i^*'),  will  be  left  few 
in  number  ;  for  Jehovah,  who  once  rejoiced  over  it  to  promote 
its  prosperity,  will  then  rejoice  over  it  to  ruin  it,  and  expel  it 
from  its  land. — 62.  Few  in  number\  so  42^.  A  reversal  of  26''. 
— Instead  of  your  being  (dd^TI  "i::'N  nnn)  as  the  stars  of  heaven 
for  multitiide\  i^o. — Because  thou  didst  not  hearken,  &c.\  v.*^, 
cf.  v. ^5. — 63.  Rejoiced  over  you  to  do  you  good  (S^'^)'\  30^^  Jer.  32^^ 
(both  times  in  a  promise  of  restoration). — To  multiply  yoii\  i^o 
7^^' — Ye  shall  he  torti  away  from  the  land,  (ffc.\  cf.  v.21  6'^  Jos. 
2313.15  Jer.  2410  2  K,  1723  2521  (with  different  verbs). —  Whither 
thou  goes t  in,  dlr'c.]  v. 21. — 64.  The  survivors,  driven  from  their 
land,  will  be  dispersed  in  every  quarter  of  the  earth,  and  there 
sink  completely  into  heathenism.     Comp.  427f-. — Shall  scatter 

59.  ?Iiri'i30]  G-K.  §  91.  3  R.— 60.  ni-]?]  an  orthogr.  variation  of  'itd  (7^*), 
cf.  Gn.  473  (.Tin) :  Ew.  §  16''.— 62.  Bi'D  -nDD]  as  26'.— 63.  onnoji]  Pr.  2-  15-* 
Ps.  52^  ;  Ezr.  6"  (Aram.),  of  a  hGa.m  pulled  out  of  a  hoiiset. 


3l8  DEUTERONOMY 

tJicc  among  the  pcoplcs\  as  /^"'^  Jer.  gi^Cio)  Ez.  ztS^  ;  Lev.  26^'. — 
From  the  one  end  of  the  earth,  &'c.]  as  i3^(''). — A7id  there  thou 
shalt  serve  other  gods  ,  .  .  -wood  and  stonc\  \.^^  428. —  Which 
thoii  hast  not  known,  o^c]  13''' ('■)''  (hence  Jer.  19'*  44^) :  cf.  28^®. 
— 65-67.  A  powerful  and  graphic  description  of  Israel's  con- 
dition in  exile :  no  peace  or  rest ;  never-ceasing-  anxiety  and 
suspense;  life  in  perpetual  jeopardy  :  the  present  unendurable 
because  fraught  with  peril,  the  future  filled  by  the  imagination 
with  undefined  terrors. — ^65.  Have  no  repose  (VJin  vh)\  Is.  34^^ 
("settle").  A  rare  word,  only  besides  Jer.  31^  47*^  50^'*  Is.  51^ 
(the  cognate  subst.  Is.  28'-;  Jer.  6^*^)1. — Resting-place  for  the 
sole  of  thy  foot]  Gn.  8^. — An  agitated  1icart\  cf.  the  verb  in  2^5 
2  S.  19^  (AV.  i8'''  "much  moved")  Ex.  15^^. — And  failing  of 
eyes  (DTy  P''^^)]  i'l  the  vain  expectation  of  relief.  The  eyes  are 
said  to  "  fail  "  when  they  long"  eag'erly  for  something,  especially 
if  the  longing  be  disappointed  :  comp.  Jer.  14''' Job  ii^"  175  Lam. 
2I1  417  1)^,  5q4  iicj12;^.  a.nd  above,  v. '2.  See  also  Lev.  26^*^  i  S. 
2^'',  cited  in  the  next  note. — And  languishing  of  soul  {p^i  p^STl)] 
i.e.  wasting  away  of  life  (on  122''),  through  continued  anxiety, 
or  other  cause:  comp.  Jer.  31^5  (RV.  "sorrowful";  rather 
languishing,  viz.  through  want) ;  Lev.  26^*'  "I  will  appoint  terror 
over  you,  even  consumption  and  fever,  causing  the  eyes  to 
fail,  and  the  soul  (life)  to  languish  (*^"S:  niT"!?:^  D^ry  ni^D^)  " ; 
I  S.  2'*'. — 66.  Thy  life  shall  hang  in  doubt  before  thee  (l"n  Vm 
n33?3  -^  D-Nl^n)]  lit.  "shall  be  hung  up  for  thee  in  front,"  i.e.  shall 
be,  as  it  were,  suspended  in  front  of  thee  upon  a  thread,  which 
threatens  every  moment  to  break. — And  thou  shalt  not  believe 
in  thy  life\  i.e.  shalt  expect  every  moment  to  be  thy  last.  The 
same  phrase  in  Job  24^2,  of  a  sick  man,  who  has  abandoned 
all  hope  of  recovery. — 67.  In  the  7noming  thou  shalt  say, 
Would  it  were  even  !  and  at  even  thou  shalt  say.  Would  it  were 
morning !\  thus  graphically  is  the  agonized  uncertainty,  pro- 
tracted by  day  and  by  night,  depicted. — For  the  fear  of  thine 
heart  which  thou  shalt  fear,  and  for  the  sight  of  thine  eyes 
which  thou  shalt  see  (v.^'*)]  because  of  the  imagined  terrors  of 
the  future,  and  the  actual  perils  of  the  present.      Comp.  for  the 

65.  fp.]  only  here.— 66.  1'?]  the  dat.  of  reference  (Ex.  10''  Jos.  2"  Jud. 
i6»  2  S.  'i5=»  2  K.  4-'7  &c.).— iJW]  in  front :  Gn.  21I6  2  K.  3^2  425. 


XXVIII.  65-69  (xxix.  i)  319 

general  thought,  Lev.  26^'"*"-  (groundless  panics  In  the  land  of 
exile). — 68.  The  final  scene  in  the  drama.  The  survivors  will 
be  brought  back  to  the  "house  of  bondage,"  which,  as  they 
had  imagined,  and  as  indeed  Jehovah  had  purposed,  they 
had  left  behind  them  for  ever :  they  will  offer  themselves  there 
as  slaves,  but  even  their  enemies  will  dread  to  buy  them ;  all 
men  will  shun  them,  as  a  people  upon  whom  the  curse  of  God 
visibly  rests. — In  ships\  i.e.  (probably)  in  slave-galleys.  The 
idea  is  not  that  the  surviving  Israelites  will"  be  brought  to 
Egypt  merely  as  exiles,  but  that  they  will  be  brought  there  to 
be  sold  as  slaves,  the  "  ships  "  being  those  of  the  Phoenicians, 
who  carried  on  a  trade  in  slaves  (Am.  i^  Ez.  27^^  Joel  4"),  and 
had  commercial  relations  with  Egypt  (Is.  23^). — By  the  way 
ivlicreof  I  said,  &c.^  cf.  17^*^,  with  the  note. 

69  (XXIX.  1).  Subscription  to  the  Deuteronomic  legislation 
(c.  5-28.  28). — These  are  the  words  of  the  covenant,  (5r"c.]  the 
pron.  these  may  point  indifferently  backwards  or  forwards  (on 
i^);  and  it  is  disputed  whether  the  verse  refers  to  what  has 
preceded,  c.  5-26.  28,  or  to  what  follows,  c.  29-30.  The  former 
view  is  that  of  Knob.,  Kuenen  [Hex.  §  7.  21,  2),  Westphal, 
p.  104;  the  latter  that  of  Ewald  [Hist.  i.  122),  Keil,  Dillm., 
Oettli.  The  former  view  appears  to  be  the  preferable  one. 
The  expression  "words  of  the  covenant "  implies  a  specification 
of  the  terms  or  conditions  to  be  observed  by  the  contracting 
parties  (cf.  Ex.  342s  2  K.  232- 3  Jer.  ii^-s  34I8) ;  and  it  is  said 
298(9)  that  these  "  words  "  are  to  be  observed;  but  no  state- 
ment respecting  what  they  comprise  is  to  be  found  in  c.  29-30  ; 
it  is  difficult  therefore  to  understand  how  28*'^  (29^)  can  be 
intended  as  a  superscription  to  c.  29-30.  On  the  other  hand, 
c.  5-26.  28  is  occupied  entirely  with  an  exposition  of  the  terms 
of  the  covenant:  so  that  28''^ [2g^)  would  be  an  appropriate 
and  natural  subscription  to  it. — In  the  land  of  Moab\  i^. — 
Beside  the  covenant  which  he  made  with  them  at  Horeh  (i^)] 
the  covenant  made  at  Horeb  is  alluded  to  in  Dt.  52-  s ;  the 
covenant  into  which  Israel  has  now  entered  in  Moab  [2G^^- ; 
cf.  29^102)^,  while  in  part  identical  with  that,  is  largely  an 
extension  of  it,  embracing  many  entirely  new  regulations : 
the  two  covenants  are  accordingly  distinguished. 


320  DEUTERONOMY 

XXIX. -XXX.  Moses  Third  Discourse.  Israel 
formally  called  upon  to  enter  into  the  Deutero- 
nomic  Covenant. 

The  Deuteronoinic  Code  ends  with  c.  28.  C.  29-30  is  of 
the  nature  of  a  supplement,  insisting"  afresh  upon  the  funda- 
mental principle  of  the  Code,  viz.  devotion  to  Jehovah,  and 
calling  upon  Israel  to  yield  loyal  allegiance  to  it.  The 
discourse  falls  naturally  into  three  parts.  In  the  first, 
Moses,  after  referring  to  what  Jehovah  has  done  for  Israel 
^2gi-8(2-9)^^  reminds  them  that  the  purpose  for  which  they  are 
now  assembled  together  is  that  they  may  enter  solemnly  into 
covenant  with  Him,  and  warns  them  afresh  of  the  disastrous 
consequences,  including  national  ruin  and  exile,  which  a  lapse 
into  idolatry  will  inevitably  entail  (29^-28(10 -iioj  j  in  the  second, 
imagining  the  threatened  exile  to  have  taken  place,  he  promises 
that  even  then,  if  Israel  sincerely  repents,  Jehovah  will  again 
receive  it  into  His  favour,  and  restore  it  to  the  land  of  promise 
(30^'^*')  >  i"  the  third,  he  sums  up,  in  brief  but  forcible  words, 
the  two  alternatives  placed  before  Israel,  life  and  happiness 
on  the  one  side,  death  and  misfortune  on  the  other,  and 
adjures  the  nation  to  choose  wisely  between  them  (so^^'-*^). 

In  these  chapters,  the  connection  is  sometimes  imperfect,  esp.  between 
301-10  and  3011'"^"  (see  on  30") ;  several  words  and  phrases  occur,  not  other- 
wise found  in  Dt.  (DlUm.  notes  ViV7\  2<^^\  h'tn  oaih,  imprecation,  29"-i*''^' 
19.20(12.14.19.20.21)  2o7,  idol-blocks  3.nd  detestations  29'«(i"),  f  p  29"  ('^',  niTnt? 
stubbornness  2')''^ '^'^\  ^^  \~";  and  nSo  ag'^*-"',  nyn^  unto  evil  29-''(-i',  ^'\xhT\T\  sick- 
nesses 29*1  <-'■',  forsake  the  covetiatit  29'^  (-'^),  en:  pluck  up  29^''  (-^',  nnn  drive 
away  2>^^'*  ;  and  the  phrases  29''*  C)*^- '''  l^'*)''-  ^^  P"'*') ;  and  the  points  of  contact 
with  Jeremiah  are  more  numerous  than  usual.  A  question  thus  arises, 
whether  the  text  is  throughout  in  its  orij^inal  order,  and  whether  it  is 
entirely  by  the  same  hand  as  the  body  of  Dt.  :  see  the  Introduction,  §  4. 

XXIX.  1-8  (2-9).  Moses  reminds  the  Israelites  of  all  that 
Jehovah  has  wrought  for  them,  from  the  time  of  their  deliver- 
ance from  Egypt,  founding  upon  it  a  renewed  exhortation  to 
obey  the  words  of  the  covenant. — The  paragraph  is  a  recapitu- 
lation of  the  substance  of  earlier  parts  of  Dt.,  stated  largely 
in  the  same  phraseology. — 1  (2).  And  Moses  called  imlo  all 
Israel  (i^),  and  said  unto  t/ieni\  exactly  as  5^. —  Ye  (emph.)  have 


XXIX.   1-6(2-7)  32  1 

seen,  &€.]  cf.  Jos.  23^  (D-) ;  also  c.  w^'-t  .—All  that  Jehovah  did, 
&'c.\  cf.  i^f>  4-' 'I'  7'^  ir"''-;  also  3-1  4^. — Before  your  eyes\  i^^ 
434b__2  (3),   The  great  provings,  &'c.\  4-'^  (where  see  note),  71^. 
—  Which  thi)ie  eyes  sa7v\  4^  71^  lo^i.— 3  (4).  But  Jehovah  hath 
not  given  you  an  heart  to  know,  c5r"c.]  the  heart  is  named  as  the 
organ  of  understanding  (on   4-^) ;    the  eyes  and   the  cars  are 
named  as  figures  for  the  capacity  of  moral  and  spiritual  per- 
ception   (Is.   6^^   32'').     Israel's   perverseness   (cf.   i.f-  '^^),   the 
meaning  must  be,  has  obliged  Jehovah  hitherto  to  deal  with 
it  accordingly  (Ps.  18'-'' (-'')),  and  to  withhold  from  it  the  power 
of  apprehending   properly  the    duties    which    its    relation    to 
Jehovah  had  imposed  upon  it.      Contrast  the  hope  of  526(20), 
and  the  opposite  action  of  Jehovah,  after  Israel's  penitence, 
in  30''.     The  remark  is  not  very  intimately  connected  with  the 
context,    and    must   be    regarded    as    parenthetical :     Israel's 
possession  of  the  organ  of  physical  sight  (v.2(^))  suggests  the 
thought   of  its   deficiency   in   the   faculty   of  spiritual   insight 
(comp.   the  same  contrast,  Jer.   521   Is.  4220  438). — 4-5  (5-6). 
The  Divine  guidance  in  the  wilderness. — 4  (5).   And  I  led  you 
forty  years  in  the  ivildcrness\  verbatim  as  Am.  2^",  and  nearly 
as  Dt.  82,  cf.   2^.     From  v.^OO^j  it  appears  that  the  pronoun 
refers  to  God  (see  on  7*). —  Yotir  clothes  have  not  worn  away, 
&c.\    as    8*. — 5  (6).     Israel    was    not    sustained    by    ordinary 
human  food,  in  order  that  it  might  learn  that  Jehovah  was  its 
God,   and  that  it  was  dependent   upon    Him   for   sustenance. 
The  allusion  is  to  the  lesson  of  the  manna,   as  taught  in  8^ 
(where    see    note). — Bt   order  that  ye   may  know   tliat   I  am 
Jehovah^  almost  as  Ex.  71^  818(22)''  in  JE,   Is.  45^.     The  ex- 
pression  "And   ye   (thou,   they,   &c.)  shall    know   that   I   am 
Jehovah"  occurs  in  P,   Ex.  G  •]■'  14^-8  i6'2  29^",  exceedingly 
often   (more  than  50  times)  in  Ezek.   [L.O.T.  p.  276  f.),   and 
occasionally  besides,  as  Ex.  io2  (JE)   i   K.  2o^''--~^.     The  form 
■•JX  of  the  pers.  pron.,  which  is  very  unusual  in  Dt.  (12^^^  phil. 
note),  makes  it  probable  that  the  phrase  "to  know  that  I  am 
Jehovah  "  was  already  a  current  one,  adopted  by  the  Writer 
as  one  with  which  he  was  familiar:   ci.  Journ.  of  Phil.  xi.  224. 
— 6-7  (7-8).  The  conquest  of  Sihon  and  'Og,  and  the  division 
of  their  territory;   see  232f-  2^- ^•^'^^~^-.— Unto  this  place]  I'l  9^ 

21 


322  DEUTERONOMY 

11^. — 8(9).  These  benefits,  received  at  Jehovah's  hands, 
should  constitute  a  motive  to  obedience  :  comp.  4'''*-  ■''* ;  1 1^-^^-  ^. 
— Observe  .  .  .  and  do]  4". — T/ie  7Vords  of  this  covenant]  28''^ 
(29^).  —  That  ye  may  understand — viz.  so  as  to  manage  success- 
fully (^^^^•L^•n)— «//  that  ye  do]  1  K.  2^^>  (Deut.) ;  cf.  Jos.  i^- « (D2). 
9-12  (10-13).  Israel  is  assembled  here  to-day  for  the  pur- 
pose of  entering"  formally  into  the  covenant  with  Jehovah,  and 
accepting  the  obligations  which  that  involves. —  Ve  are  stand- 
ing (D"'^5fJ  ^^i^)]  more  lit.  are  stationed,  fixed,  as  it  were,  for  a 
purpose — a  more  formal  term  than  □"'"ipj? :  cf.  i  S.  22"- ''  Is.  3^^. 
With  "before  Jehovah,"  comp.  "take  your  (their)  stand 
(C2k'^nn)  before  Jehovah,"  i  S.  lo^^  Jos.  2^^.— Your  tribes] 
"tribes,"  in  this  connexion,  between  "heads"  and  "elders," 
can  hardly  be  right.  In  all  probability,  "  your  judges  "  (DD''t:£t;') 
should  be  read  for  "your  tribes"  (cD''D2w')-  comp.  Jos.  8^^  23^  24^. 
So  prob.  Cj  (for  dpx^<pvXoL  appears  to  correspond  to  "heads" 
alone:  see  Jos.  21^,  and  contrast  c.  5-'^  G). — Your  oncers 
(□3^10"')]  S66  o"  i^^;  and  comp.  31-^  Jos.  8''^  23^  24I. — (Even) 
all  the  men  of  Israel]  summing  up  the  whole,  of  which 
particular  representative  items  have  been  previously  specified, 
according  to  the  usage  in  Dt.  (p.  214). — 10(11).  Your  little 
ones]  so  31^2  Jqs.  S-''^. — Thy  stranger  that  is  in  the  midst  of  thy 
camp]  Israel's  "camp"  (often  in  JE,  and  csp.  in  P)  is  not 
referred  to  elsewhere  in  Dt.,  except  2i'""-.  "Thy  stranger,"  as 
5!^  24^*  31^^'  The  mention  of  the  "stranger"  (cf.  31^-;  Jos.  8-'5 
D-)  is  an  indication  that  the  Writer  lived  in  an  age  when  the 
foreigners  settled  in  Israel  had  acquired,  religiously  as  well 
as  socially,  a  recognised  position  (comp.  on  10^^  i4"0' — ^^^^ 
gatherer  of  thy  [fire-)wood,  ^c.]  so  Jos.  g2i.23. 27|^  where  the 
Gibe'onites,  after  the  fraud  practised  by  them  upon  the  Israel- 
ites, are  condemned  to  serve  in  these  capacities  for  the  sanctu- 
ary (cf.  Neh.  io'^5(:!4)  13S1),  But  here,  unless  again  the  terms 
be  borrowed  from  the  institution  of  a  later  age,  the  reference 
may  be  to  those  performing  these  menial  duties  for  the  indi- 
vidual Israelites. — Gatherer]  2Dn  is  not  connected  with  3vn  to 
hew:  the  Arab,  hatab  is  fire-wood,  and  hataba  is  to  collect  fire^ 

XXIX.  10.  T:nD]  G-K.  §  93.  3  R'.— asn]  ig*  Jer.  46^2  do  not  show  that  'n 
means  to  "hew"  :  that  it  is  used  prop,  oi fre--d.<ood,  appears  from  Ez.  39^". 


XXIX.   S-i6(9-i7)  323 

wood  (Lane,  p.  593). — 11(12).  Pass  over  into  his  covcnaii/^  see 
below. — And  ink)  //is  oat/i]  or  imprecation  ('^7?),  i'C.  a  covenant 
sealed  by  an  oath,  and  mutual  imprecations  (p.  67) ;  so  Gn. 
2628  Ez.  171^  Neh.  lo-^o  (-■'). —12(13).  That  he  may  establish  thee 
(28^)  this  day  unto  himself  for  a  people,  and  that  he  may 
be  iinto  thee  for  a  God\  a.  succinct  statement  of  the  mutual 
obligations  entered  into  by  Jehovah  and  Israel.  For  the 
expressions  used,  see  on  26^^-  ^^. — As  he  spake  ttnto  thee  (i^-^), 
and  as  lie  square  unto  thy  fathers,  to  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to 
Jacob\  in  Gn.  \']'^-^  (P)  Jehovah  promises  "to  be  to  Abraham 
for  a  God " ;  but  there  is  no  mention  of  a  corresponding" 
promise  to  Isaac  or  Jacob.  But  no  doubt  the  reference  is  to 
passages  such  as  Gn.  22^^-^^  26-^  28^^'"-  (JE),  the  conditions 
involved  tacitly  in  the  promises  there  recorded  being  con- 
verted here  into  a  formula  expressing  them  distinctly.  The 
oath  to  the  forefathers  is  often  alluded  to  in  Dt.  (on  i^) ;  but 
usually  with  reference  to  the  promise  of  the  land  of  Canaan : 
with  reference  to  the  covenant  concluded  with  them,  4^1  7^2 
SIS ;  cf.  also  437  78. 

13-20  (14-21).  And  the  covenant  is  one  which  must  be  held 
to  bind  not  only  those  present  to-day,  but  future  generations  as 
well ;  for  the  danger  of  Israel's  lapsing  into  idolatry  is  great ; 
and  the  consequences  are  grave  for  him  who  yields  to  the 
temptation. — 14  (15).  TJiat  standet]i\  here  the  less  formal  word 
(TCi')  is  used. — And  also  loith  him  that  is  not  here  "with  us  to-day^ 
i.e.  the  Israelite  of  future  generations.  Comp.  the  similarly 
expressed  contrast  in  5-^. — 15  (16).  For  ye  (emph.)  know  how  we 
dwelt,  (Sr'c]  the  ground  for  v. 1^(15):  for  ye  have  experience  of 
the  idolatry  rife  both  in  Egypt,  and  among  the  other  nations 
bordering  on  Canaan  ;  and  can  judge  consequently  of  the 
necessity  of  including  future  generations  in  the  terms  of  the 
obligation. — How  we  passed  through  the  midst  of  the  nations 
through  which  ye  passed]  the  ide7n  per  idem  form  of  expression, 
explained  on  i^s. — 16  (17).   Their  detestable  things  (i^i^'^'^Pr')]  a 

11.  nnaa  "iny]  a  phrase  found  only  here.  Possibly  it  may  have  its  origin 
in  the  ceremony  of  Dntjn  j'2  nay  (Gn.  15^"  Jer.  34^*'')  in  concluding-  a  cove- 
nant :  but  more  prob.  it  means  simply  "  to  pass  over  (Ex.  30^^-  '■*)  into  the 
covenant";  cf.  the  syn.  enter  into,  Ez.  16*  Neh.  10'*. — 12.  .  .  .  D'p~  IVD*? 
.TH'  Kim]  G-K.  §  114.  3  Ri ;  Dr.  §  118.— 14.  i:e"]  G-K.  §  100.  5. 


324  DEUTERONOMY 

contemptuous  designation  of  heathen  deities  or  idols,  only 
here  in  the  Hex.,  but  frequent  in  writers  of  the  ag-e  of  Jer. 
and  Ez.,  and  sometimes  subsequently,  as  i  K.  ii^  (Deut.) 
"  Milcom,  the  detestation  of  the  'Ammonites,"  '^  2  K.  2313-24 
Jer.  7^0  Ez.  26^:  s  Is.  66^  al.  Sliiqqfiz  occurs  first  in  Hos.  9^° 
("  and  became  detestations  like  that  which  they  loved  ").  It  is 
cognate  with  the  verb  rendered  detest,  Dt.  72'j  (see  note),  AV., 
RV.  usually  render  '*  abomination,"  confusing  it  thereby  with 
tocbah,  except  where  it  occurs  by  the  side  of  this  word,  when 
"detestable  thing"  is  adopted  (Jer.  16I8  Ez.  5I1  720  ni8.2i)._ 
And  their  idol-blocks  {p[}'')^'^})\  another  contemptuous  designation 
of  heathen  idols,  found  once  besides  in  the  Hex.  (Lev.  26"<>,  H), 
used  otherwise  only  by  the  compiler  of  Kings  (i  K.  15^2  2120 
2  K.  1712  2iii-i-  232^),  by  Ezek.  (39  times :  e.g.  6'«-5-6.9;  and 
parallel,  as  here,  with  detestations,  zd^-  ^-  ^^  37^^ ;  so  2  K.  23'-'^), 
and  in  Jer.  502. 

The  particular  attribute  belonging-  to  an  idol  which  the  term  expresses 
is,  however,  uncertain.  Galal  is  to  roll  {e.g.  a  stone,  Gn.  29^) :  hence  Ges. 
supposed  gillul  to  denote  properly  blocks  of  stone,  such  as  are  rolled,  the 
term  being  applied  derisively  to  idols,  as  though  dei  lapidei  (similarly 
Baudissin,  Sem.  Rel.-gesch.  i.  95,  but  not  limiting  the  material  to  stone, 
cylindrical  masses,  of  whatever  material) :  Evvald,  on  the  other  hand  {Die 
Lehre  der  Bibel  voti  Gott,  ii.  264),  thought  it  probable  that  the  word  was 
meant  as  a  satirical  allusion  to  the  costume  and  appearance  of  an  idol, 
and  denoted  properly  doll-images  ("  Puppcn,  Wickelkindcr"). 

Wood  andstone\  428  28-'<5-  ^K— Silver  and  gold]  cf.  f-\—With 
them]  in  their  possession.  Not  amoiig  them  (RV.). — 17-18 
(18-19).  Take  heed,  therefore,  lest  there  be  any  among  you 
who  yields  to  the  temptation  to  follow  the  gods  of  these 
nations,  and  who  is  infatuated  enough,  when  he  hears  the 
terms  of  the  covenant,  to  imagine  he  may  safely  disregard 
them. — 17(18).  (Take  heed)  lest.  .  .]  this  is  the  best  con- 
struction (cf.  Is.  36^*^  Job  32^'^),  with  a  period  at  the  end  of 
yic  (17).  for  v.  I'*  ('■'')  (which  looks  distinctly  to  the  fn  In  re)  can 
hardly  be  intended  to  make  provision  for  a  present  need 
("  to-day,"  V.  17 (18)). _ 7^0^-0  to  serve]  cf.  13'- 1*(^'- 1'')  17^. — A  root 
that  beareth  poison  and  wormwood]  a  significant   figure,   ex- 

17.  njs  D33V]  30".  — Dye]  i  K.  ii^.— 17-18.  inanm  .  .  .  .rm  .  .  .  k"  js]  on 
^16 .  ef  ]B,  as  2  K.  10^. 


XXIX.   i7-iS(iS-i9)  325 

prcssive  of  the  bitter  consequences  which  idolatry  brings  in 
its  train,  the  single  hidden  root  being  the  source  of  abundant 
poisonous  fruit.  Poiso7i  (:;'j<l),  as  32'''2-33  Hos.  10^  Am,  6^2 
Jer.  81^  91^  23I5  Lam.  f-^'^  Ps.  6922  Job  2oi6t.  AV.,  RV 
usu.  "hemlock"  or  "gall."  It  is  evident,  from  this  passage 
and  Hos.  10*,  that  some  poisonous  plant  is  denoted  by  the 
term ;  though  what  plant  it  is,  is  quite  uncertain.  As  rosh 
means  also  "head,"  Ges.  thought  of  poppies,  of  which  several 
species  are  found  in  Palestine.  Wornnvood  (njy?),  as  Am.  5''^ 
612  Jer.  9I*  2315  Lam.  315.  i9  Pr.  s^f.— 18  (19).  When  he  hearcth 
the  words  of  this  oath  (v. ^i- ^^(12. 11))],  i.e.  the  conditions  of  the 
covenant. — That  he  bless  Jiimsclf  in  his  hearty  &fc.\  i.e. 
mentally  congratulate  himself  that  he  may  nevertheless  act  as 
he  pleases  with  impunity. — Thoiigh  I  walk  in  the  stvbbomncss 
(r,n''it;')  of  my  heart]  i.e.  persist  in  my  self-chosen  course  of 
idolatry.  Of  course  the  expression  represents  the  judgment 
of  the  Writer  of  Dt.,  not  that  of  the  imagined  speaker  (comp. 
"we  have  made  lies  our  refuge,"  Is.  28^^).  "Stubbornness" 
(lit.  ///7««^^j- [see  below],  in  a  bad  sense),  always  followed  by 
"  of  the  heart,"  occurs  elsewhere  only  in  Jeremiah  (3^'^  72^  9I3 
118  1310  1612  1812  2317)  and  Ps.  8ii3(i2)._ro  carry  off  the 
ivafcrcd  (Is.  58^^)  with  the  dry]  or  thirsty  (Ez.  19^^) ;  a  proverbial 
expression,  denoting  all  (comp.  on  32^*').  The  two  adjectives 
areyi'w.  in  the  Heb. ;  and  no  doubt  the  reference  is  implicitly 
to  herbage  or  plants ;  watered  and  parched  alike,  all  will  be 
swept  away  together.  The  clause  is,  of  course,  to  be  connected 
not  with  "though  I  walk,"  &c.,  but  with  "bless  himself  in 
his  heart";  the  meaning  being  that  the  idolater  alluded  to 
congratulates  himself  that  he  will  escape  all  harm,  in  order  to 
destroy  all  together,  viz.  through  the  deleterious  consequences 
of  his  sin,  which  either  (Knob.)  brings  down  directly  the 
Divine  anger  upon  the  entire  people  (cf.  Nu.  1622  Jos.  6^^  7^ 
22IS.  20^^  or  (Dillm.)  spreads  rapidly,  and  so  infects  the  com- 
munity at  large  as  to  produce  in  the  end  the  same  result. 
The  result  of  the  idolater's  action  is  represented,  ironically, 
as  being  his  design  (JV'Pp),  as  occasionally  besides ;   comp.  Hos. 

18.  nnnr]  -nc  (Pad),  "iijn  (Af.),  are  common  in  Syr.  in  the  sense  of 
confirm,  strengthen  :  and  nn'iy'  is  aTifiuit-a.  (Col.  2'). 


326  DEUTERONOMY 

8'  Is.  44^  Jer.  7^^. — Carry  ojf\  or  sweep  away,  the  Arab,  safu 
is  used  esp.  of  wind  carrying  away  dust.  In  AV.  the  fig",  is 
lost:  cf.  Gil.  i8-^-2-i  19I5. 17  (AV.  coiisimie);  1  S.  26'"  27I  {be 
carried  away:  AV.  perish);  Ps.  ^o^H^^)  «/.— 19-20  (20-21;. 
Jehovah's  aiig'er  agfainst  such  a  man  will  not  be  assuaged  : 
He  will  mark  him  out  amongst  all  his  compatriots  for  an  evil 
fate.— 19  (20).  Will  not  be  willing  (nax^  vh)  to  pardon  him]  AV. 
"will  not  pardon  him  "is  inadequate:  "will"  is  not  here  a 
mere  sig'n  of  the  future. — And  his  jealousy]  sc.  at  the  honour 
which  is  His  due  being  rendered  to  another;  comp.  on  42*. — 
Shall  smoke  against  that  man]  Ps.  74^  (of  anger) ;  cf.  8o^('')  (see 
RV.  7n.\  Is.  65'^. — All  the  imprecation  ('"i^^)  written  in  this  boo/c] 
i.e.  the  curses  ('~'^''^P)  of  28'^"^- ;  cf.  2  Ch.  34"^*. — Shall  lie  down 
upon  him\  K^'J  is  to  lie  down  as  an  animal  (Gn.  49'') :  if  the 
word  be  correct,  it  must  be  used  figuratively,  of  the  curse 
settling  upon  him ;  but  the  metaphor  is  rather  a  forced  one  ; 
and  perhaps  (!Ir  KoW.-r]Q-t](ie.ro.i  [i.e.  "^P?"]"!)  shall  cleave  to  him 
(so  K)  is  the  true  reading-  (cf.  2821-  <^<^).— Shall  blot  out  his 
name  from  nnder  heaveii]  9^^  ;  cf.  25^^. — 20  (21).  Shall  separate 
him  (i^n^ni)]  4'*^  10^  ig"^"^;  cf.  i  K.  8''^  (in  a  good  sense). — 
Unto  [or  for)  evil]  Am.  9*  Jud.  2^-'  (Deut.),  Jer.  2110  24O  29"  38* 
39^"  ^^11.27.29  (with  various  verbs). — Out  of  all  the  tribes  of 
Israel]  i  S.  228  i  K.  Si"  n^s  1421  2  K.  oj^  (all  Deut.) :  cf.  Dt.  12^ 
18'*. — The  imprecations  {^'^^^)  of  the  covenant,  ct'c]  28''''"-. 

21-27  (22-28).  But  the  dreaded  future  will  only  too  surely 
arrive;  and  the  passer-tay,  when  he  sees  the  barren,  depopu- 
lated land,  and  inquires  the  cause  of  its  ruin,  will  be  told  in 
reply  that  it  is  a  judgment  upon  Israel  for  its  apostasy. — The 
tone  is  no  longer  deprecatory,  as  v.^^('^\  but  predictive;  for 
the  dreaded  contingency  is  now  pictured  as  a  certainty.  The 
transition  from  the  individual  of  v.^^"20(20  2i)  ^-q  tj-,g  nation  in 
V.21'''"- (22ff.)  is  somewhat  abrupt ;  but  the  Writer  evidently  con- 
templates the  case  of  the  "poison"  of  v.^'^'^^*^)  having  com- 
pleted, only  too  thoroughly,  its  baneful  eflfects.— 21-23  (22-24). 

20.  n3in;n]  as  it  stands,  belongs  strictly  to  T\'-\2n,  thoug-h  the  part  of  "  the 
covenant  written  in  the  book"  specially  referred  to  is,  of  course,  c.  28. 
The  versions  express  niinj.T  (cf.  2  Ch.  34-'') ;  and  it  is  best  to  read  either 
this  orn^N  (sing-.,  as  v.^"). 


XXIX.  19-25(20-26)  2^7 

Both  the  Israelite  of  a  future  generation,  and  the  traveller 
journeying'  from  distant  parts,  are  imagined  to  put  this  question 
of  surprise. — T/ie  folloiving  generatLon\  Ps.  48^"*  (i'')  yS''- ^ 
I02i9(is)._21(22).  Rise  iip\]yj.6..  2>^ .—The foreig^ier  that  shall 
cojne froin  afar  land\  hence  (in  a  different  connexion)  i  K.  8*^ 
{D^Mt.).— Plagues  [stripcs)\  2859-61  Jer.  198.— 22(23).  Brim- 
stone and  salt,  (even)  a  burning,  is  all  its  land ;  it  is  not  soion, 
<5r'c.]  epexeg.  of  the  "plagues,"  and  "sicknesses"  of  v.  21(2-2). 
the  soil  is  represented  as  covered  with  a  sulphurous  and  saline 
deposit,  mingled  with  calcined  bituminous  matter,  checking 
all  vegetation.  For  the  figures,  cf.  Gn.  iq^*  Job  i8i'^  Jer.  \'^^'^. 
The  imagery  (as  the  end  of  the  v.  shows)  is  drawn  from  the 
arid  and  barren  tracts,  bearing  this  character, — the  effects 
probably  of  eruptions  of  bitumen, — in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  Dead  Sea  (cf.  Tristram,  Land  of  Israel,  pp.  348  358 ; 
Dawson,  Egypt  and  Syria,  p.  124  ff.):  the  whole  land  is 
pictured  as  resembling  these. — Neither  doUi  it  cause  to  grow 
(n?pyn  ^hy.  AV.  beareth)]  Gn.  3I8  Is.  61II;  cf.  Gn.  1925  "the 
growth  (or  sprouting)  of  the  soil "  ('"ip'^>?'^  HDV). — Nor  any  herb 
Cometh  -up  therein^  cometh  up,  as  Am.  7^  al. — Like  the  overthrow 
of  Sodom,  <S^c.]  mahpckhah  is  always  used  with  reference  to 
the  cities  of  the  Plain,  either  directly  (Am.  4^1  Is.  13^^  jgj-^  ^^is 
50^^),  or  allusively  (Is.  i^)!  :  comp.  i^3.?n  Gn.  192^,  and  the 
cognate  verb  hdphakh,  Gn.  1921-  25. 29  jgj-.  20^^  Lam.  4". — 
Admah  and  Zeboim]  Hos.  iiS;  also  Gn.  142!. —23-24  (24-25). 
WJierefore  hath  Jehovah  done  thus  to  this  land?  And  they 
shall  say.  Because  they  forsook,  &c.\  almost  the  same  words, 
borrowed  hence,  and  merely  accommodated  to  the  city,  or  the 
temple,  in  i  K.  9''''-  Jer.  22^''-  (cf.  iGio""). — Forsook  the  covenant 
of  Jehovah^  1  K.  1910- 1*  Jer.  22^  Dan.  ii^of. —  Which  he  made 
with  them,  ^c]  v.^3(i4).  also  i  K.  821  (Deut.),  Jer.  ii*  34'^.— 
25(26).    Went  and  served  other  gods]  137.14(6.13)  if,— Whom 

21-23.  1X11  carries  on  iDip'  and  n3'  ;  D'i;n  hz  nnxi  resumes  jnnxn  nnn  now 
after  the  long  intervening-  rel.  clause  (cf.  on  4''2).  Construe :  "  And  the 
following  generation  will  say — even  your  children  who  shall  rise  up  after 
you,  and  the  foreigner  who  shall  come  from  a  far  land,  and  who  shall  see, 
&c.  .  .  . — (23)  Yea,  all  the  nations  shall  say,"  &c. — cannND]  Eccl.  10'^. — 
D-NiVnn]  Jer.  14^*  16*  Ps.  103*  2  Ch.  2i"'t.— 22.  n^inx]  the  suff.  refers 
awkwardly  to  ^'ii^n  v.^. 


o 


28  DEUTERONOMY 


t^iey  knew  noi\  ii^^. — And  'whom  he  had  not  allotted  unto  them] 
see  on  /\}^. — 26  (27).  To  bring  upon  it  all  the  curse  {7h'^\>p)  that 
is  written  in  this  book]  28'-'"'- ;  cf.  v.i9-2o(20  2i)  (nbs).  Cf.  Jer. 
25^3.  The  clause  is  worded,  like  v.^^0^),  from  the  point  of 
view  of  the  Writer  of  Dt.  ;  for  "this  book"  is  hardly  appro- 
priate in  the  mouth  of  the  persons  supposed  to  g"ive  the 
answer,  \.~-^i.-->). — 27  (28).  Plucked  them  up  from  off  their  land] 
so  I  K.  14I''  (Deut.),  Jer.  12^^  2  Ch.  7^0  (varied  from  "cut  off" 
in  I  K.  9") ;  Am.  g^''  (with  not).  C'DJ  (opp.  to  yc3  to  plant,  Am. 
9^^  Jer.  24"  al.)  does  not  occur  elsewhere  in  the  Hex.  :  it  is 
not  a  very  common  word,  being-  used  chiefly  by  Jer.  (i^^  12^^-  ^^ 
iS^  al.). — In  anger,  and  in  fury,  and  in  great  wrath]  Jer.  21^ 
32'^^. — Cast  them  into  another  laftd]  cf.  Jer.  22-''. — As  at  this 
day]  see  on  2^^. — 28  (29).  The  secret  things  belong  unto  fehovah 
our  God ;  but  the  thijigs  that  are  revealed  belong  unto  us  and 
to  our  children  for  ever,  that  we  may  do  all  the  words  of  this 
/«w]  by  the  "  secret  things,"  is  meant  the  future:  the  know- 
ledge of  this,  the  Writer  says,  belongs  to  Jehovah  ;  we  and 
our  descendants  are  concerned  only  with  what  He  has  revealed 
to  us,  viz.  the  practical  duty  of  observing  His  law. — All  the 
words  of  this  law]  28''^. 

XXX.  1-10.  Nevertheless,  if  Israel  in  the  land  of  its  exile 
repents  and  turns  sincerely  to  Jehovah,  He  will  again  visit 
it  with  His  mercy,  He  will  restore  it  to  the  land  of  promise, 
and  bestow  upon  it  again  the  tokens  of  His  favour. — The 
paragraph  (which  may  be  regarded  as  an  expansion  of  4-''"-") 
consists  substantially  of  a  reaffirmation  of  the  promises  given 
in  previous  parts  of  Dt.,  accommodated  to  the  case  of  Israel's 
repentance  in  the  land  of  its  exile.  V.^^  (see  note)  seems  to 
show,  however,  that  it  cannot  have  been  orig-inally  designed 
to  precede  v.^^"20_ — 1_  When  all  these  things  are  come  upon  thee, 
the  blessing  and  the  curse]  the  reference  is  to  c.  28,  where  the 
blessing's  consequent  upon  obedience,  and  the  curses  incurred 
by  disobedience,  are  successively  enumerated.     It  is  true,  the 

28.  ir:3'?i  uS]  the  puncta  extraordinaria  "have  here  no  critical  signifi- 
cance, but  in  all  probability  merely  call  attention,  like  the  h  majusc.  in  v.'-"^, 
to  some  hidden  meaning,  which  the  Jewish  doctors  supposed  to  attach  to 
the  words  in  question"  (Uillm.). 


XXIX.  26(27)— XXX.  4  3^9 

"blessing'"  might  be  deemed  not  strictly  appropriate  in  a 
context  which  contemplates  entirely  the  case  of  the  nation's 
disobedience  :  but  it  seems  that  the  Writer  has  in  view  Israel's 
future  as  a  whole,  which  w'ould  not  be  throughout  of  a  uniform 
character,  but  would  present  examples  both  of  national  obedi- 
ence and  of  national  apostasy ;  and  the  consequences  of  the 
former  would  afford  material  for  salutary  reflexion,  not  less  than 
those  of  the  latter. —  W/iicIi  I  have  set  before  i/iee]  i.e.  offered 
for  thy  choice  (v.^^- ^^  ii-*'):  see  on  4^. — And  bethink  thyself^ 
so  I  K.  8^"  (AV.).  Lit.  bring  back  to  thy  heart,  i.e.  consider 
(viz.  the  causes  of  thy  exile,  thy  relation  to  Jehovah,  &c.) : 
see  4"'^  (phil.  n.). — Hat/i  driven  thee]  O''"!'?  is  common  in  this 
application  in  Jer.  (8'^  i6i5  233-  8  24^  2710- 15  29^4.  is  3387  4528) ; 
so  Ez.  4^-'.  Cf.  "^[Tl^,  v.'*. — 2.  And  shalt  retuTni  even  unto  (1^) 
Jehovah  thy  God,  and  hearken  to  his  voice]  verbatim  as  4^''. — 
WJiich  I  conmiand  thee  this  day]  so  v.8- n  :  see  on  48. —  With 
all  thy  heart  and  with  all  thy  soul]  as  4^9  (see  note).  The 
repentance  must  be  thorough  and  sincere. — 3.  Will  turn  thy 
captivity]  or  change  thy  fortune  (see  below).  Whether  rilSL"  be 
derived  from  ^31"  or  a^B'*,  the  expression  does  not  mean  '*  brijtg 
back  thy  captives  " :  it  is  used  commonly  with  reference  to  a 
decisive  turn,  or  change,  in  a  people's  fortune.  Here,  as  also 
Jer.  29^4  30^  Ez.  29^4,  the  return  from  captivity  is  mentioned 
separately  afterwards. — Have  compassion  vpon  thee  ("[Dmi)] 
1318(17);  cf.  4^1.  Comp.  Jer.  12^^  2320  (Qiriomi  DFinC'  ns  3i::'N  '•3). 
— And  gather  thee  ("lV3pl)]  Jer.  23^  29^*  (n''1jn  ^30  D^nx  TlVnpi 
CL"  D^nx  \nmn -i:;'x  niDipron  b'oi),  318-103237;  and  often  in  Ez. 
(as  1 1 17  ^io^^).—Hath  scattered  thee]  d^  2?f'^\  cf.  Jer.  9I5  30I1. 
— 4-5.  However  remote  be  the  place  of  Israel's  banishment, 

XXX.  3.  ~f\-\iv  nx  3B'i]  by  the  older  scholars  this  expression  (which  is  a 
frequent  one,  as  Am.  g^'*  Jer.  29^^  ^o"*^^  Si^-*  33-"  49®***^)  was  taken  to  mean 
turti  the  captivity — thouijh  with  the  admission  that  it  mig;ht  be  used  meta- 
phorically (as  Ez.  16'^  Job  42'");  but  Ewald,  in  1841  (on  Jer.  48^^;  cf. 
Jahrb.  Bibl.  IViss.  v.  216  f.),  called  this  expl.  in  question,  contending-  that 
the  meaning- was  to  turn  a  turning-  (cf.  'd  an  an,  's  djjj  oj^i:  noif'  from 
2'::},  like  riiip  from  I"?),  i.e.  to  change  decisively  a  person's  (or  nation's) 
fortune ;  and  most  modern  scholars  have  followed  him  (as  Bottch.  Neue 
Ahrenlese,  i.  65  f.,  Lehrb.  §  464;  Ols.  pp.  412,  417;  Kucnen,  Theol.  Tijdschr. 
1873,  pp.  519-524  ;  Dillm.  on  Job  42^";  Nowack  on  Hos.  6"  ;  Cheyne  and 
Kirkpatrick  on  Ps.  14^). — 4.  "m:]  hence  Nch.  i*  :  cf.  Jer.  30"  Mic.  4®. 


;^^0  DKUTERONOMY 

Jehovah  will  still  bring  it  back,  and  visit  it  ag-ain  with  His 
bounty, — The  end  of  heaven^  in  the  far  distant  regions  of  the 
world,  where,  as  the  Hebrews  supposed,  the  solid  vault  of 
heaven  rested  upon  the  earth  :  the  same  expression  4''-  Ps.  \<^ 
Is.  13^,  and  (borrowed  hence)  Neh.  i^.  The  more  usual  phrase 
is  "  the  end  of  the  earth."— 5.  Do  thee  good\  S^^  2'&'''^.—And 
multiply  thee\  7^^  i^i^Ci")  2^''''-\ — 6.  He  will,  further,  work  in 
Israel  a  change  of  heart,  that  it  may  serve  Him  willingly,  with 
all  its  powers. —  Will  circiniicisc  (lo^'^)  thy  heari\  i.e.  remove 
its  dulness  of  spiritual  perception  (29'Hi)),  so  that  it  may  display 
again  the  activity  and  willingness  of  5-''(-^).  The  thought,  as 
Dillm.  remarks,  is  a  Messianic  one:  cf.  Jer.  31^^  32^^^'^-  Ez.  ii^^ 
3620f.._^«^  .  .  .  of  thy  seed]  v.i^  28^6.  59 .  cf.  Is.  5921.-70  love, 
^^c]  see  6^. — For  thy  lifers  sake]  a  variation  of  the  phrase  usually 
employed,  "that  thou  mayest  (ye  may)  live,"  v.^941  530(33)  8^■lQ^o■ 
cf.  30^''  (rT'Tn). — 7-10.  The  curses  resting  upon  Israel  will  then 
be  transferred  to  its  foes  ;  and  Israel  will  again  enjoy  the  bless- 
ings of  obedience  in  its  own  land. — All  these  imprecations  {T\\7'!:f,')] 
as  2(^'^^^-^^^^-^,  with  reference  to  281'''"'-. — 8.  And  tlioii]  the  pron. 
is  emphatic  (opp.  to  the  "enemies"  of  v.''). — And  do  all  his 
covvnandnients,  &fc.]  281-  ^^:  cf.  15-^  27^. — 9.  Will  make  thee  have 
in  excess  .  .  .  unto  good]  repeated  from  28^^. — For  he  laill  again 
rejoice  over  thee  for  good,  as  he  rejoiced  over  thy  fathers]  cf.28'^^ ; 
Jer.  32"*^. — 10.  Whc7i  thoii  henrkencst  .  •  •  ,  lahen  thou  turncst, 
^c]  the  condition  of  Jehovah's  renewal  of  His  favour  repeated 
from  v.^-  8,  and  introduced  as  in  28^-  ^^  (repeated  similarly  from 
28^), —  Which  are  written  in  this  book  of  the  law]  29^0  C-i). 

11-20.  No  impracticable  duty  is  laid  upon  Israel ;  Jehovah's 
demands  are  easy  alike  to  ascertain  and  to  understand.  The 
moment  is  a  crucial  one :  the  path  of  life  and  the  path  of 
death  lie  in  front  of  Israel ;  let  it  choose  wisely  between  them. 
— The   paragraph    is   loosely   connected   with   v.^'^*'.      V.^^"^'* 

10.  nainDn]  the  fem.  sg'.,  with  a  collective  force,  is  construed  often  with 
plurals,  when  the  pred.  is  a  verb  (G-K.  §  145.  4),  and  sometimes  even  (if 
the  text  be  always  sound)  with  a  pron.  sufF.  (2  K.  3'  jV-'-^.  u  1^22  |■l3^^ 
Klost.  HNEn:  prob.  rightly],  lo'-*'  [Klost.  njio],  Lam.  i^'  [but  see  €r,  Lohr], 
Ez.  35'"  [see  versions,  and  Cornlll],  Ps.  145^  Kt.  [read  as  Qre,  G5C],  Job 
14"'  39'° :  cf.  Ew.  §  317");  but  these  cases  do  not  justify  a  fem.  adj.  in 
appos.  with  ni  'd  :  read  prob.  nainrn  (Jer.  51^  read  nain,  as  v.**  and  G). 


XXX.  s-is  33^ 

{"  For"  .  .  .)  clearly  states  the  reason  for  a  present  duty;  in 
view  of  the  contents  of  the  four  verses,  it  is  exceedingly  un- 
natural to  suppose  (Keil,  Einl.  §  24.  3  end)  that  they  explain 
why  Israel  should  find  it  easy  to  return  to  Jehovah  in  the 
future  contingency  contemplated  in  v.^".  It  is  next  to  im- 
possible, therefore,  that  v.^^'^o  can  have  been  originally  the 
sequel  of  v.^-^'^  (cf.  the  Introduction,  §  4). — 11.  For  this  com- 
mandment, "which  I  command  thee  this  day  (4^)]  see  ii^^  i(.f ; 
and  on  528(31).  The  commandment  meant,  as  11^2  ig9  show,  is 
devotion  to  Jehovah,  with  the  obligations  which  it  involves, 
especially  obedience  to  the  moral  and  religious  demands  made 
by  Him  of  His  worshippers :  this  has  been  so  emphatically 
and  repeatedly  insisted  on  in  the  preceding  discourses  that  it 
may  fitly  be  said  to  be  well  known,  and  "nigh"  to  the 
Israelite. — It  is  not  too  difficult  (17^)  for  thee,  neither  is  it  far 
off^  it  is  nothing  abstruse  or  incomprehensible,  like  the  com- 
plicated structure  of  the  human  frame  (Ps.  139":  cf.  131I  Pr. 
30^^) ;  it  is  nothing  recondite,  which  can  be  reached  onl\  by 
laborious  and  protracted  study.  The  force  of  the  expression 
is  not  far  off  is  illustrated  by  the  two  figures  employed  in 
v.12-13;  2/ £y  jiQi  {fi  heaven, — in  an  inaccessible  height,  which 
none  can  scale;  neither  is  it  beyond  the  sea, — in  some  distant 
region,  which  none  can  visit,  for  the  purpose  of  fetching  it 
thence,  and  bringing  it  to  Israel's  knowledge. — 14.  But  the  ivord 
is  very  nigh  to  thee,  in  tliy  month  and  in  thy  Jieart,  iJiat  tJiou 
maycst  do  it]  it  has  been  brought  so  near  to  thee — viz.  by 
prophets  and  other  teachers,  and  especially  in  the  discourses 
of  Dt. — that  thou  canst  talk  of  it  familiarly  with  thy  lips 
(cf.  6''  11^^),  and  meditate  upon  it  in  thy  heart  (cf.  6''  11^''^); 
thou  art  consequently  placed  in  a  position  for  giving  it 
practical  effect. — 15-20.  Finally,  Moses  earnestly  exhorts 
Israel  to  make  a  right  choice  in  the  decision  now  devolving 
upon  it. — 15.  See  (i*^),  /  have  set  before  thee — i.e.  laid  before 
thee  for  thy  choice  (ii^c) — life  and  good,  aiid  death  and  evif\ 
comp.  ii26-28^  where  the  alternatives  are  the  blessing  and  the 
curse.  On  life  in  Dt.,  see  on  4^.  Good  (^it^i]),  i.e.  pro- 
sperity, may  be  illustrated  by  26^^,  and  the  frequent  use  of  the 
cognate  verb  in  Dt.  {/f^  520  (29).  so  (ss)  53.  is.  24  jq^s)  ;    see  also 


332  DEUTERONOMY 

Ps.  2513  (Heb.  abide  in  good),  3411.13(10.12)  jq^s  job  21^^  22^8 
2o2«.  With  dcaih  and  evil,  comp.  42*^  S^^*^-.  Evil  {i.e.  mis- 
fortune), as  Jer.  7"  25^  (Heb.  "for  evil  to  you")  Ps.  10*5  Pr. 
13^'^.  See  also  Jer.  21^  "  Behold,  I  set  before  you  the  way  of 
life,  and  the  way  of  death," — the  former  being  explained  (v.^) 
to  mean  desertion  to  the  Chaldeans  ;  the  latter,  remaining  in 
Jerusalem. — 16-18.  Explanation  of  what  is  involved  in  the  two 
alternatives  :  if  the  nation  elects  to  obey  Jehovah,  life  and 
happiness  ;  if  it  elects  to  reject  Him  for  false  gods,  disaster  and 
ruin.  The  expressions  as  before  in  Dt.^ — 16.  [7/"  ihou  shall 
hearken  to  the  commandment  of  Jehovah  thy  God,\  "which  I  com- 
mand thee  this  day,  to  love  Jehovah  thy  God  .  .  .,  then  thou 
shall  live  and  multiply,  and  Jehovah  thy  God  shall  bless  thee, 
&'c.\  the  Heb.  text  appears  here  to  be  imperfect,  though  its 
imperfection  is  concealed  from  the  English  reader  by  n"';'ni  being 
improperly  rendered  '■'■  that  thou  mayest  live"  (which  would 
require  here  iT|nn  \V^b).  By  the  restoration  from  G  of  the 
clause  in  brackets  the  construction  becomes  perfectly  regular, 
and  the  form  of  the  verse  corresponds  exactly  with  that  of  the 
alternative  case  stated  in  v.^"^-  (so  Di.  Oe.  Marti). — The  com- 
mandment,  which  I  command  thee  this  day,  to  love,  6^^.]  cf. 
v.ii  1 1^2  J99. — To  walk  in  his  ways]  8''. — Live  and  inultiply]  8^ 

—  Will  bless  thee]  7^3  2320  288  al.—In  the  land,  ^'c]  7I  2320  al. 
— 17.  But  if  thine  heart  turn  (n:3')]  29^"  ("^). — But  be  drawn 
awav  ('^n'!}?1)»  6^c.]  4^^. — 18.  I  declare  (26^)  unto  you  this  day 
that  ye  shall  surely  perish]  426a  8^9. —  Ye  shall  not  prolong  days] 
42r,i,  &c. — Upon  the  ground,  whither,  e^c]  4^^^  ii^^  31^3  32^". — 
19-20.  Heaven  and  earth  are  called  to  witness  that  Israel  has 
been  fully  informed  of  what  is  involved  in  the  alternatives 
placed  before  it. — 19.  I  call  heaven  and  earth  to  witness  against 
you  this  day]  verbatifn  as  42''. — Life  and  death  have  I  set  before 
thee,  the  blessing  and  the  curse]  a  combination  of  v.^^  and  ii^". 

—  That  thou  mayest  live]  4I  5^0  ^^3)  8K—Thou  and  thy  seed]  30". 
— 20.  To  love  Jehovah  thy  God,  &c.]  6^  430. — To  cleave  to  him] 
1 0-0  II 22  1350). — For  that  is  thy  life,  and  the  length  of  thy  days] 
to  love  Jehovah,  and  to  follow  Him  faithfully,  is  the  condition 
of  thy  life  and  prosperity.  A  variation  in  expression  of  the 
thought  of  4^-^''  &c. —  Which  Jehovah  sware,  &c.\  i\ 


XXX.  i6— XXXI.  I  32,3 


XXXI.-XXXI  V.  T/^c  closing  Events  of  Moses  Life. 

With  c.  30  the  discourses  of  Dt.  are  brought  to  an  end, 
and  the  narrative  of  the  Pent,  is  resumed,  for  the  purpose  of 
recording  Moses'  final  counsels  to  his  people,  and  describing 
the  circumstances  of  his  death.  The  contents  of  the  four 
chapters  are  somewhat  miscellaneous,  comprising,  viz.  : — 

1.  Moses'  parting  words  of  encouragement  to  the  people  and  to  Joshua, 

2.  Instructions  for  the  Deuteronomic  law  to  be  read  publicly,  once  in 

seven  years,  before  the  assembled  people,  31^"'^. 

3.  Commission  of  Joshua  by  Jehovah,  2,\^^'^^-'^, 

4.  The  Song  of  Moses  (3-2^'^'*)i  with  accompanying  introductory  and  con- 

cluding notices,  3 1 16-22. 24-30  ^2*^. 

5.  Moses'   final   commendation  of  the    Deuteronomic   law   to   Israel, 

3245-47. 

6.  Jehovah's  command  to  Moses  to  ascend  Mount  Nebo  and  there  die, 

3,48-52.^ 

7.  The  Blessing  of  Moses,  c.  33. 

8.  The  narrative  of  Moses'  death,  c.  34. 

The  narrative  contained  in  these  chapters  is  not  homo- 
geneous ;  the  same  sources  (JE  and  P)  which  are  used  in  Gn.- 
Nu.  here  reappear,  the  nucleus  being  derived  from  JE,  which, 
after  it  had  been  expanded  by  Deuteronomic  additions,  was 
subsequently  combined  with  excerpts  from  P.  The  various 
parts  of  the  narrative  are  not  in  all  cases  very  closely  con- 
nected together;  on  the  question  whether  they  are  throughout 
preserved  in  their  original  order,  see  the  Introduction,  §  4. 

XXXI.  1-8.  Moses  announces  to  the  people,  for  the  last 
time,  that  Joshua  is  to  conduct  them  into  Canaan,  and  en- 
courages both  them  and  him  with  the  promise  of  Jehovah's 
support. — Cf.  i^'^'^-  3"^''-  28,  The  language  used  is  repeated 
largely  from  earlier  parts  of  Dt.,  esp.  c.  1-3. — 1.  And  Moses 
•went  and  spake  these  words  to  all  Israet\  it  is  forced,  and  contrary 
to  usage  to  refer  "  these  words,"  with  Kn.  Ke.,  to  what  follows 
— in  this  case,  "saying "  (ii:n^)  instead  of,  or  at  least  (Ex.  20^) 
by  the  side  of,  "these  words,"  would  have  been  probably 
used :  the  expression  can  only  be  naturally  understood  of 
something  which  has  preceded  (cf.  Gn.  20^  44^  Nu.  14^°).  The 
reference  cannot,  however,  be  to  c.  29-30,  for  it  has  already 


334  DEUTERONOMY 

been  expressly  stated  that  this  was  spoken  to  all  Israel  (29^(2)^: 
the  terms  used  imply  that  "  words,"  previously  addressed  to 
Moses,  are  meant.  The  language  of  the  verse  (taken  in  con- 
nexion with  what  follows)  would  be  best  explained,  if  it  could 
be  supposed  to  have  been  once  preceded  by  words  such  as 
those  which  now  stand  in  2)'^^^-,  appointing  Joshua  as  Moses' 
successor,  and  bidding  Moses  encourage  him  (Dillm.  Oettli). 
ffir  has  o-ui/ere'/Veo-e  \akwv,  i.e.  I?"]?  PD^'I  (32''^)  for  -)2T1  '-(?''\,  which 
is  adopted  by  Klost.  Pent.  p.  134:  this  reading  removes  all 
difficulty ;  but  the  textual  change  which  it  implies  is  not  a  very 
probable  one. —  lVeni\  viz,  from  the  place  where  he  was,  when 
he  received  the  command  about  to  be  reported  to  the  people. 
"Disposed,"  or  "set  himself"  (Kn.  Ke.)  is  not  a  legitimate 
paraphrase,  either  here  or  Gn,  35--  Ex.  2^  Jos.  9*  Job  i*  (which 
have  been  quoted  in  support  of  it). — All  Israel]  w."^-^^.  The 
standing  expression  in  the  narrative  parts  of  Dt. :  see  on  i^. — 
2.  A7t  hundred  and  tipenty  years  old  this  day]  so  (in  P)  34''. — / 
can  no  more  go  out  and  come  in]  i.e.  am  no  more  able  to  engage 
in  active  undertakings  :  cf.  Jos.  14'^,  and  on  28*'. — And  Jehovah 
hath  said  unto  me,  Thou  shall  not  go  over  this  Jordan]  3-'' ;  cf. 
j?,7  ^2if.^ — 3  Jehovah,  thy  God,  he  is  going  over  before  thee ;  he 
shall  destroy,  dr'c]  cf.  9''. — Possess  them]  9^. — Joshua,  he  is 
go ifig  over  before  thee,  as  Jehovah  hath  spoken]  3^8;  cf.  i^^. — 
4.  As  he  did  to  Sihon,  &'c.]2^'^^-  2,^^^-:  cf.  3-1''. — 5.  Deliver  them 
tip  before  you]  72.23;  ^f.  i^  (phil.  n.). — According  to  all  the  com- 
mandment, dr'c]  7^- 2- 5  &c. — 6.  Be  ye  courageous  and  strong] 
so  V.  7. 2:i  Jos.  1-  «•  '■  »•  18  10^5  (all  D2) :  cf.  2,-^.— Fear  not,  neither 
be  affrighted  before  them  ("iviyn  bsi)]  i^-' ;  cf.  20^. — For  Jehovah 
thy  God  is  he  that  goeth  with  thee]  20^. — He  ivill  not  drop  thee 
(4'i),  nor  forsake  thee]  v.^  Jos.  i^  (D-). — 7-8.  Encouragement 
of  Joshua  (cf.  the  injunction  3^8). — In  the  sight  of  all  Israel]  cf. 
3412  Jos.  10^2  J  and  see  on  i^*'. — Be  courageous  and  strong  {p]n 
I'OSi)]  cf.  3^8  "encourage  and  strengthen  him"  (in^'nsi  inpm). 
— For  thou  (emph.)  shall  go  with  this  people,  &c.]  cf.  i^s. 
Sam.  SF,  however,  read  '■^  bring  this  people"  (x'^n  for  S13n : 
cf.  v.23),  which  is  adopted  by  Knob.  Kuen.  Klost.  Dillm. 
Oettli,  and  is  preferable  in  a  connexion  in  which  the  stress 
XXXI.  3.  naiy  Nin]  i  S.  i"  (Dr.  §  199  n.).— 6.  l"?!.!,!  mn]  v.s  3=2. 


XXXI.  2-II  335 

rests  upon  Joshua  as  leader  of  the  people,  and  not  merely  (as 
i^s)  on  his  behig-  permitted  personally  to  enter  Canaan. — Shalt 
cause  tliem  to  inhcnt  it\  i^s^ss. — 8.  Is  he  that  goetli  before  thee] 
1^0;  of.  i^s. — I/e  (emph.)  wz'll  be  with  thee]  of.  on  v.^^. — He 
will  not  drop  thee,  &c.]  as  v.^  Jos.  i^  {AV./azl  thee). — T/iou 
shall  not  fear,  nor  be  dismaycd\  i-^  Jos.  8^  lo-^  (D^). 

9-13.  Moses  g-ives  iustructions  for  the  Deuteronomic  law 
to  be  read  publicly  before  the  assembled  people,  once  in  every 
seven  years,  at  the  Feast  of  Booths  in  the  yeir  of  Release. — 
9.  A7id  Moses  wrote  this  law]  cf.  v.^^.  The  brevity  of  the 
expression  shows  that  the  statement  is  made,  not  on  its  own 
account,  but  as  the  necessary  preliminary  to  the  injunction  of 
y_io-u  (Dillm.).  Delitzsch  supposes  the  reference,  both  here 
and  27^,  to  be,  not  to  Dt.  as  we  have  it,  but  to  its  kernel,  the 
legal  code  of  which  the  existing  book  is  the  parenetic  expan- 
sion [ZKWL.  1880,  p.  505;  Genesis^  (1887),  pp.  23-25). — And 
gave  it  tinto  the  priests  .  .  .,  and  unto  all  the  ciders  of  Israet\ 
i.e.  he  gave  it  to  the  joint  representatives  of  the  ecclesiastical 
and  civil  (19^^)  authority  in  Israel,  not  so  much  for  custody 
(see  v.-^f-),  as  in  view  of  the  purpose  indicated  in  v.^°^-. — The 
priests  the  sons  of  Levi  {21^)]  i.e.  the  Levitical  priests;  see  on 
i8^ — IVJiich  bare  the  ark  of  Jehovalis covenant]  cf.  v.^^Jos.  8^^; 
and  see  more  fully  the  note  on  10^.  The  clause  is  manifestly 
intended  to  describe  a  standing  privilege  of  the  priests,  not  to 
state  the  fact  that  they  were  carrying  the  ark  on  this  particular 
occasion. — 10.  At  the  end  of  {e.\Q.ry)  seven  years]  15^. — The  set 
time]  Ex.  23^5:=  24I8;  cf.  p.  189. — The  year  of  Release]  15^"^-. — 
III  the  Feast  of  Booths]  16^^-^^. — 11.  WJien  all  Israel  (i^)  cometh 
to  appear  in  the  presence  of]  or,  with  the  pointing  '"'^'^"i?,  to  see 
the  face  of:  see  the  note  on  16^^. — 171  the  place  which  he 
shall  choose]  as  16^^:  see  on  12^. — Thoic  shall  read]  Israel  is 
addressed  (as  just  before,  in  "thy  God"),  the  command  being 
supposed  to  be  carried  out  by  the  particular  members,  or 
representatives  of  the  nation,  whom  it  may  concern  (cf.  17^; 
and  on  i^i) :  the  address  to  Israel  in  the  2nd  pers.  is,  however, 
a  little  incongruous  by  the  side  of  the  following  "before  all 
Israel,"  and  perhaps  the  plural,  "ye  shall  read  "  (iNlpn),  should 
be  restored  from   G  dvayvwcreor^e  (Dillm,   Oettli). — This  law] 


^2>^  DEUTERONOMY 

i.e.  as  regularly  (see  on  i^),  the  ley^islation  of  Deuteronomy.* 
— 12-13.  All  are  to  be  assembled  for  the  purpose,  not  the 
males  only  (who  alone  were  under  an  oblig'ation  to  attend 
the  Feast  of  Booths,  i6^*"'),  but  the  women,  the  children,  and 
the  strangers,  or  foreigners  resident  in  Israel, — the  women 
because  it  concerns  them,  not  less  than  the  men,  to  know 
what  the  principles  of  Israel's  religion  are;  the  resident 
foreigner,  because,  enjoying  the  protection  of  Israel,  and 
being  in  its  midst,  Israel's  faith  ought  not  to  be  a  matter  of 
indifference  to  him,  and  he  should  be  instructed  in  the 
practical  duties  and  responsibilities  which  his  position  lays 
upon  him  (cf.  29!" C^);  and  see  on  lo^^  14^^)  >  ^.nd  the  children 
(cf.  6"^  11^^),  in  order  that  the  rising  generation  may  learn 
betimes  the  duties  incumbent  upon  them. — Assemble  (?npn)  ihe 
people\  4^°. — Thy  stninger  that  is  within  thy  gates  (i2^2^j  ^u  (Ex. 
201"^),  1421. — That  they  may  hear,  and  that  they  may  lear^i,  and 
fear  Jehovah  your  God]  nearly  as  4^°  1423b  lyi^. — Observe  to  do] 
5K— Ail  the  words  0/ this  law]  1719  273-8  28'^s  2928(20)  3246;  cf. 
2^26  3124^ — 13_  j^ii  ijiQ  (j^y^  that  ye  live  tipon  the  g-round]  4^" 
12^. —  Which  ye  are  going  over,  &€.]  42*^  32'*'^;  cf.  30^8^  also 
4I*  6^^  1 18- 11,  With  the  importance  attached  to  the  instruction 
of  children,  comp.  4^  6^-  20-25  jjio  32*6. 

14-23.  Moses  and  Joshua  are  commanded  to  present  them- 
selves at  the  Tent  of  Meeting,  in  order  that  Joshua  may  be 
appointed  his  successor,  v.■'*"^^  Moses  is  there  warned  that 
after  his  death  Israel  will  apostatize ;  and  is  directed  to  write 
the  following  Song  {Z2^-^'^),  as  a  witness  to  future  generations 
that  the  consequences  of  such  apostasy  have  been  foretold  to 
them,v."'^^.  Joshua  is  instituted  by  Jehovah  as  Moses'  successor, 
v.^^ — Here  it  is  to  observed  that  v.^^-  ^s-  23  belong  together, 
all  relating  to  Joshua,  and  v. 23  being  the  manifest  sequel  of 
V.14. 15.  y  16-22  also  belong  together,  but  they  relate  to  a 
different  subject,  viz.  the  Song.  The  entire  section  has  been 
long  recognized  as  not  forming  part  of  the  work  of  D  (Ewald, 

*  According  to  the  Mishnah  (So/ah,  vii.  8)  it  was  the  custom  for  a 
selection  to  be  read,  viz.  Dt.  1^-6^  6^"*  iii^ff.  i4--ff-  26'-''"-  17"'^,  and  the 
Blessings  and  the  Curses  (from  c.  27-28).  King  Agrippa  is  mentioned  as 
having  read  this  selection. 


XXXI.  12-13  337 

Hist.  \.  123;  Knob.;  Schrader,  End.  (1S69),  §  191.  3;  Klost. 
St.  u.  Krit.  1871,  p.  262  ff.  (reprinted  in  Der  Pentateuch,  1893, 
p.  236 ff.);  Kleinert,  p.  162;  Wellh.  Covip.  p.  118;  Kuen. 
Ilex.  §§  7.  20;  8.  15;  Dillm. ;  &c.).  The  grounds  are  best 
stated,  perhaps,  by  Klost. 

I.   Phraseologically,  the  section  contains  many  expressions  which  are 
not  those  of  Dt.,  while  several  (esp.  in  v.^'*- ^•''- ^■')  recur  in  JE  : — 
V.^''  mo'?  -]'0'  mp  :  the  same  expression,  Gn.  47-^  (J),  i  K.  2^t. 
V.'^  z-i''T\7\ present  oneself,  cf.  Ex.  19^^,  and  esp.  Nu.  ii"'^  (RV.  "stand  ") 
Jos.  24'.     (The  verb  occurs  in  a  different  application,  Dt.  7-^  9- 

y_i4. 15  tjjg  references  to  the  Tent  of  Meeting  and  the  pillar  of  cloud  are 
in  the  manner  of  JE,  Ex.  33''"  ^-^^  Nu.  11^'''',  and  esp.  12'':  the 
former  is  not  elsewhere  alluded  to  in  Dt. 

V.'"  r^lr^  with  the  ptcp.,  of  the  fut.,  as  often,  both  in  JE  (as  Ex.  8^''  9'^) 
and  Jud.  Sam.  Kings,  &c.,  but  never  in  Dt.  Tni:N  cy  dde',  as 
Gn.  47''''  (and  elsewhere  :  see  note). — Go  a  mlioring  after,  as  Ex. 
2^15.  IB  ^/^  ^ggg  note):  never  in  Dt.,  where  "to  go  after  other 
gods  "  is  the  phrase  regularly  employed  (on  6^''). — Foreign  gods 
(-IDJ  "hSn)  :  not  in  Dt.  (see  note). 

•^rii;.  20  p,-|2  .y^^  jq  break  a  covenatit;  not  in  Dt.  (see  note). 

\'_ir.  17. 18. 22  ^-^j  that  day  :  though  the  expression  is  one  that  might  be 
used  by  any  writer,  its  repeated  occurrence  is  not  in  the  manner 
of  D  :  it  occurs  otherwise  twice  only  in  the  entire  book,  21-'^  27''. 

V.'^'-"  ha  njs  turn  to:  not  elsewhere  in  Dt.,  where  the  phrase  used  is 
always  ^0  rt/Z^r  or  serve.  —  Other  gods,  though  frequent  in  Dt., 
is  found  both  in  JE  (Ex.  23"  34''*  Jos.  24-- 1"),  and  elsewhere 
(on  6"). 

Y^_  i!i.  19.  22. 23  children  of  Israel ;  hardly  ever,  if  at  all,  used  by  D  (on  4^), 
who  regularly  prefers  all  Israel  (i^),  or  twice,  in  exactly  the 
same  context  as  v.-^,  says  "this  people"  (v.^  3-^  :  in  i-^^  Israel). 

v.-"  -which  I  sware,  &c.  (so  v.^'"  ^'*),  and  flo7ving  ivith  milk  and  honey, 
as  often  in  Dt.,  but  also  in  JE,  and  (rarely)  elsewhere  (cf.  Jer. 
32'-'-  ;  and  see  on  i^  6''). — Eat  a?id  be  filed,  occurs  besides  in 
Dt.  (on  6^^),  but  is  not  peculiar  to  it  {ib.). — ]^'i  grow  fat,  and  j'.SM 
contemn  (see  note),  are  not  Deuteronomic. 

Y_2i  -,^<  imagination,  Gn.  (f  8-^  (both  J). — DiDn  before  :  a  common  word 
(Gn.  27-*  &c.) ;  but  not  in  Dt. 

y  17. 18  Jiidg  my  face,  and  v.^^*'^^  evils  and  troubles,  do  not  occur  else- 
where in  the  Hex.  ;  hide  my  face  and  evils  are  perhaps 
suggested  bj'  32-"--^. 

It  is  true,  these  are  not  all  of  equal  weight  ;  in  the  case  of  two  or  three, 
l^robably,  there  was  no  other  occasion  in  Dt.  for  their  use  ;  nevertheless, 
taken  in  the  aggregate  their  significance  is  considerable  ;  and  in  view  of 
the  strongly  marked  style  of  Dt.,  it  may  be  fairly  concluded  that  a  section 
in  which  so  few  of  D's  characteristic  expressions  are  to  be  found,  while  so 
much  occurs  that  he  does  not  elsewhere  use,  is  not  his  work.     This  con- 


338 


DEUTERONOMY 


elusion,  based  in  the  first  instance  upon  linguistic  criteria  alone,  is  con- 
firmed by  other  indications. 

2.  V.'^'^  interrupts  the  connexion  between  v.®"^^  and  v.-^"^.  V.-*"^  is 
the  sequel  of  v.*"^"* :  both  deal  with  the  same  subject,  the  disposal  of  the 
Deut.  law,  and  v.^^'-  is  similarly  worded  to  v."-*.  A  presumption  thus  arises 
that  v.^^'^  is  inserted  where  it  now  stands  from  a  different  source. 

3.  According-  to  D,  Joshua  has  been  long-  nominated  as  Moses' 
successor  (i^^'-  3^'),  and  Moses  has  been  instructed  to  "appoint"  and 
"encourage"  him  (3-^) ;  and  31^"®  appears  to  describe  how  he  has  publicly 
("in  the  sight  of  all  Israel")  done  this.  In  31"' is.  23^  however,  Joshua, 
having  presented  himself  at  the  Tent  of  Meeting-,  is  appointed  to  his  office 
by  Jehovah,  and  encouraged  by  Him  (v.-*)  nearly  in  the  same  words  which 
Moses  had  used  before  in  31^.  These  two  representations  do  not  properly 
harmonize  :  had  both  been  written  by  one  and  the  same  hand,  there  is  a 
presumption  that  the  relation  between  the  two  ceremonies  (v.'^'-  and 
y_i4. 15. 23J  would  have  been  more  clearly  indicated.  As  the  narrative 
stands,  it  is  evident  that  v.'^*  '^'--^  is  written  without  reference  to  v.^'*,  and 
docs  not  presuppose  it. 

4.  V.^^"--  is  manifestly  (see  v.^"---)  the  introduction  to  the  Song  in  c.  32  ; 
and  after  the  words  "And  wrote  this  song,"  &c.,  in  v.^,  the  Song  would 
naturally  be  expected  to  follow  at  once.  Instead  of  that,  however,  the 
Song  and  its  introduction  are  separated  from  each  other  by  v.^"-'*,  which, 
where  it  now  stands,  is  also  clearly  intended  (v.^"^**)  as  an  introduction  to 
the  same  Song.  But  two  parallel  introductions  would  hardly  be  written 
by  one  author.  As  v.-^'"'  contains  numerous  marks  of  the  Deuterononiic 
style,  v.^®'--  may  be  presumed  to  be  the  work  of  a  different  hand. 

It  follows  that  v,^"*--^  is  not  the  work  of  the  Deuterononiic 
author  of  the  context  in  which  it  is  now  embedded  (v.^"'^-  24-30^^ 
Y^i4-i5.  23  maybe  reasonably  referred  to  JE.  Whether,  how- 
ever, v.i''-22  (relating-  to  the  Song)  belongs  also  to  JE,  is  less 
certain  :  its  Hterary  character  is  less  distinctly  that  of  JE  ;  it 
separates  awkwardly  v.^-*"^^  from  its  sequel  in  v.--^  (cf.  on  v.--'), 
and  may  not  impossibly  have  been  inserted  where  it  now 
stands  subsequently  (cf.  Stade,  ZATW.  1885,  p.  298  f.). — 
14-15.  Joshua  is  summoned  to  the  Tent  of  Meeting,  in  order 
that  he  may  be  instituted  as  Moses'  successor. — 14.  Thy  days 
approach  for  dying\  so  Gn.  472'^  (J),  i  K.  2^1. — Present  your- 
selves (uvnni)]  lit.  take  your  stand;  so  Nu.  ii^^^  23^- ^^  Ex.  8^'^ 
913  19I7  345  Jos.  24^  (all  JE),  Jud.  2o2  I  S.  id^^.  Cf.  29'' d"). 
— In  the  Tent  of  Meeting  (nyiD  br^>^'2)]  as  often  in  Ex.-Nu., 
both  JE  (Ex.  33'  Nu.  iii'^  12^),  and  P  (Ex.  27^1  &c.).  The 
meaning  of  the  term  is  explained  (by  P)  in  Ex.  2522  29*2  3o'^g 
as  signifying-  the  Tent  in  which  Jehovah  met  Moses  for  the 


XXXI.  I4-I6  339 

purpose  of  speaking  with  him  ;   it  is  thus  practically  equivalent 

to  the  Tent  of  Revelation.     This  and  the  next  verse  are  the 

only  places  in  Dt.  in  which  the  Tabernacle  is  mentioned. — 

That  I  may  conunand  Josluici\  i.e.   appoint   him  to  his  office. 

See  on  3-^,  where,  however,  ]\loscs\s  instructed  to  "  command  " 

or  "  appoint  "  Joshua  (cf.  Si'*^). 

There  is  a  third  representation  in  P.  In  P,  Moses,  at  Jehovah's  direction, 
has  already  solemnly  "appointed"  Joshua  to  his  office,  in  the  presence  of 
Ele'azar  the  priest,  and  of  the  congregation  (Nu.  27-'-''-').  The  two 
passages  are  capable  of  a  formal  reconciliation,  by  the  supposition  that 
Dt.  3ii-*'-23  narrates  Jehovah's  confirmation  of  the  appointment  made 
previously  by  Moses.  But,  after  the  solemn  manner  in  which,  according; 
to  Nu.  27'^'-'',  Joshua's  institution  had  taken  place,  such  a  confirmation 
would  seem  to  be  unnecessary  ;  and  even  if  the  case  were  otherwise,  it  is 
singular  that  the  terms  of  v.''*  (as  of  v."-*)  make  no  reference  to  any  previous 
ceremony  having-  been  performed,  but  are  worded  exactly  as  if  Joshua's 
first  (and  only)  institution  were  being  described.  It  can  hardly  be  doubted 
that  Dt.  ^i'-"-"'  and  Nu.  27''"-'*  are,  in  fact,  two  parallel  accounts  of  the 
institution  of  Joshua,  one  belonging-  to  JE  and  the  other  to  P,  which 
exhibit  variations  of  detail,  such  as  are  often  observable  between  the 
parallel  narratives  of  JE  and  P. 

15.  In  a  pillar  of  cloud]  so  Nu.  I25  ;   cf.  Ex.  22>^- 10  (both  J  E). 

16-22.  Introduction  to  the  Song  (321-^^).— 16-18.  The 
apostasy  of  Israel  after  Moses'  death. — 16.  Behold,  thou  art 
about  to  sleep  with  thy  fathers]  **  to  sleep  (lie  down)  with  one's 
fathers,"  as  Gn.  47^0  (J),  2  S.  7^^^  and  constantly  in  the  Books 
of  Kings  (i  K.  2^^  11^^  &c.).  P,  for  the  same  idea,  uses  the 
expression  "be  gathered  to  one's  father's  kin";  see  on  32^*^ 
(of  Moses). — This  people]  with  a  touch  of  disparagement,  as 
Ex.  32^-21  Nu.14^^  Is.  6^  8^^  29^3  al. — Go  a  whoring  after  (njTI 
nns)]  so  Ex.  3415. 16  (JE),  Lev.  \f  20^  (after  Molech)  Nu.  is^a 
(all  H),  Jud.  2^7  g^'^- 33 :  cf.  "to  go  a  whoring  away  from 
Jehovah,"  Hos.  i2  ('insp),  412  (nnrip),  9I  (^i?p),  Ps.  7327  (;?p). 
The  same  verb  (with  the  cognate  substantives  signifying 
whoredom)  occurs  elsewhere  (esp.  in  Hos.  Ez.)  as  a  forcible 
figure  denoting  the  disloyal  abandonment  of  Jehovah  for  other 
gods.  The  origin  of  the  usage  is  matter  of  conjecture.  The 
words  may  have  been  employed  in  a  purely  figurative  sense 
from  the  beginning:  but  in  view  of  the  fact  that  actual 
prostitution  was  not  an  uncommon  feature  in  ancient  Semitic 
cults  (cf.  on  231^(1')),  it  is  not  improbable  that  this  suggested 


340  DEUTERONOMY 

the  use  of  the  expressions  in  question,  and  that  originally 
they  were  meant  literally,  though  afterwards  they  came 
to  be  used  metaphorically.  In  particular  passages,  it  is 
sometimes  uncertain  whether  the  reference  is  to  a  literal  or 
to  a  spiritual  whoredom :  but  elsewhere  one,  and  not  the 
other,  appears  clearly  to  be  intended.  Hosea  (c.  1-3)  con- 
ceives the  moral  union  between  Jehovah  and  His  people 
under  the  figure  of  the  marriage-bond  (see  W.  R.  Smith, 
Prophets  of  Israel,  pp.  166-180);  and  from  this  point  of 
view,  any  infidelity  towards  Jehovah  would  naturally  be 
expressed  under  the  figure  here  used.  Nevertheless  in  Hos. 
412  (notice  v.^^.  i4j  Jt  seems  clear  that  the  prophet  has  literal 
whoredom  in  his  mind. — The  foreigji  gods  of  the  land  ivhithcr 
it  gocth  in,  in  its  midsi\  "in  its  midst"  can  only  mean  "in 
the  people's  midst"  (to  be  taken  closely  with  "the  foreign 
gQds  of  the  land");  the  pron.  (which  is  masc.)  being  not 
referrible  to  "land,"  and  the  paraphrase  (AV.,  RV.)  "to  be 
among  them  "  being  quite  illegitimate.  The  sentence  is,  how- 
ever, an  awkward  one ;  and  Klost.  [Pent.  p.  239),  with  whom 
Dillm.  agrees,  may  be  right  in  thinking  that  originally  it  ran, 
"and  go  a  whoring  after  foreign  gods  in  its  midst,"  i.e.  the 
gods  of  the  Canaanites  living  in  Israel's  midst  (cf.  Jos.  (^  16'" ; 
and  esp.  24-'^  "put  away  the  foreign  gods  which  are  in  your 
midsf"),  the  clause  "of  the  land  whither  it  goeth  in"  being  a 
gloss  inserted  afterwards  for  the  purpose  of  relieving  the 
Mosaic  age  of  any  possible  suspicion  of  idolatry. — Foreign 
gods\  ^33(n)  ^^%  as  Gn.  352-  4  Jos.  2420-  23  (all  E),  Jud.  10I6 
I  S.  f  Jer.  519  2  Ch.  331^:  cf.  ^33  ^X  (poet.)  Dt.  32^2  Ps. 
giiob  Mai.  2"t,  133  nrx  Dan.  iiS^f.  Not  the  word  rendered 
"strange"  in  321"^  Ps.  81^°*  &c.,  but  cognate  with  nokhri 
"foreigner"  (1421  153  1715  2^^^^'^'^)).— Forsake  me\  28-0  Jos. 
24I6.20  Jud.  212-13  106.10. 13  I  s.  88  12IO  I  K.  99  al.— Break  my 
covenant  which  I  have  made  with  it]  n''"i3  "iDn,  as  v. 20.  Else- 
where in  the  Hex.  only  Gn.  if*  (P),  Lev.  26i'^- "4  (H).  The 
expression  is,  however,  an  ordinary  one,  Jud.  2^  1  K.  15^^  Jer. 

16.  I'lNH  1:3  'h'^n]  id:  '^ha  forms  a  coifipound  idea,  "gods  of  foreigri- 
ness"  =  "foreig-n  gods,"  which  is  then  qualified  by  the  gen.  "  of  the  land  ": 
cf.  on  32I8. 


XXXI.  17-19  34^ 

11^'^  al. — 17.  And  inuic  anger  shall  be  ki)idled  against  it  .  .  ., 
and  it  shall  he  for  devouring  (^3N^  n\Ti), — i.e.  for  other  nations 
to  consume  (y^'':  cf.  Nu.  14^), — and  many  evils  afid  troubles 
(i  S.  ioi9)  will  befall  (lit.  find:  v.21  4^0  Ex.  iS^  Nu.  2014)  it ; 
and  it  will  say  in  that  day,  /s  it  not  beeaitse  niy  God  is  not  in  my 
viidst  (:•*-)  that  these  evils  have  befallen  ine?\  the  sing-.,  as  (in 
the  Heb.)  v.^"- ^^- -°- ^i,  of  the  people  generally  (on  i^^),  which 
is  represented  as  thus  acknowledging  the  cause  of  its  disasters. 
— Andlwilljorsake  then{\  corresponding  to  "  they  will  forsake 
me,"  v.^'':  the  same  antithesis,  2  Ch.  12^  15^  24^0. — Hide  my 
faee^  i.e.  withdraw  my  favour:  so  v.^^ ;  perhaps  suggested  by 
3220.  Not  elsewhere  in  the  Hex.  :  in  other  books,  Is.  S'*"  Mic. 
3*,  and  frequently  in  later  writers,  esp.  the  Psalms. — In  viy 
midst\  the  sing.,  of  the  nation,  as  Jos.  (f'-  ^^  17^^-  ^^  Jud.  20-^  &c. 
{L.O.T.  p.  366  f.).  For  the  thought,  cf.  Ex.  17"  Nu.  14-12 
(whence  c.  i^-),  Mic.  3^1  Jer.  14^:  see  also  on  i'*^  6^^;  and  add 
Is.  12*5  Zeph.  3^5.  i7_ — 13  Jehovah  will,  however,  still  continue 
to  withhold  His  favour  from  Israel :  the  acknowledgment, 
which  the  nation  is  represented  as  making  in  v.^^,  is  not  the 
expression  of  true  penitence. — Turned  (njs)  unto  other  gods^ 
V.20 :  so  Hos.  3^:  Ss  nJD  also  Lev.  ig"*- ^i  (H),  Ps.  40^  al. — 
19-22.  Injunction  to  write  the  following-  song-  (32^^-),  in  order 
that  it  may  be  a  witness  for  Jehovah  against  the  children 
of  Israel. — 19.  And  no7v]  in  view  of  the  prospect  of  future 
apostasy,  opened  out  in  v.^*^"^^. —  Write  you  this  song^  if  the 
text  be  correct,  Moses  and  Joshua  will  be  addressed.  In  view 
of  v.i''  and  esp.  of  v. 22  ("And  Moses  wrote,"  &c.),  it  is  con- 
sidered by  others  that  the  original  reading-  was  sing-.,  "Write 
thee."  The  plural  agrees,  however,  with  32^4. — And  teach 
thou  it,  &c.]  cf.  2  S.  lis.  (GIJ  teach  ye  it  {^'}}^^).—Put  it  in 
their  mouth']  cf.  Ex.  4^^^  ^nd  on  iS^^.  (51J  put  ye  it  ('^P''^*). — 
A  witness  for  me  against  the  children  of  Israel]  viz.  partly  (cf. 
y_2ob-2i^  by  showing-  them  that,  having-  been  forewarned  of  the 
bitter  consequences  of  apostasy,  they  have  only  themselves  to 
blame  if  they  suffer  accordingly,  partly  (cf.  32*'-^^)  by  convict- 
ing them  of  ingratitude  in   deserting-  their  Benefactor,   and 

17.  '3  h-;]  Jud.  3'-  Jer.   4^  Mai.    2^*  Ps.    139^^     ^B'x  hn  (29^)  is  more 
common. — 20.  'Ji  i:.x-2.n  'd]  RV.  "For  when  .  .  .  then . . ." :  cf.  on  S'-'-'''  12^""^^. 


342  DEUTERONOMY 

establishing  the  justice  {s^"*)  and  mercy  (32^^'-^^)  of  God,  Hence 
the  Song  is  to  be  "taught"  the  IsraeHtes,  in  order  that  their 
successive  generations  may  become  familiar  with  its  contents, 
and  take  to  heart  the  lessons  which  it  contains.  The  idiom 
'2  IV^  T]^r[,  as  V.26  Mic.  i^  Jer.  42^.  The  original  aim  of  the 
Song,  and  the  sense  in  which  it  was  actually  a  "witness" 
against  Israel,  were  possibly,  however,  different  from  those 
ascribed  to  it  here  by  the  author  of  31 16-22.  ggg  p_  ^44  /(>/>, 
and  on  32^ — 20.  For  I  shall  bring  it,  dir'c.]  the  pronouns,  both 
here  and  in  v.-i,  are  throughout  sing.,  except  in  serve  and 
contemn. —  Which  I  sware,  (Sr'c.]  see  p.  337. — A7id  it  will  eat, 
and  be  filled,  and  grow  fat\  based  on  32^3-^^ :  cf.  6^^  Si-*^-. — And 
will  lujm  unto  other  god s\  v.^^:  cf.  6'^  8^'*. — And  contemn  iiic\ 
Nu.  1411-23  16:^0  2  S.  1214  Is.  I*  524.  Not  elsewhere  in  Dt.— 21. 
Many  evils,  cSr'c.]  v.^^. —  Will  answer  [i<^^^)  before  it  for  a  witficss^ 
cf.  v.^^. — For  I  know  its  imagination  CV,''.),  which  it  (the  people) 
worketh  even  noio,  &c.\  i.e.  the  thoughts  and  impulses  work- 
ing already  in  its  heart,  even  before  it  has  reached  Canaan. 
Cf.  for  the  thought,  Nu.  iin--'2  &c.  "»^\  as  Gn.  6^  (hence 
I  Ch.  28^  29I8),  821  (both  Y).—  Worketh\  lit.  maketh  (n-^;*y),  of 
the  activity  of  the  heart,  as  Is.  32^. —  Which  I  sware]  "unto 
its  fathers"  (vnux^),  as  is  added  by  G,  Sam.,  seems  needed: 
cf.  81.— 22.  And  taught  it]  v.i9. 

23.  Conclusion  of  the  narrative  of  Joshua's  commission 
(v.i"). — And  he  commanded  (or  appointed^  Joshua]  the  verse 
seems  once  to  have  immediately  followed  v.'^*^-  (from  which  it  is 
now  separated  by  x.^^'-—,  relating  wholly  to  the  Song).  For, 
where  it  stands,  the  subj.  of  "commanded"  can  only  naturally 
be  Moses  (see  v. 22) ;  and  yet,  as  v.i'*  shows,  it  must  really  be 
Jehovah. — Be  courageous,  &c.]  nearly  as  v.''^  (D).  The  verse 
(being  the  sequel  of  v. !•*'')  will  originally  have  formed  part  of 
the  narrative  of  JE.  It  may,  to  some  extent,  have  been  re- 
modelled in  the  style  of  Dt. ;  but  the  only  distinctively  Deut. 
phrase  in  it  is  "Be  courageous  and  strong":  "children  of 
Israel,"  as  remarked  on  p.  337,  is  not  Deuteronomic ;  and 
"  the  land  which  I  sware  "  is  said  by  JE  as  well  as  by  D  {ib.). — ■ 
And  I  {ttm^h.)  will  be  with  thee]  hence  Jos.  i^  3"  (D2) :  cf.  Gn. 
2S'5  3r'  Ex.  312  (allJE),  Jud.  61*^;  also  above,  v. » (D)  noy  n\n'  Nin. 


XXXI.  20-28  343 

24-30.  Moses  gives  directions  for  the  Deiiteronomic  Code  to 
be  deposited  beside  the  Ark,  This  done,  he  recites  publicly, 
in  the  audience  of  the  people,  the  following  Song  (32^""),  fore- 
warning the  nation  of  the  consequences,  if  it  apostatizes. — The 
passage  is  throug'hout  Deuteronomic  ;  v.^^^-^  forming-  mani- 
festly the  sequel  of  v.^'^^ ;  and  v.^s-^o  consisting,  as  pointed  out 
on  p.  338,  of  a  second  Introduction  to  the  Song :  observe  that 
v.2sbis  parallel  in  substance  to  v.^^  and  v.~^  to  v.20-2i._24. 
Had  made  an  end  of  ivriting,  &c.\  see  v.^. — The  words  of  this 
A/70]  i.e.  of  the  Deuteronomic  law  (2726) :  cf.  on  i^. — Until 
they  were  finished  (D^n  ny)]  cf.  v.^-o  2i-'  Jos.  8^^  io20  (both  D^, 
and  both  after  m^DD  M''l),  i  K.  14^0. — 25.  The  Levites,  who  bare 
the  ark  of  Jehovah's  covenatii  (10^)]  a  comparison  of  v.^  and 
jyisi.  shows  that  the  reference  is  not  to  "  Levites  "  in  the  sense 
of  P  (who  were  not  permitted  to  enter  the  Holy  of  Holies),  but 
to  the  members  of  the  tribe  officiating  at  the  central  sanctuary, 
/.('.  to  the  Levitical  priests  (v .^) ;  see  pp.  122,  219. — 26.  This 
book  of  the  law]  29200-1)  30IO  Jos.  i^. — F'or  a  witness  against 
thee]  viz.  as  presenting  a  standard  of  faith  and  action  (cf.  on 
4^"^),  from  which,  in  the  case  assumed,  Israel  will  have  visibly 
declined.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  same  phrase  which  is 
applied  in  v.i-^  to  the  Song,  is  used  here  with  reference  to 
the  Deut.  law. — Against  thee]  i.e.  Israel ;  the  priests  being 
addressed  as  the  representatives  of  the  nation. — 27.  For  I 
(emph.) — /,  who  have  experienced  it  so  often — know  thy  defi- 
ance (l^-iO),  and  thy  stiff  neck]  cf.  i^e-  43  g7.  23.  24  .  and  9<5- 13  iqIC. 
—  Ye  have  been  defatit  7vith]  g^-  ^4. — 28-29.  The  Deuteronomic 
parallel  to  v.^^'^i. — 28.  Assemble]  v. 12  410. — The  elders  of  your 
tribes  and  your  officers]  cf.  29^0"),  also  520(23).  The  expression 
"  elders  of  tribes  "  does  not  occur  elsewhere,  ffit  inserts  "  and 
your  judges"  before  "and  your  officers":  prob.  rightly,  for 
on  such  an  occasion  (cf.  29"  (^o)^  the  judges  would  hardly  be 
omitted,  when  the  subordinate  Shoterim  (i^^)  were  included. — 
These  7oords]  i.e.  the  Song  321-43,  though  the  transition  from 
v. 24-27  is  somewhat  abrupt.  For  another  view  (Dillm.,  Oettli, 
Westphal),  according  to  which  3124-20  stood  once  before 
c.  29-30  (so  that  the  appeal  to  heaven  and  earth  of  v. 28  was 
the  one  in  30'''),  see  on  324'^,  and  the  Introd.  §  4. — Call  heaven 


344  DEUTERONOMY 

and  earth  to  ioitncss\  cf.  4-"  30^".  Heaven  and  earth,  having' 
heard  the  warning  (see  32^)  will  be  witnesses  against  Israel  in 
the  event  of  its  disregarding  it.  It  is  doubtful,  however, 
whether  this  is  the  original  sense  of  the  invocation  in  32^;  see 
the  note  there.— 29.  Deal  corruptly  (nnn-L^^n)]  416.25;  cf.  T\r\y} 
912a  (Ex.  327),  22^,— -Turn  aside,  &c.]  912b.  le  (Ex.  328),  ii28._ 
Evil  will  Jiappen  to  yoii\  Jer.  44^3 ;  cf.  Gn.  49^.  Happen  is 
Kip,  not  the  word  used  in  v.^''-  21  (xvo). — In  the  C7id  of  the  days] 
see  on  4^*^.  Here  the  reference  is  to  the  distant,  but  undeter- 
mined, future,  which  the  Writer  pictures  as  the  age  of  Israel's 
apostasy. — That  which  is  evil,  ^c]  42^. — To  vex  him  witii  the 
•work  of  your  hands\  so  i  K.  16'^  2  K.  22^'^  (both  Deut.),  Jer. 
25^- ''  32^°.  Not  definitely  with  idols  (42^),  but  with  the  system- 
atic engagement  in  idolatrous  practices,  DDH'  TVC^^rii  =  enter- 
prise (on  2^)  being  used  in  a  bad  sense,  cf.  Ps.  28''''  Lam.  3*^* 
Jer.  25^*. —  r^Jc(D''yDn)]  see  on  425. — 30.  All  the  assembly  of  Israel] 
Lev.  1617  (P)  Jos.  8-^5  (D2)  ^  k.  S^*.  22.  55  (Deut.)  X2^\  :  cf.  c.  5^^. 
XXXIL  1-43.  The  Song  of  Moses.— The  object  of  this  poem 
is  (v.*"*^)  to  exemplify  the  rectitude  and  faithfulness  of  Jehovah, 
as  manifested  in  His  dealings  with  a  corrupt  and  ungrateful 
nation.  With  this  aim  in  view,  the  poet,  after  the  Exordium 
(v.  ^"3),  describes,^/'i-//i',  the  providence  which  had  brought  Israel 
safely  through  the  wilderness,  and  planted  it  in  a  land  blessed 
abundantly  by  Jehovah's  g'oodness  (v.'''-^^)  ;  secondly,  Israel's 
ingratitude  and  lapse  into  idolatry  (v.^^"^^),  which  had  obliged 
Jehovah  to  threaten  it  (v.i9"25)  ^yith  national  disaster,  and 
almost  (v.-*'')  with  national  extinction  ;  and  thirdly,  Jehovah's 
determination  to  grant  His  people  victory  over  their  foes,  by 
speaking-  to  them  through  the  extremity  of  their  need,  and 
leading-  them  thereby  to  a  better  mind  [x.-^-"^'-'-).  The  thought 
underlying  the  whole  is  thus  the  rescue  of  the  people,  by  an  act 
of  grace,  at  the  moment  when  annihilation  seemed  imminent. 
The  poem  beg^ins  reproachfully;  but,  in  general,  tenderness 
and  pity  prevail  above  severity,  and  towards  the  close  the 
strain  rises  into  one  of  positive  encouragement  and  promise. 

29.  '3  "ma  nnx]  'd  'k  is  prefixed  to  'o  for  emph.  :  cf.  Gn.  iS-''  Ps.  62" 
128-  Is.  2S'5-i8  Mic.  5-*  I  K.  8-'' ;  also  i  S.  208''  Ps.  66'8  141^"  Jer.  22^5  Job 
34^'  Neh.  13^.— nxnpi]  so  Jer.  44-' :  see  G-K.  §  74.  3.  R.^ 


XXXI.  29— XXXII.  345 

The  Soiiij  shows  great  originality  of  form,  being  a  presenta- 
tion of  prophetical  thoughts  in  a  poetical  dress,  on  a  scale 
which  is  without  parallel  in  the  OT.  As  the  opening  verses 
show,  it  is  a  didactic  poem,  takings  the  form  of  a  retrospective 
survey  of  Israel's  religious  history,  and  developing  the  lessons 
deducible  from  it :  in  general  plan,  it  resembles  Ps.  78.  105.  106 
(cf.  in  prose  Ez.  20,  and  the  allegories  Ez.  16.  23),  but  the 
treatment  is  marked  by  greater  completeness,  and  superior 
poetical  power.  The  poet  develops  his  theme  with  con- 
spicuous literary  and  artistic  skill :  the  images  are  diversified 
and  expressive ;  and  the  parallelism  is  remarkably  regular  and 
forcible.  A  spirit  of  impassioned  earnestness  sustains  and 
suffuses  the  whole. 

Date  of  the  Song. — The  political  condition  of  Israel  at  the 
time  when  the  Song  was  written  may  be  inferred  without 
difficulty  from  its  contents.  Nothing-  in  the  poem  points  to 
Moses  as  the  author.  The  period  of  the  Exodus,  and  of  the 
occupation  of  Canaan,  lies  in  a  distant  past  (v."-^-),  the  story 
of  which  may  be  learnt  by  the  poet's  contemporaries  from 
\\\€\v  fathers  (v.");  Israel  is  settled  in  Palestine  (v.i-'-i^),  and 
has  had  time  not  only  to  lapse  into  idolatry  (v.^^^^^),  but  even 
to  have  been  brought  in  consequence  to  the  verge  of  ruin 
^y  20-30J .  j^  jj^  hard  pressed  by  heathen  assailants  (v.^*^;  cf. 
v.-i- -"'"-'),  but  Jehovah  promises  to  interpose,  and  rescue  His 
people  from  its  foes  (v.'^"*').  Israel's  apostasy,  and  con- 
sequent disasters,  lie  thus  in  the  writer's  past :  all  that  is 
future  is  its  deliverance.  Such  a  situation,  it  is  evident,  is 
not  that  of  the  Mosaic  age.  To  suppose  that  the  poet  adopted 
an  rt'5'^?/7«<7rtf  standpoint,  especially  one  between  Israel's  disasters 
and  its  deliverance,  is  highly  unnatural ;  v.^"^^  reads  through- 
out like  a  piece  of  history  ;  *  the  transition  from  the  reproach- 
ful description  of  the  past  or  present  (v.^''-^')  to  the  promise 
for  the  future  (v.'^^"^^)  is  analogous  to  similar  transitions  in  the 
prophets  (as  Hos.  2i^0'')"'-  Is.  i^^""-  Ez.  i6W-  2oi""-) ;  and  the 
poet,  when  he  addresses  his  readers  (v. 2-  '^- "),  addresses 
evidently   the    guilty   generation    which    has    already,    after 

*  The  futures  in  v.^'-*^  express  obviously  Jehovah's  />asi  determination, 
being  introduced  by  the  words,  "And  he  said." 


346  DEUTERONOMV 

Israel's  entry  into  Canaan  (v.^'*"'^),  lapsed  from  the  faith  of  its 
fathers  (v.*'""-  ^^- 1"*'-  '**).  The  post-Mosaic  origin  of  the  Song 
may  be  safely  concluded  upon  this  ground  alone.  It  is  con- 
firmed by  further  indications.  Both  the  line  of  thought  and 
the  phraseology  of  the  poem  point  to  an  age  much  later  than 
that  of  Moses  :  the  theological  ideas,  the  argument,  the  point 
of  view,  often  also  the  expressions,  display  constantly  points 
of  contact  with  the  writings  of  the  canonical  prophets,  from 
the  8th  cent.  B.C.  and  onwards.  The  poem  has  accordingly- 
been  not  inaptly  characterized  by  Cornill  {Ei?il.  §  13.  5),  as  a 
"compendium  of  prophetical  theology."  Nor  is  the  matured 
and  regular  poetical  form  (which  is  anything  but  "  rugged  "*) 
altogether  what  would  be  expected  in  a  composition  dating 
from  the  Mosaic  age. 

The  precise  date  is,  however,  difficult  to  fix,  the  allusions  to 
contemporary  persons  (see  on  v.-^)  and  events  being  (as  often 
in  the  prophets)  poetically  indefinite.  Former  critics,  referring 
the  whole  of  31I4-23  ^^q  jg^  concluded  that  the  poem  was  older 
than  the  composition  of  this  work,  the  compiler  of  which, 
they  supposed,  finding  the  Song  already  attributed  to  Moses, 
incorporated  it  in  his  narrative,  with  an  introductory  and 
concluding  notice,  3ii'J-22  32^^.  Upon  this  view,  the  political 
situation  presupposed  by  the  poem — Israel  reduced  to  ex- 
tremities by  the  successes  of  its  foes,  but  its  salvation  resolved 
upon  by  Jehovah — would  agree  with  the  condition  of  Israel 
under  Jehoash,  or  the  early  years  of  Jerobo'am  11.  (c.  780  B.C.), 
when  Israel,  having  been  long  harassed  by  the  Syrians  (i  K. 
20  [cf.  22^],  2  K.  52  6^-  -^*^-  g^^^-  lo^-'"),  and  threatened  under 
Jehoahaz  with  actual  ruin  (2  K.  13^?  r.  22.  25j^  ^gg^n  gradually 
to  recover  itself  (2  K.  13-5,  of.  v.^- 1*-!^- 23  j  1425.27):  the  crisis 
described  in  2  K.  13-3  i4-'''f-  [of.  Dt.  3226. 2oj|  would  quite 
correspond  to  that  which  forms  the  turning-point  in  the  Song. 
This  is  the  period  to  which  the  Song  is  referred  by  Knob., 
Schrader   {Einl.  §    205''),   Dillm.,   Westphal   (ii.   57  f,),    Oettli 

*  Speaker  s  Commentary^  i.  919. 

t  But  the  use  in  2  K.  14-"  of  a  phrase  from  Dt.  32"''  docs  not  show  more 
than  that  the  Deut.  compiler  of  Kinj^s  deemed  the  expression  a  suitable 
one  to  denote  Israel's  condition  at  the  time. 


XXXII.  347 

(p.  22).  E\v.,  Kamp.  (p.  302  f.),  and  Reuss  (§  226),  under- 
standing- by  the  "no-people"  the  Assyrians,  refer  the  poem 
to  the  years  immediately  preceding-  the  fall  of  Samaria  (b.c. 
722).  It  is,  however,  a  question  whether  either  of  these  dates 
— the  former  of  which  would  be  earlier  even  than  Amos  and 
Hosea — accounts  adequately  for  either  the  theological  stand- 
point, or  the  literary  characteristics,  of  the  Song,  and  whether 
it  would  not  be  more  properly  assigned  (cf.  Kuen.  Hex.  §  13. 
30)  to  the  age  of  Jer.  and  Ez.,  c.  630  B.C.  Though  the  literary 
individuality  of  the  poet  is  strong,  and  there  are  consequently 
few  verbal  parallels,  the  general  thought  of  the  poem,  and  its 
predominant  ideas,  have  decidedly  greater  affinities  with  the 
prophets  of  the  Chaldcean  age,  than  with  the  earlier  prophets, 
Amos,  Hosea,  Isaiah,  or  Micah.  The  terms  in  which  idolatry 
is  reprobated,  the  thought  of  Israel's  lap^e,  punishment,  and 
subsequent  restoration,  various  traits  in  v. ^^- -i- ^f*- 35.  36.  41-42 
(see  the  notes),  the  contrasts  established  between  Jehovah 
and  the  gods  of  the  nations,  though  there  are  isolated  parallels 
in  earlier  prophets,  recall  strongly,  as  a  whole,  the  tone  and 
manner  of  Jer.  Ez.  and  the  Deuteronomic  writers  in  the 
historical  books.  Where  Israel's  recent  disasters  are  referred 
to  (v.-o-^°),  or  Jehovah's  coming-  triumph  is  portrayed  (v.'^i"'^-'), 
the  terms  used  are  figurative  and  general,  and  do  not  point 
necessarily  to  an  author  living  in  the  age  of  Jehoash  or 
Jerobo'am  11.  :  as  a  prophetic  meditation  on  the  lessons  to  be 
deduced  from  Israel's  national  history,  it  would  harmonize 
entirely  with  the  spirit  and  point  of  view  which  prevailed 
(comp.  Jer.  2^ -^  Ez.  16.  20)  in  the  age  of  Jer.  and  Ez.  (cf. 
Konig,  Einl.  p.  224).  And  the  literary  analysis  of  the  sur- 
rounding narrative  shows  (p.  337  f.)  that,  with  its  original  intro- 
duction 31^''"--,  and  conclusion  2>'^^''.,  it  might  have  been  inserted 
in  JE,  after  the  narrative,  as  a  whole,  had  been  completed. 
The  Song  must,  however,  have  been  old  enough  to  be  currently 
attributed  to  Moses  when  3116-22  ^yy^g  written, — unless,  to  be 
sure,  like  c.  33  (p.  388),  it  was  from  the  first  written  e  persona 
Mosis,  and  intended  to  fill  the  place  of  a  (lost)  parting-  song, 
in  which  Moses,  according  to  tradition,  had  forewarned  his 
people  of  the  dangers  of  apostasy. 


;4S 


DKUTERONOMV 


The  literary  parallels  with  other  prophets  are  slijjht,  the  following 
being  the  most  noticeable  :— Hos.  s"**  6'  (v.*') ;  8'-»  (v.'*") ;  g">  if  (v.^") ;  13* 
(v.i2.a9).  136(^^5.18).  i4i«(fi)(v.-«):  Is.  1=  (v.i) ;  i*  :io^-^  children  (v.-'o^) :  Mic. 
56(7)  (v.2J);  7"  (v.2«):  Jer.  a"  (v.'*"- ^J"") ;  2^  (v.^^-'^  [general  thought]);  2'! 
(v.2'a);  22»(v.''>);  227b.  28  (v. "f.).  2^^  3^'  s/mfiffers,  of  false  gods(v.'«);  3*- '» 
/«/A^r,  of  God,  cf.  2^  (v.«-'8) ;  4^2  5-1  h^o  foolish  (v.«  [but  Sjj,  not  Sd=],  28) ; 
6"  (v. 2-');  6i«(v.»');  8'9  1422  vanities  (v.^') ;  15"  17^  (v.22) :  add  vex  (with 
idolatry),  v.'®"',  often  in  Dt.,  Jer.,  and  compiler  of  Kings  ;  and  ahominn- 
tions,  v.^^y  sometimes  in  Jer.,  and  frequently  in  Ez.,  of  idolatrous  practices. 
None  of  these  are  of  a  character  enabling  us  to  judge  (even  where  a  real 
imitation  or  reminiscence  on  one  side  or  the  other  may  be  fairly  assumed, 
— and  in  some  other  passages  that  have  been  quoted,  this  is  yet  more 
problematical)  which  is  the  original.  And  Jer.,  when  he  quotes  earlier 
writers  (e.g.  Dt.,  or,  in  c.  48,  Is.  15-16),  quotes  verbally  and  extensively: 
the  fact  that  the  resemblances  with  Dt.  32  are  so  few  and  slight  makes  it 
doubtful  whether  they  are  really  rem.iniscences  on  his  part  from  it.  It  is 
at  least  equally  probable  that  Jer.  and  Dt.  32  are  only  connected  in- 
directly ;  and  that  the  resemblances  (such  as  they  are)  are  to  be  accounted 
for  by  the  fact  that  the'two  authors  lived  in  the  same  intellectual  atmo- 
sphere, so  that  the  same  current  expressions  and  ideas  came  to  the  lips  of 
each. 

"A*a|  tif/i/jtiva,  occurring  in  the  Song,  are  v.2  CTyb-,  v.^  SnVn;:,  v.^"  hh],  }.ji2, 
v.'^  nt^3,  v.^8  n'B*  (but  text  dub.),  v. 2"  [-ox,  v. 2^  'ip,  nnn,  v. 26  nxsn,  v.**  ciS3, 
v.^  dS?,  v.^  yc3  (C3'p: ;  perh.  text,  error  for  cr?:),  mna  (if  text  be  right). 
Uncommon  words  are  v.2  f]ny,  v.'  the  fem.  pi.  nio',  v.^^  '?ii3,  v.'''  "ion,  v.^* 
jniB",  t3j,-3,  nay,  v.^^  one*,  -lyc',  v.^  en'?  eat,  lap,  hni,  v.-''  ns:,  v.^'  d''7''?s,  v.^ 
nhna,  v.^  Tny,  v.^  '?in,  aiiyi  ni^y,  v.^2  mynj..  of  these  the  form  nic-  v.',  icn 
v.",  Dnc  v.",  Tnv  v.^,  n^Tx  v.^®,  have  an  Aramaic  tinge. 

The  Song  presents  some  noticeable  affinities  with  the  IF/^cfow-litera- 
ture  :  notice  the  didactic  tone  of  v.'- 2;  also  v.^  cn:p^!,  v.2  np^,  v.*  rpy,  v.2'' 
nmsnn,  v.2*  nrS  (see  notes),  and  the  emphasis  laid  upon  the  value  of  wise 
action,  v.«-  28-  29_ 

Words  or  expressions  otherwise  occurring  chiefly,  if  not  entirely,  in 
writings  not  earlier  than  the  age  of  Jer.  and  Ez.  are  v.''  ^ij?,  v.''  nni  nn,  v."' 
Dm  (of  strange  gods),  the  pi.  nnyin,  D'y^n,  v. ^8  L,t,in,  v.2'  o-hzn,  v.~  mp,  anh, 
v.2'*  D-h,  -p-\,  V.27  -\3i,  v.^2  -|,;x,  v.^  n^ny,  v.^  n'?iN,  aiiyi  nvjy,  v. ■'2  n'2-^-,  v.-^'  the 
Hif.  pnn  ;  and  probably  some  others  as  well. 

Monographs  on  the  Song:  Ewald  in  ihcjahrb.  der  Bibl.  Wisscnscha/t, 
viii.  (1S56)  p.  41  ff. ;  Ad.  Kamphausen,  Das  Lied  Moses,  1862  (329  pp.); 
Aug.  Klostermann  in  the  Stud,  und  Kritiken,  1872,  pp.  230  IT. ,  450  fF., 
reprinted  in  Der  Pentateuch  (1893),  p.  267  ff. 

1-3.  Exordium.  Heaven  and  earth  are  invited  to  attend, 
on  account  of  the  dignity  and  loftiness  of  the  poet's  theme. 

Give  ear,  O  heavens,  and  I  will  speak  ; 
And  let  the  earth  hear  the  words  of  my  mouth : 
'  Let  my  teaching  drop  as  the  rain, 
Let  my  speech  distil  as  the  dew  j 


XXXII.  1-3  349 

As  the  small  rain  upon  the  youns^  grass, 
And  as  the  showers  upon  the  herb. 
•  For  I  will  proclaim  the  name  of  Jehovah  : 
Give  ye  greatness  unto  our  God. 

1.  Heaven  and  earth  are  invoked,  not  as  -icw'/ncsscs  (4-"  30'^ 
31-^),  but  as  forming-  an  audience  whose  attention  may  be 
chiimed  on  account  of  the  solemnity  and  importance  of  the 
truths  which  the  poet  has  to  dechire.  Cf.  Is.  i^  Ps.  50*  (each 
time  before  a  great  prophetic  dechu-ation) ;  Mic.  i^  6^^-  Is.  34^. 
The  sense  attached  in  31-*^  to  the  invocation — unless  indeed 
(p.  347  bottoni)  the  Song  were  composed  from  the  first  e  persona 
Mosis — can  hardly  be  that  originally  intended.  The  original 
aim  of  the  poem  (p.  345)  was  to  point  a  moral  from  the  past ; 
but  naturally,  when  it  came  to  be  regarded  as  a  work  of  the 
Mosaic  age,  it  was  understood  differently,  as  a  warning-  for 
the  future;  accordingly,  in  31I9-21  the  poem  itself,  and  in 
3i-*--'-^  heaven  and  earth  invoked  in  v.^,  are  treated  as  witness- 
ing against  Israel,  in  case  it  neglects  the  warning,  and  falls 
into  misfortune. — 2.  The  similes  are  chosen  in  view  of  the 
moral  lessons  which  the  poet  desires  to  enforce.  The  iertiuvi 
comparatiofiis  is  manifestly  the  gentle,  yet  penetrating-  and 
effectual,  action  of  rain  or  dew  upon  plants  (Ps.  72").  May 
what  the  poet  has  to  say  prove  not  less  potent  in  its  operation  ! 
may  it  be  as  the  fertilizing  rain  or  dew  upon  the  hearts  of 
those  w'ho  hear  it  (Job  2cj--'^- ;  Is.  55^°) !  may  it  give  birth  in 
Israel  to  a  new  spiritual  life  !  Teaching  (Hj^b,  properly  some- 
thing received)  is  a  word  otherwise  peculiar  to  the  Wisdom- 
literature  (Pr.  i5  42.721  99  I6-21-23  Job  ii4),  and  Is.  29211. 
Young  grass  (^'^'^),  as  Gn.  1^1  2  S,  23^  al.  Clause  ^  ("'^j?  DT^iD 
TL^T),  as  Mic.  5''  (II  mn""  nXKD  !?D3).  With  the  didactic  tone  of 
v.1-2,  comp.  Pr.  41-2-10  51-2  Ps.  492-5(1.4)  ^81-2  (each  a  didactic 
Psalm). — 3.  The  verse  states  the  ground  of  the  invocation,  v.^, 
and  the  wish  expressed  in  v. 2:   the  poet  w'lW  proclaim  Jehovah's 

XXXII.  1.  ♦n"N]  except  Jos.  24-^  (E),  used  exclusively  in  poetry, — 48 
times,  of  which  22  are  in  Proverbs  and  11  in  Job. — 2.  fpy]  33"^t  (21-*  al.  in 
a  difierent  sense):  cf.  .TD'nv  Is.  5^".  Elsewhere  (5  times)  ij;n  (  =  Arab. 
ra'afa)  is  found  in  the  same  sense. — Dn">b']  not  elsewhere. — 'mcN]  only 
found  in  poetry  (36  times,  of  which  19  are  in  Ps.  119) :  cf.  Is.  28-^  32^. — 3. 
*?■!;]  of  God,  as  3-^  5-'  9-®  II-  Ps.  150-. 


350  DEUTERONOMY 

name  (cf.  Ps.  22-'' (-'-)),  i.e.  will  declare  openly,  so  that  his 
people  may  recog'nize  and  own  it,  Jehovah's  character,  as 
revealed  in  His  dealings  with  Israel  (on  i2'^;  cf.  Ex.  34'', 
where  almost  the  same  phrase,  nin""  C^'3  Sip""),  is  followed  by 
a  solemn  enunciation  of  Jehovah's  moral  attributes) :  let  those 
who  hear  him  respond  in  a  becoming"  spirit,  and  iiive,  i.e. 
ascribe  (Ps.  29^''),  to  their  God  \\vt  i^ rent n ess  \\\\\q\\  is  His  due. 
4-6.  The  poet's  theme  defined  more  closely  :  viz.,  to  con- 
trast the  unchangeable  rectitude  and  faithfulness  of  Jehovah 
with  the  corrupt  and  faithless  behaviour  of  His  people. 

*  Tlic  Rock,  liis  work  is  perfect ; 
Yov  all  his  ways  are  judg'ment  : 

A  God  of  faithfulness,  and  without  iniquity  ; 
Just  and  uprig;ht  is  he. 
'  Corruptly  has  dealt  towards  him — not  his   sons  are  their 
blemish — 
A  twisted  and  crooked  generation. 

•  Is  it  Jehovah  that  ye  treat  thus? 
O  senseless  people  and  unwise  : 

Is  not  he  thy  father,  who  produced  thee? 
Did  not  lie  make  thee  and  establish  thee? 

4.  The  Rock  (^'S**:)]  a  title  of  Deity,  recurring  v.^s.  is  ("the 
Rock  that  begat  thee  ")  ^^- ■"'i- ^^ ;  and  found  besides,  2  S.  23^ 
Is.  17"^  30'-''  (where  "the  Rock  of  Israel"  forms  an  effective 
parallel  to  "the  mountain  of  Jehovah")  Hab.  i^-,  and  fre- 
quently in  the  Psalms  (esp.  '•"nv  "my  Rock"),  as  Ps.  iS''-^^ 
("Who  is  a  rock  except  our  God?"  cf.  i  S.  2-  Is.  44^)'*'^  19^* 
28I  al.  :  also  in  the  proper  names  "I1^»"^K,  ^nC""i"lV,  "l^'ms,  bx''"i1V, 
Nu.  i5-6. 10  2'^5  (^^\\  y^  It  designates  Jehovah,  by  a  forcible 
and  expressive  figure,  as  the  unchangeable  support  or  refuge  ot 
His  servants  ;  and  is  used  with  evident  appropriateness,  where 
the  thought  is  of  God's  unvarying  attitude  towards  His  people. 
The  figure  is,  no  doubt,  like  crag^  sirongJiold,  high  place,  &c. 
(Ps.  i8''(-)),  derived  from  the  natural  scenery  of  Palestine  (for 
another  view,  see  Cheyne  on  Ps.  i8''-).      In  the  Versions,  the 

4.  ni!in]  the  casus  pendens,  as  Ps.  18^^  &c.  (Dr.  §  197.  2  ;  A.  B.  Davidson, 
Ileb.  Sjnfax,  %  106''). — as~z\  a  subst.,  the  subject  being-  (as  oft.  in  Heb.) 
identified  with  the  quality  inhering  in  it  (Dr.  §  189.  2  ;  Dav.  §  29^). — i'Ki 
^V]  not  "and  not  iniquity,"  negativing  n:iCN  (which  would  be  Viy  vhw  Jer. 
2'-^),  but  ^^  and  there  is  no  iniquity  "  =  «'////(;///  iniquity  :  cf.  Jer.  5-^  i"Ni  73D  cy 


XXXIT.  4-5  351 

metaphor  is  usually  obliterated,  the  word  being"  represented 
by  6e6<;,  liorj66<i,  avTiXi'jirrwp,  &c. — sometimes  even  ktictttjs,  TrXao-- 
T7;9,  as  though  from  "i^"" ;  or  cfiv\a$,  as  if  from  "IV3  ;  Dens,fortis\ 
S3*pn,  ^rpin ;  &c.  Hence  in  AV.  my  strength^  Ps'.  i8-^  19^'^; 
God,  Is.  44^.  '*  '  Great  rock  (or,  mountain) '  is  a  common  title 
of  Assur  and  Bel  in  Assyrian "  (Cheyne  on  Ps.  18''). — His 
ivork  is  perfect  (D^on)]  or  (Reuss)  irreproaeJiahle:  His  moral 
administration  of  the  world  (^^3,  as  Is.  5^-  Ps.  28'')  is  sound, 
free  from  DirD  or  blemish  (cf.  on  17I  18^^) ;  it  is  not  in  any 
respect  deficient,  or  justly  open  to  censure.  Israel's  troubles 
(v.--")  are  not  due  to  any  failing  or  imperfection  on  God's 
part,  but  to  its  own  delinquencies  (v.^^*"^).  Cf.  the  parallel  in 
Ps.  1 8''i  (30)  ^.j-)^  -j,^j-l  t,jj^_ — Judgmeni\ox  (in  a  forensic  sense) 
rigid  (Is.  61*^) :  the  methods  followed  by  Him  in  His  rule  of 
the  world  are  just  methods. — A  God  of  f (lit Jif illness,  &c.^  He 
is  faitJiful,  i.e.  true  to  His  revealed  character  and  to  His 
promises  (cf.  7^),  He  is  sAso  Just  and  iipriglit.  A  concise  and 
forcible  declaration  of  the  ethical  perfection  of  God,  maintained 
by  Him  uniformly,  so  the  poet  insists,  in  His  moral  govern- 
ment of  the  world. — 5.  With  Jehovah's  perfections,  the  poet 
now  contrasts  His  people's  sad  deficiencies.  The  rend,  of 
clause  '"*  is  that  of  Oettli,  who  understands  the  second  part  as 
a  denial  of  the  title  of  Jehovah's  true  sons  to  those  who,  in 
fact,  are  but  a  "blemish"  upon  them,  viz.  the  "twisted  and 
crooked  generation  "  of  clause  ^.  Oettli  acknowledges,  how- 
ever, that  the  poem  does  not  elsewhere  distinguish  between  a 
true  and  a  false  Israel,  and  allows  that  the  text  is  most  prob- 
ably corrupt.  Clause  ^  admits,  in  fact,  of  no  satisfactory 
explanation.  On  other  renderings  and  emendations  which 
have  been  proposed,  see  below. — Dealt  corniptl}'\  9I'-. — Sons 
(or  cJiildren)\  as  v.^-  is.  19.  20  i^i. 

5.  cDiD  v:3  n'?  i"?  nn^']  Kn.  Ke.  take  'l^  in  as  the  subj.  of  nnc,  treating- 
caiD  r:a  vh  as  in  apposition  to  this,  and  parenthetically  prefixed : 
"Corruptly  has  dealt  towards  him — not  his  children,  their  blemish  \i.e.  a 
blemish  upon  His  true  children] — a  twisted  and  crooked  generation"  ;  but 
a  construction  such  as  this  is  too  abrupt  and  forced  to  be  attributed  with 
probability  to  the  original  author  (who,  in  his  poem  generally,  writes  with 
great  smoothness  and  ease):  the  paraphrase  in  RV.  (2nd  marg.)  conceals 
the  harshness  of  the  Heb.     No  better  is  the  rend,  of  Kamp.  (pointing 


352  DKUTERONOMY 

One  of  the  many  fissures  under  which  the  relation  of  Jehovah  to  His 
people  is  expressed  in  the  OT.  The  term  is  a  sij^nificant  one.  Nations, 
or  individuals,  in  antiquity  often  imagined  themselves  to  be  descended  from 
a  divine  ancestor  (of.  Nu.  21-^,  where  the  Moabites  arc  called  the  sons  and 
daughters  of  Kt^mosh) :  but  in  such  cases  the  idea  was  a  physical  one  ;  in 
Israel  (in  virtue  of  Jehovah's  spiritual  and  ethical  character)  it  is  spiritual- 
ized ;  moral  demands  are  based  upon  it ;  and  it  becomes  the  expression  of 
correlative  privileg-es  and  duties  (cf.  W,  R.  Smith,  Prophets,  p.  168  f.). 
The  application  of  the  idea  may  be  illustrated  by  the  following'  passages  : 
(i)  Jehovah  loved  Israel  (cf.  on  7^*),  and  therefore  called  him  to  be  His 
son  (Hos.  11^),  and  the  deliverance  from  Egypt  stamped  him  as  His  first- 
born (Ex.  4-2  JE) ;  the  firstborn,  thus  delivered,  receives  from  his  Father  a 
parent's  education  and  fostering  care,  Hos.  ii^'^Dt.  8'' Jer.  3^^  (Render: 
"  How  (gladly)  would  I  put  thee  among  sons !  ").  But  (2)  this  relation 
involves  correlative  duties,  Dt.  14'  (see  note) ;  to  which,  however  (3)  Israel 
often  does  not  respond,  and  is  reproached  accordingly  with  its  unfilial 
disposition  (so  here,  v."- ^^- ^'•'- -"'*  Hos.  11"  Is.  !-•■*  cn'nij'D  d'J3,  30'  cnmn  c'33, 
30"  DT-ns  D'ja,  Jer.  3"*-^  caaie"  d'J3,  4^-  c^jd  C'33),  and  with  disappointing 
its  Father's  expectations,  Jer.  3*  (words  of  unreal  penitence  :  see  v.'  RV. 
711.),  Is.  63'''"'.  (4)  The  sonship  of  Israel  is  made  the  basis  of  promises  for 
the  future,  Hos.  2^  (1"*)  "sons  of  the  living  God,"  Jer.  31^  (both  of 
Ephraim).  Cf.  Is.  63'^  64'' (^',  the  appeal  of  the  penitent  nation  to  Jehovah, 
as  its  Father.  The  theocratic  king,  as  head  of  the  nation,  is  pre-eminently 
Jehovah's  "  son,"  though  liable  to  correction  at  his  Father's  hands  (2  S.  y''*, 
cf.  Ps.  Sg'-'''") :  he  is  described  as  "  begotten  "  by  Jehovah,  on  the  day  when 
he  is  installed  into  his  kingly  rights  (Ps.  2^). 

A  b/c?nis/i]  17I.     Imperfect  Israel  is  contrasted  with  Jehovah, 

cp'c) :  "  Corruptly  has  dealt  towards  him — not  his  children,  blemishes  [i.e. 
spots,  disfiguring  their  Father,  God] — a  twisted  and  crooked  generation." 
The  versions  render  no  help.  Sam.  (S  have  ma  '33  17  x?  inn:;'  rifidp-roirav  ovk  auTu 
TiKva  [Au/jLYira.,  Sam.  iC  3n2nj;  na  n'?  vh  iV^a  (so  S  xcion  K'ii  rh  .s-'?i  i'?3n  ;  and 
prob.  JT  Nnu'c'?  in'73T  N'33  .t'?  ah  \\rh  I'^'in).  The  sense  attached  to  the  read- 
ing "h  K^  innc  seems  to  have  been  "have  done  corruptly,  (but)  not  towards 
him"  (31^  "have  corrupted  themselves,  not  Him"),  i.e.  they  may  have 
injured  themselves,  but  not  Him,  by  their  corruptions, — a  strained  and 
artificial  sense.  Aq.  has  "in^dipav  avTZ  ohx,  "'«'  "■utov.  .  •  .  ;  Symm.  hl^hifiav 
vrpo;  avTov  ou'x,  v'lo)  avrov  to  auieXot  (?  nc;,xc).  VJ3  vh  17  innty  "his  not-sons 
have  dealt  corruptly  towards  him  ""would  not  be  out  of  harmony  with 
Heb.  idiom  (see  on  v.^'') :  but  cDis  remains  an  inexplicable  redundancy. 
Ew.  very  ingeniously  explained  ccio  from  the  Syr.  xn^ia  oath  (from  Aram. 
V(Q'' to  sivear) — "His  not-sons  have  corrupted  their  oath  towards  him:" 
but  the  oath  does  not  seem  to  be  here  in  place  ;  and  the  Aramaism  is  of  a 
kind  that  cannot  be  said  to  be  probable.  Klost.  proposes  ejid.x  i'?  ^r\^>xi 
(see  v.-"  pCN,  and  Am.  i'^) :  restoring  1*33  n'?  (the  omission  of  which  does 
not  seem  to  be  necessary),  we  should  then  have  "  His  not-sons  have 
corrupted  their  faithfulness  towards  him."  Dillm.:  c?  C"0  VJ3  "h  inn:;-,  i.e. 
"  His  children  have  dealt  corruptly  towards  him  :  there  is  a  blemish  in 
them  "  (whereas  God's  work  is  n'cn :  for  C3  mo,  cf.  Lev.  21^'  22'^). 


XXXII.  6  353 

whose  work  (v.^)  is  onpri.     By  general  ion,  here  and  v. 20,  are 
meant    the    poet's  contemporaries,   whom   the   term   denotes, 
with  the  moral  connotation  which  it  sometimes  acquires,   as 
possessed  of  common  ethical  characteristics,— here  (as  Ps.  12^ 
yS"''  Pr.   30^^-1^)  in  a  bad  sense,  sometimes  (Ps.  14^^  24<'')  in  a 
good  sense.     Tii)is/ed[AM.  perverse,  which  does  not  adequately 
express   the  sense  of  ^"^V)  is  elsewhere  found  chiefly  in  the 
Proverbs:   it  is  used  in  connexion  with  the  heart,  lips,  mouth, 
and  ways,  and  denotes  a  character  which  pursues  devious  and 
questionable  courses  for  the  purpose  of  compassing  its  ends  ; 
it  is  often,  like  its  cognate  verb,  opposed  to  words  denoting 
what   is   sincere,   straightforward,   and   frank  (D''Dn,  "1C",   and 
their  cognates;  see  e.g.  Pr.  10"  11-"  19^  2S'^- 1*;  Job  9-0  Mic.  2>^ 
"  and  everything  that  is  straight— \\z.  in  a  court  of  law — they 
tivi'st").     PJ^'pns  croo/^rr/ occurs  only  here ;   but  the  cogn.  verb 
(or  ptcp.)  occurs  Job  5^^,  and  (by  the  side  of  ^'\?V)  Ps.  iS'-"  Pr. 
S"*. — 6.  Apostrophizing  this   crooked   and   degenerate   nation, 
the  poet,  with  some  warmth,  reproaches  it  with  the  folly  and 
ingratitude  of  which  it   has   been  guilty:    will  ye  thus — viz. 
with  the  disregard  implied  in  v.^ — treat  Jehovah,  your  Father 
and  Benefactor? — Senseless  y'^})\  i.e.  obstinately  insensible  to 
the  claims  which  Jehovah's  goodness  makes  upon  them  (cf.  on 
22-1). — U7i'wise\  in  the  Proverbs,  wisdom,  i.e.  the  faculty  of 
shrewd    observation,    and    acute,    discriminating    insight,    is 
displayed  as  teaching  and  directing  those  who  possess  it  in 
many  different  departments  of  human  knowledge  and  enter- 
prise,  in  the  sphere  of  religion,    not  less   than  in    those  of 
6.  ^\'^\  "jn]  so  Van  der  Hooght,  and  other  edd.     For  reasons  which  are 
obscure  the  reading-  here  became  early  a  matter  of  dispute ;  and  MSS. 
and  edd.  vary  accordingly, — other  texts  having  nin'p  n  and  others  ni.Tpri. 
The  true  reading  can,  of  course,  be  only  n'jn'^q  (like  njrr?]), — or  rather 
(discarding  the  Mass.  punct.  of  mn')  nin:'?n.     See  Lex.  p.  210;  or  more 
fully  De  Rossi,  Var.  Led.  ad  loc. — riNi  iVojn  ni.T^.i]  '■^  To  Jehovah  will  ye 
do  this?"     The  position  of  nin\  immediately  after  n,  gives  it  emphasis. 
So  Sx^n  Job  13^  21-^  22'-';  'nixn  Jer.  5--  7''-';  and  analogously  with  other 
particles.     '^'CJ  is  merely  to  do  or  act  (like  ^puTTuv),  i  S.  24'^  Ps.  137**  Happy 
he  who  repays  to  thee  thy  doing-  ("I'^iD;),  which  thou  hast  done  (n'?cj)  to  us. 
So  D'T  hi!2i  Jud.  9^"  Is.  3^1  "the  dealing  of  the  hands."     ha:  only  some- 
times acquires  the  sense  of  requiting,  when  the  context  suggests  a  com- 
parison of  the  "doing"  which  the  word  properly  denotes  with  antecedent 
conduct  on  the  other  side. 


354  DEUTERONOMY 

monils,  politics,  and  social  life  iii'enerally.  Here,  according'ly, 
it  is  tile  part  of  a  "  wise"  nation  to  be  conscious  of  the  moral 
superiority  of  Jehovah  over  other  gods,  and  to  perceive,  on 
the  one  hand,  the  advantag'es  which  follow  from  consistent 
devotion  to  Him,  and  from  observance  of  the  laws  which  He 
has  laid  down  for  the  welfare  of  nations  ;  and,  on  the  other, 
the  disastrous  consequences  which  the  neg'lect  of  them  must 
inevitably  entail  (cf.  v. 28-29;  also  4''). — Thy  father,  ivho  pro- 
duced ihcc,  &c.^  in  so  far,  namely,  as  by  the  redemption  from 
Eg'ypt  Jehovah  called  Israel  into  being-  as  a  nation  ;  and  after- 
wards, with  a  parent's  interest  and  care,  watched  over  its 
growth,  assisting  the  development  of  its  powers,  and  training 
it  to  independence  (cf.  8':  also  Hos.  11^*  Is.  63^'' 64^^  Mai.  2^^). 
— Produced  thee  (l^p)]  njp  is  to  acquire,  usually  by  buying 
(Gen.  2.^^  and  often),  but  also  in  other  ways  (Pr.  i''),  some- 
times also  to  possess  (Is.  1^):  used  of  a  parent,  or  of  God,  as 
the  author  of  existence,  or  moulder  of  the  human  frame,  it 
may  be  rendered  _§r^  (Gn.  4^)  ox  produce  (Gn.  1419-22  Ps.  139^3 
Pr.  822). — Make  and  establish  (or  conJirvi)\  i.e.  fashion  (into  a 
nation),  and  consolidate:  cf.  Ps.  iig"^  ("'Ji:3i3"'1  '•iltry  TT)  ;  also 
v.i-^  (in::'y),  Is.  442  (pno  inv'i  TJ'i')- 

7-14.  Demonstration,  from  Israel's  past,  of  the  providential 
care  which  Jehovah  had  lavished  upon  His  people. — The 
intention  of  these  verses  is  to  justify  the  reproach  contained  in 
v.".  Let  Israel  reflect  upon  its  past  history,  and  consider  (i) 
how  Jehovah,  when  He  fixed  the  boundaries  of  the  nations, 
reserved  a  home  amongst  them  for  His  people,  v. ""9;  (2)  how 
He  led  and  sustained  the  infant  nation  in  the  wilderness, 
y_io-i2 .  (2)  how  He  enabled  it  to  take  triumphant  possession 
of  the  fertile  soil  of  Canaan,  v.^^-^*. 

'  Remember  the  days  of  old, 

Consider  the  j'ears  of  successive  generations  ; 

Ask  thy  father,  and  he  will  tell  thee, 

Thine  elders,  and  they  will  say  to  thee : 
8  "  When  the  Most  High  gave  to  the  nations  their  inheritance, 

"When  he  separated  the  sons  of  men, 

"  He  fixed  the  borders  of  the  peoples 

"  According  to  the  number  of  the  children  of  Israel. 
•  "  For  Jehovah's  portion  is  his  people  ; 

"Jacob  is  the  lot  of  his  inheritance. 


XXXII.  7-8  355 

7.  The  days  of  old  (D^^iy  nir^^),  as  v.^"  show,  are  not  the 
patriarchal  ag^e,  but  the  period  of  the  formation  of  the  nation 
under  Moses,  and  of  its  settlement  in  Canaan,  cf.  Is.  63^1 
]\Iic.  71-*.  D^iy>  denoting-  remote  time  (whether  past  or  fjture), 
is  a  relative  term :  Am.  9'^  it  is  used  of  the  age  of  David  ;  Is. 
58'-  and  Gi'*  (in  both  parallel  to  ""ill  in,  as  here)  of  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Babylonian  exile,  viewed  from  its  close.  It  is 
manifest  from  the  context  that  those  whom  the  poet  addresses 
belong  to  an  age  which  looks  back  upon  the  exodus,  and  the 
occupation  of  Canaan,  as  lying-  in  a  distant  past. — Successive 
oenefations]  on  the  Heb.  idiom  employed,  see  below. — Ask]  4-^2 
Job  8^  12".  The  fathers,  and  elders,  are  to  be  appealed  to,  as 
the  natural  depositaries  of  historical  information,  in  an  age 
when  knowledge  of  the  past  was  largely  handed  down  by  oral 
tradition:  comp.  Job  8^  1510  Ps.  78-'  Joel  v'. — 8.  The  answer 
of  the  "elders,"  extending^  (Ew.)  to  v.^^,  or  rather,  probably, 
gliding  insensibly  into  the  poet's  own  discourse.  When 
Jehovah  allowed  the  various  nations  of  the  earth  gradually  to 
settle  themselves  in  separate  localities.  He  so  determined  their 
boundaries  as  to  reserve  among-  them  a  home  for  Israel, 
adequate  to  its  numbers. — jWost  High  (JV^y)]  a  poetical  title  of 
God,  Nu.  24I''  I :.  \^^  and  in  many  Psalms  (cf.  Cheyne,  B.  L. 
p.  83  f.);  perhaps  suggested  here  by  the  thought  of  His 
supremacy  over  the  nations  of  the  world. — Separated  {-['^-[ti'p)] 
cf.  ms:  Gn.  io32  (P). 

Tlie  later  Jews,  interpreting-  the  last  words  literally,  and  observing-  that 
just  70  nations  are  mentioned  in  Gn.  10  as  descended  from  the  three  sons 
of  Noah,  imagined  prosaicallj'  that  a  correspondence  was  intended  between 
these  nations  and  the  70  souls  of  Gn.  46-''' :  so,  for  instance,  Ps.-Jon.  : 
"  When  the  IVIost  High  gave  the  world  for  an  inheritance  to  the  nations 
which  came  forth  from  the  sons  of  Noah,  when  He  divided  alphabets  and 
tongues  to  the  sons  of  men,  he  cast  lots  with  the  70  angels,  the  princes  of 

7.  niD']  they^w.  plural,  only  once  besides,  Ps.  90'*.  It  is  more  frequent 
(by  the  side  of  the  masc.  form)  in  Aramaic. — mi  "n]  the  1  has  a  distributive 
force,  =  " of  every  generation  (see  Lex.  i  1  \.b).  Except  in  this  phrase 
(which  is  frequent,  though  not  otherwise  earlier  than  Lam.  5'"  Is.  Ij""  34^^ 
58^- 60'-'' 6i-*)  it  is  exclusively  a  late  usage,  i  Ch.  26'^  28^^  Est.  i*--2&c. — 
^"iri]  the  jussive  form  before  a  suffix  is  found  only  once  besides,  Is.  35'* 
(Dr.  §  47  M.).— 8.  "j-fn?]  irreg.  for  hnin^  (cf.  26'-):  E\v.  §  238'';  Kon. 
i.  315  ;  G-K.  g  53  R." — ^V.]  on  this  form,  cf.  Dr.  §  174,  with  Obs.;  Dav.  p. 
94.     The  original  pronunciation  will  probably  have  been  3s:. 


356  DEUTERONOMY 

the  nations  .  •  •,  ^"<1  established  the  borders  of  the  peoples  accordin^^  to 
till-  number  of  the  70  souls  of  Israel  which  went  down  into  Egypt."  In 
clause  ^  ffi  has  xara.  apiff/Lot  uyyiXca*  fioZ,  i.e.  "  accordintc  to  the  number  of 
the  sons  of  God"  ('rx  for  'junr"),  cf.  Gn.  6--'»  Job  i^  2'  38''.  If  this  reading 
be  original  (so  Cheyne,  Job  and  Sol.  p.  81  ;  Cornill,  Einl.  p.  71  ;  Schultz, 
OT.  Thcoh  \.  227  ;  Stade,  ZATW.  v.  300),  it  will  be  an  anticipation  of  the 
later  doctrine  of  guardian-angels,  presiding  over  the  dilTerent  nations, 
found  in  Dan.  lo^''--"--^  12'  Sir.  17",  and  frequently  alluded  to  in  post- 
Biblical  Jewish  literature  (see  the  extract  just  quoted,  and  Eisennienger, 
E7ildecktesjitdcnt]iiim,  i.  806 ff.).  The  idea  will  then  be  that  the  nations 
were  allotted  to  the  care  of  subordinate  divine  beings  (cf.  4^'-'  29-^  >-'''),  while 
Jehovah  presided  over  Israel  Himself  (v.-').  But  the  text  jields  a  very 
suitable  sense  ;  and  there  is  no  sufHicient  reason  for  preferring  this  reading. 
Cf.  Geiger,  Urschrift,  p.  294. 

9.  The  verse  states  the  reason  why  Jehovah  showed  the 
regard  for  Israel  impHed  in  v.^:  when  the  territories  of  the 
nations  were  divided,  Israel  fell  to  Jehovah,  and  became  His 
allotted  portion.  The  thought  is  the  same  (though  differently 
expressed)  as  7*5  10^^  &c.  p?n  is  a  portion  or  share,  often, 
when  applied  to  land,  parallel,  as  here,  with  inheritance  {e.g. 
Gn.  311^  Dt.  12^2  18I) ;  with  '^  phn,  cf.  Zech.  2i'^(i2).  For  "lot," 
lit.  (measuring-)  line  i^"^^),   see  phil.   note  on  3* ;   and  cf.  jyjD 

Dn^n:  ^an  Ps.  10511. 

10-12.  How  Jehovah  led  and  sustained  the  infant  nation  in 
the  wilderness. 

^"  "  He  found  him  in  a  land  that  was  a  wilderness, 

"  And  in  the  howling  waste  of  a  desert ; 

"  He  surrounded  him,  he  cared  for  him, 

"  He  kept  him  as  the  apple  of  his  eye  : 
^^  "  Like  a  vulture,  that  stirreth  up  its  nest, 

"  That  hovereth  over  its  young, 

"  He  spread  abroad  his  wings,  he  took  him, 

"  He  bare  him  upon  his  pinion  : 
^  "Jehovah  alone  did  lead  him  ; 

"  And  no  foreign  god  was  with  him. 

10.  The  poet  starts,  not  with  the  deliverance  from  Egj'pt, 
but  with  a  situation  better  designed  ad  exaggerandinn  Dei  in 
eos  bencficiu77i  (Le  Clerc),  and  to  illustrate  His  providential 
care  ;  Israel  was  fozind  (cf.  Hos.  9^^ ;  and  the  figure  of  the 
exposed  child  in  Ez.  16^-'')  by  Jehovah,  at  a  time  when  it  was 
homeless,  and  might  readily  have  perished  from  want;  it  was 
tenderly  taken  charge  of  by    Him,   and   brought  to  a  land 


XXXII.  9-11  357 

abundantly  provided  for  its  needs  (comp.  Jer.  2^-7).  The 
following-  clause  depicts  the  perils  of  the  wilderness, — its 
barren  desolation,  and  the  howling  beasts  which  frequented 
it  (cf.  on  i^^).  The  word  rendered  waste  (^nh)  implies  a  wild 
and  desolate  expanse  (Job  i22^  =  Ps.  io7'*0;  cf.  Gn.  i^  Jer.  4-''). 
— Surrounded  hint]  i.e.  encircled  him  with  His  protection  (cf. 
Ps.  32^0). — As  the  pupil  of  his  eve]  fig-,  of  what  is  tenderest 
and  dearest,  and  therefore  guarded  with  most  jealous  care 
(cf.  Ps.  17''  Pr.  7'-). — 11.  The  eagle  has  in  English  poetry  such 
noble  associations  that  the  substitution  of  "vulture"  may 
seem  a  degradation  of  the  figure  which  the  Hebrew  poet 
employs  ;  but  Tristram's  argument  (see  on  14^-)  that  ncsltcr  is 
not  the  eagle,  but  the  Griffon-vulture,  seems  irresistible  ;  so 
that  though  eagle  may  be  excusably  retained  in  a  popular 
version,  it  is  a  rendering  without  any  pretensions  to  scientific 
exactness.  The  figure  of  Ex.  19*  (cf.  Dt.  i^i)  is  here  developed, 
so  as  to  illustrate  Jehovah's  paternal  affection  shown  in  train- 
ing Isi-ael  to  independence,   as  the  bird  stirs  up  its  nest,  with 

10.  The  impff.  (so  v.^^''*  ^^'  ^^' '®  &c.)  reproduce  the  past  with  vividness,  or 
(sometimes)  express  iteration  (Dr.  §§  27a,  30  ;  Dav.  §45  R.^). — IDC  \h-  inn:;] 
lit.  "  in  the  waste  of  the  howling-  of  a  desert  "  =  "  the  howling-  (adj.)  waste 
of  a  desert":  cf.  31'^  j'nN.i  na:  m'tn,  with  note;  Is.  2"  mx  ninna  'ry=the 
proud  eyes  of  man  ;  Jer.  8^  onaiD  IPS'  By  =  the  lying  pen  of  the  scribes  ;  Ps. 
20^  iro'  vt^'  nnuj3=vvith  the  saving  might  of  thy  right-hand,  28'*  myw  ni'O 
in'B'D;  2  S.  8^"  23^.  The  disjunctive  accent  at  inn  is  no  objection  to  this 
construction:  see  Jer.  8^  (and  often),  "ji^^does  not  occur  again  ;  rhV  is 
the  7CW77  of  distress  (Is.  15^  «/.) ;  but  there  does  not  seem  to  be  any  diffi- 
culty in  supposing  that  (like  ululare)  the  root  was  also  capable  of  being 
applied  to  the  cries  of  wild  beasts.  There  is  thus  no  need  to  question  the 
integrity  of  the  text ;  and  the  emendations  that  have  been  proposed 
(Klost. ;  Dillm.)  do  not  commend  themselves  as  improvements.  Ps.-Jon., 
with  substantial  correctness  :  jniTi  jnc  p^'j^D-i  nnx  \not  I'"in',  which  is  a 
corruption:  v.  Fleischer,  ap.  Levy,  NHWB.  ii.  p.  446,  and  Payne  Smith, 
col.  1630]. — in:3n']  the  Polel,  to  bestow  (mental)  attention  on,  occurs  only 
here.  T^e  more  common  Hithp.  jjunn  has  a  refl.  force,  to  consider  for 
oneself. — irj;  iiK'\X2]  cf.  Pr.  7^ ;  ]-]i  na  pcxa  Ps.  17*:  also  (fig.  of  the  midst 
of  darkness)  Pr.  7''  20-''t.  The  -  on  has  prob.  the  force  of  a  diminutive  :  cf. 
in  Syriac  N:iD'?a  regidus,  N:nn3  little  book,  &c.  (Noldeke,  Syr.  Gr.  p.  73) ; 
and  Stade,  §  296"=,  who  adds  Cinqt^  little  moons  or  crescents  (Jud.  8-'), 
c'jvni,  and  perhaps  jiD'Ep',  and  ]^'\\'i  Cant.  4^ — 11.  TV  ns'^a]  "like  a 
vulture  (that)  stirreth  up,"  &c.  This  is  always  the  constr.  when  3  with  a 
subst.  is  followed  by  a  verb  (for  D  is  not  a  conj'.,  like  n^'x:) :  so  e.g.  Is.  6i""- 
(4  examples)  nxi)  \t\Z'  [nna  like  a  bridegroom,  (who)  &c.,  62^  nya'  T'sVd  like 


JO 


8  DKUIKRONOMY 


the  object  of  encourag'ing'  its  young-  ones  to  tlig-ht,  but  at  the 
same  time  hovers  over  them  so  as  to  be  at  hand  to  support 
them  on  its  wings,  in  case  their  strength  fails  and  they  are  in 
danger  of  falling-,  so  Jehovah  (the  figure  of  the  bird  being  still 
retained)  spread  out  His  wings,  and  bare  Israel  upon  them, 
until  its  powers  were  matured,  and  the  nation  was  able  to 
support  itself  alone  (cf.  Hos.  i  r''). 

W.  L.  Alexander  quotes  from  Davy,  Sabiionia,  p.  87,  the  following 
pertinent  illustration  :  "  Two  parent  eat^Ies  on  Ben  Weevis  were  teachintj 
their  offspring-,  two  young-  birds,  the  manoeuvres  of  flight."  Rising-  from 
the  top  of  a  mountain,  they  "at  first  made  small  circles  and  the  young 
imitated  them  ;  they  paused  on  their  wings  waiting^  till  they  had  made 
their  first  flig-ht,  holding^  them  on  their  expanded  wing-s  when  they  ap- 
peared exhausted,  and  then  took  a  second  and  larger  gyration,  always 
rising  towards  the  sun,  and  enlarging  their  circle  of  flight,  so  as  to  make 
a  gradually  ascending  spiral."     See  also  Bochart,  Hierozoicon,  ii.  181. 

12.  Jehovah  led  Israel  without  the  aid  of  other  gods :  the 
more  groundless  and  ungrateful  therefore  was  the  nation's 
subsequent  desertion  of  Him,  v.^*^'^s.  Foreign  god  p33  ^s),  as 
Ps.  8iio('')h  Mai.  2I1  (not  "  .v/ra;/^^  g-od  "  =  "if  ^X),  cf.  on  3ii«: 
for  the  thoug^ht,  comp.  Hos.  13*  (RV.  m.)  Is.  43^2,  j^  \}[^xxs 
sustaining  Israel  through  the  desert,  Jehovah  was,  in  fact, 
leadinghhn  (Ex.  13^1  151-')  to  his  home:  He  was,  moreover, 
doing  this  alone,  without  the  co-operation  of  any  other  god. 

13-14.  How  Israel  was  enabled  to  take  possession  of  the 

fertile  soil  of  Canaan. 

^'•''  "  He  made  him  ride  on  the  high-places  of  the  land, 
.  "  And  he  ate  the  fruitage  of  the  field  ; 
"  And  he  made  him  suck  honey  out  of  the  crag, 
"  And  oil  from  the  rocky  flint : 

a  lamp  (that)  burneth,  Ps.  42-  'ai  3^vn  'j'n^,  83",  and  frequently.  The  inipf 
states  picturesquel)'  the  fertium  conipa rn/iou is  (Dr.  §  34  ;  Dav.  §44  R.-'). — 
rViij]  Gn.  i5"t. — ''im"]  cf.  Gn.  i-.  In  Syriac  the  word  means  to  ho7'er  or 
brood  over:  Wright,  Apocr.  Acts  of  Apostles,  49,  1.  15  (of  angels  hovering 
over  the  Virgin),  Ephr.  Syr.  i.  117  E-118  A  (of  the  Spirit  of  God  broodimr 
over,  and  fertilizing,  the  waters,  like  a  hen  Nnjn  Sy  ^•2mc^) ;  cf.  ii.  29  F  the 
adv.  nwjsmD  /«  hovering  a/ii/iide,  of  the  Seraphim  above  the  throne 
(Is.  6'-). — 12.  ni3]  an  adv.  accus.,  vi/h  isolation  (Jer.  15'^  ah  ;  Dav.  §  70 
R.-) ;  here  =  rt/y«<',  though  this,  when  it  means  "to  the  exclusion  of 
others,'  is  elsewhere  always  expressed  in  Heb.  by  vna?  (l-??;  &c.),  lit. 
"according  to  his  (thy,  &c.)  separation,"  Gn.  32"'  &c. — 'nica]  the  Kt.  is 
'n'iD3,  the  Qre  'nc^.  So  elsewhere.  The  '  is  very  anomalous  :  see  Stade, 
§  33o^  G-K.  §  87.  5  R.' — 'Ti;-]  pausal  form  of  "ly,  the  older  form  of  .T-n^'  (cf. 
npi  ior  golay,  i^c),  retained  in  poctr}-  (13  times),  e.g.  Ps.  8*. 


xxxiT.  12-14  359 

^"^  "  Curd  of  kinc,  and  milk  of  sheep, 
"  \\"\lh  fat  of  lambs,  and  rams  ; 
"  Herds  of  Bashan,  and  he-ufoats, 
"  With  the  kidney-fat  of  wheat : 
"  And  the  blood  of  the  grape  thou  didst  drink  as  foaming'  wine.", 

13.  In  clause  ^  the  poet  uses  a  fine  iinag-inative  fig"ure, 
implying-  triumphant  and  undisputed  possession  ;  similarly  33^9 
(l-iin),  Hab.  31'^  (^:3m^),  Ps.  18'=^  (^31V::y'') ;  and  of  God,  march- 
ing- as  soxxreig'n  over  the  earth,  Am.  4^'^  Mic.  !•',  or  sea,  Job 
9^  (in  all  T}"^).  This  passag^e  sug"gcsts  the  terms  of  the  promise 
in  Is.  581^. — And  lie  ate  (b3S"'l)]  Sam.  (GS  'l'^.^?^!'!!  and  made  him 
cat,  which  is  preferred  by  Klost.  and  Marti  (in  Kautzsch's  Heil. 
Schriften  des  AT.s),  and  may  be  right  (though  the  reminis- 
cences in  Is,  58^^*^  Ps.  81  ^"(^''')  hardly  prove  that  the  authors 
of  these  passages  so  read  it) :  at  the  same  time,  it  is  quite 
possible  that  73X^1  may  have  been  chosen  purposely  for  variety. 
— Fruitage  of  tJie  field  (n'J'  n3"i:n)]  exactly  so  Lam.  4^  (as  the 
support  of  life) ;  cf.  TV^C"?^  n^lDn  Ez.  38'''^  (||  fruit  of  the  tree) : 
nai^n  also  Jud.  9^1  (of  the  fig)  Is.  27*57  :  cf.  the  verb,  Pr.  10^1 
Ps.  92^5, — Honey  out  of  the  crag,  &'c.\  even  places  that  might 
be  expected  to  be  naturally  barren  yielded  rich  and  valued 
products,  which  Israel  might  suck — i.e.  enjoy  with  relish  (33^^ 
Is.  6o^*5  66^1-  ^2) — in  its  Palestinian  home.  Palestine,  says 
Tristram  [DB.'^  i.  377),  is  by  its  flora  well  suited  to  bees; 
and  in  the  wadys  "innumerable  caves  and  fissures  of  the  dry 
limestone  rocks  afford  shelter  and  protection  for  the  combs." 
Hence  honey  might  literally  be  found  oozing  out  from  among 
the  rocks.  The  olive  also  flourishes  in  sandy,  and  even  in 
rocky  soil  (cf.  Job  29"). — Rocky  flint]  cf.  8^^  (flinty  rock). — 14. 
The  poet  eloquently  continues  his  enumeration  of  the  choice 
and  varied  products  of  Palestine — the  flocks  and  herds  which 
fattened  upon  its  pastures,  and  the  vines  which  clothed  its 
hillsides  with  purple  crops.  nxon  is  not  "butter,"  but 
curdled  or  sour  milk,  still  esteemed  in  the  East  as  a  refreshing 
beverage,  and  often  offered  to  travellers.  It  is  now  called 
leben  {DB.  s.v.  Milk).  Comp.  Gn.  18^  Jud.  525  2  S.  1729  Job  20^7 
29''.     The  second  line  of  the  verse  ends  better  with  ra?)is  (Ew. 

14.  ]C2  ':3]  'jn  poet,  for  offspring,  produce :  cf.  of  animals  tpi  ':3  i  S. 
14^'-  al. ;  Ps.  29'"'  114^-". 


360  ])i:utI':ro\()MY 

Klost.  Dillm.  Oettli,  with  G,  Heb.  MSS.,  aivl  Edd.  :  cf.  Norzi 
ad  loc.)  than  with  lambs:  the  fat  of  rams,  as  i  S.  15-2,  cf.  Is. 
34'''.  onD  is  not  the  usual  term  for  "lambs";  it  seems  to 
denote  such  as,  from  their  age  or  kind,  were  a  special  delicacy  : 
cf.  I  S.  15^  Am.  6*.  The  combination  Dn3,  D'ij'X,  and  nmny, 
recurs  Ez.  2721  39^8,  and  Is.  34^. — Herds  of  Bashan\  celebrated 
for  their  strength  and  size  (cf.  on  3^).  Fat,  fig.  of  what  is 
best  or  finest,  occurs  Nu.  18^2  (the  "fat"  of  oil  and  of  new 
wine),  and  in  the  phrase  "fat  of  wheat,"  Ps.  8 1^''^(^^)  (doubt- 
less a  reminiscence  from  this  passage)  147^'*:  the  fat  about 
the  kidneys  being  the  richest  (cf.  Lev.  3*;  Is.  34"  "kidney-fat 
of  rams"),  the  "kidney-fat  of  wheat"  denotes  the  choicest 
and  most  nutritious  wheat. — Blood  of  the  grape\  from  Gn.  49^^ 
— Foaming  imnc\  not  X\,  the  usual  word,  but  "ipn,  common  in 
Aram,  and  Arab,  [chamr,  from  cJiamara,  to  ferment),  but  in 
Heb.  found  only  in  poetry,  here  and  Is.  27^  (where,  however, 
very  probably  ipn  pleasantness  should  be  read :  see  RV. 
marg.).  Perhaps  in  Heb.  the  proper  sense  of  the  word, 
fermenting  or  foatning  draught  {Vs.  75"),  was  still  felt,  and  it 
had  not  sunk  to  be  a  mere  synonym  of  p\  The  change  to  the 
2nd  pers.  ['^^  thou  didst  drink")  is  such  as  often  occurs  in  Heb. 
poetry ;  here  its  effect  is  to  bring  vividly  home  to  Israel  the 
truth  of  what  is  said  (cf.  w.^^-  ^^). 

15-18.  Israel's  ingratitude  and  defection  from  Jehovah,  the 
result  of  the  abundance  of  good  things  which  it  enjoyed. 

^•'  But  Jcshurun  waxed  fat,  and  kicked  : 

Thou  waxedst  fat,  thou  grewest  thick,  thou  wast  gfort^ed  with  food  ! 

And  he  forsook  God  which  made  him, 

And  treated  as  senseless  the  God  of  his  salvation. 
"'  They  made  him  jealous  with  strange  (gods) : 

With  abominations  they  vexed  him. 
''  They  sacrificed  unto  Shedim,  (to)  a  no-god, 

(To)  gods  whom  they  knew  not, 

To  new  (gods)  that  came  in  of  late, 

Before  whom  your  fathers  shuddered  not. 
'^  Of  the  Rock  that  begat  thee,  thou  wast  unmindful ; 

And  thou  forgattest  God  that  travailed  with  thee. 

15.  Before  this  verse  Sam.  G  have  i;^^"!  Dpy  f'3N"'1  {koL  ecfiayev 
'laK<))f3  /cat  ii'^TrXyrrOij) ,  which  connects  v/ell  with  v.^*,  and,  as  it 
seems  to  him  to  be  quoted  in  3120  Neh.  9^5,  is  accepted  by 


XXXII.  15  3^1 

Klo.  (and,  less  confidently,  by  Dillm.)  as  an  original  part  of 
the  text.  But  the  phrases  in  3120  Neh.  9^^  do  not  necessarily 
presuppose  such  a  clause  here;  and  its  addition  makes  v.'^ 
long-  and  heavy. — Jcsluiriii{\  a.  poetical  title  of  Israel,  *'  pointing 
allusively  to  ^'^''t'",  but  derived  from  1t^'^  iipriglit''''  (Dillm.), 
and  accordingly  designating  the  nation  under  its  ideal  char- 
acter (cf.  Ex.  \(f  Dt.  142  &c.),  as  the  Upright  o?ie  (Aq.  0.2. 
evOvTUTO's ;  hence  U  rectissimns) :  here,  where  the  context  is  of 
declension  from  its  ideal,  applied  to  it  reproachfully.  "  Nomen 
Recti  pro  Israele  ponens,  ironice  eos  perstringit  qui  a  recti- 
tudine  defecerant"  (Calv.).  Elsewhere  (33^- ^"^  Is.  44^!)  it  is 
used  as  a  title  of  honour. —  Waxed  fat.,  and  kicked^  Jer.  5-*^ 
(Neh.  925) ;  and  i  S.  2-^.  Israel,  which  ought  to  have  been 
docile  and  obedient,  like  an  ox — or  perhaps  (Calv.  Ew.)  like  a 
horse — that  had  grown  fat  and  strong  through  good  feeding, 
and  had  consequently  become  intractable  (cf.  Hos.  4^^;  Is. 
lo^''  RV.  VI.),  turned  rebelliously  against  its  Owner  and  Bene- 
factor.—  Wast  gorged  with  food]  see  below.  Griltz :  i^cy  bc- 
camest  sleek  (Jer.  5-*').  In  line  2,  notice  the  impassioned  and 
pointed  address  to  Israel  itself,  and  also  the  accumulation  of 

15.  nuy]  I  K.  12"  (  =  2  Ch.  lo^")!.— n^b's]  only  here.  The  meaning-  is 
uncertain.  Ges.  (originally)  and  Keil  from  kasha  a,  to  eat  greedily,  esp. 
cucumbers,  kashta,  to  be  gorged  with  food  (Lane,  p.  2613), — to  which,  of 
course,  strictly  a  form  N'p'3  (cf.  Arab.  shani'a  =  tiiy,  vialia-^iiha)  would 
correspond  in  Hebrew.  Ibn  'Ezra  states  that  some  commentators  explained 
the  word  from  Job  15-^  (uVna  voa  n?3),  to  be  covered,  viz.  with  fat ;  so  Ges. 
in  TJies.,  remarking-  that  his  former  expl.  involved  a  vtrTipov  Trp'oTipov.  This 
may  be  true  ;  but  the  objection  is  hardly  a  decisive  one  :  the  etym.  from  hed 
requires  more  to  be  supplied  tfaan  is  probable,  viz.  the  crucial  with  fat  (see 
AV.),  and  philologicalh^  (assuming-  the  soundness  of  the  text)  the  etym. 
form  kashta  is  decidedlj'  preferable.  RV.  art  become  sleek  does  not  express 
any  particular  etymolog:y.  The  versions  merely  conjecture  from  the  context 
(G  l-^y-ccrvM^r,,  Y  dilatatus,  Onq.  Ps.-Jon.  S  pc33  N:p)  gained  riches, — either 
paraphrasing,  or  perhaps  reading  r\'vi  [so  some  30  MSS.  and  old  edd.,  ap. 
De  Rossi,  Var.  Lect.  Supplem.  p.  25],  cf.  Syr.  n-^^  to  heap  up,  collect.  For 
the  forcible  aVyvSsrav,  cf.  Jud.  5-'  {iiij  bsj  yia). — hi^n]  the  5/w^«/«r  (though 
in  use  in  Arab,  and  Aram.)  is  in  Heb.  probably  only  a  secondary  form, 
obtained  infcrentially  from  D<n^N  :  it  is  chiefly  poetical,  and,  except  perhaps 
Ps.  18'-  (where  2  S.  22-'-  has  "j.v),  it  is  not  otherwise  found  in  writings 
earlier  than  the  age  of  Jer.  :  viz.  v."  Hab.  i^^  3'  Is.  44*  Ps.  50--  114''  i39'9 
Pr.  30%  41  times  in  Job,  2  K.  17^1  Kt.  (Qre  'n'?N)  and  in  late  prose,  Neh. 
g"'  2  Ch.  32"  Dan.  i  jS?.  38.  ss.  3'.|_ 


362  DEUTERONOMY 

synonyms  desig-ned  to  emphasize  the  idea  to  be  expressed  (cf. 
Is.  8'^  52^''). —  IVIiich  made  hint]  as  v.*^. — Treated  as  settseless 
(■??;!!)]  or  wM  contumely :  a  strong  term,  prop,  treat  as  a  /^3 
(v.*'--'),  or  senseless,  irreligious  person  (see  on  22-'),  who  only 
deserves  contumely,  Jer.  1421  Mic.  7^'  Nah.  3'''t. — "inyvj'^  11^"] 
Ps.  8927;  I'tj^H  -iiv  2  S.  22*7  Ps.  95I.  The  four  clauses  of  this 
verse  express  a  climax :  *  states  the  cause  and  beginning  of 
Israel's  lapse,  '^  depicts  it  as  confirmed,  ^  describes  how  Israel 
forsook  Jehovah,  ^  how  it  ended  by  loading  Him  with  con- 
tempt.— 16.  Cf.  Ps.  78''^.  The  verse  exemplifies  how  Israel 
had  treated  Jehovah  with  contumely  (v.^^),  viz.  by  robbing 
Him,  its  Benefactor,  of  the  honour  which  was  His  due,  and 
bestowing  it  upon  false  gods, — the  intrinsic  worthlessness  of 
which  is  then  further  illustrated  in  v.^*".  On  t\\&  jealousy,  and 
vexation  (not  anger,  AV.)  of  God — both  aroused,  in  particular, 
by  a  preference  shown  towards  false  gods — see  on  42*  and  4^^. 
— Abominations^  cf.  7"''':  in  the  pi.,  of  wicked  or  idolatrous 
practices  i89-i2  20I8 ;  i  K.  14-^^  2  K.  16^^  2i2-ii  (all  Deut.); 
Jer.  710  4422 ;  and  esp.  in  Ez.  (39  times),  as  5»- 1^  8^-  »•  i^- 1^- 1^. 
Perhaps  here  of  the  idols  themselves  :  cf.  2  K.  23'^  Is.  44^^. — 
Strange  ones  (Q''"!!)]  of  gods  alien  to  Jehovah,  or  perhaps  as 
introduced  from  foreign  lands  :  so  Jer.  22^  31:^  (notice  the  con- 
text), IT  Is.  4312,  IT  ^N-  Ps.  4421  81 10.— 17.  The  Shcdini  are 
alluded  to  besides  only  in  a  late  Psalm  (io6-'''):  if  the  state- 
ment there  made  rests  upon  a  genuine  tradition,  human 
sacrifices  were  offered  to  them. 

The  precise  nature  of  tlie  ideas  associated  with  the  "  Shedim  "  is  un- 
certain, the  two  notices  of  them  in  the  OT.  being-  insufficient  to  fix  them 
decisively.  In  Assyrian,  sMdii  is  the  name  of  the  divinities  represented  bj- 
the  bull-colossi,  so  often  found  in  the  front  of  Assyrian  palaces,  who  were 
reg-arded  apparently  not  as  g-ods  properly  so  called,  but  as  subordinate 
spirits,  demi-gods  or  genii,  invested  with  power  for  gfood  or  evil  (Schrader, 
KAT.-  pp.  39,  160).  The  feelings  with  which  a  shidii  was  regarded  in 
Assyria  may  be  illustrated  from  the  invocation  of  an  Assyrian  king-  (Lenor- 
mant,  Lcs  Origines  de  T Histoire,  i.  114),  "  In  this  palace  may  the  gracious 
sludit,  the  gfracious  colossus,  g^uardian  of  the  steps  of  my  majesty,  con- 
tinue his  presence  always,"  &c.  If  the  root  be  the  same  as  the  Arab. 
S(ida,  to  hold  dominion,  the  word  will  be  substantially  the  same  as  sayyid 
(whence  the  Spanish  Cid),  lord,  master,  prince  (of  the  same  form  as  n>'  from 
"I'V,  13  from  T13,  &c.).  G!r  renders  by  'ha.iy.ivia. ;  and  in  Aram,  id^v  is  common 
{^e.g.  C  Lev.  17^  Is.  13-'  Ps.  91" ;  and  oft.  in  the  Syriac  Version  of  the  NT.)  in 


XXXII.   i6-i8  363 

the  sense  oi  demon  or  evil  spirit ;  but  this  usage  hardly  determines  the  ideas 
associated  long-  previously  with  the  Heb.  Sheditu,'  nc  appears  to  occur  as  a 
divine  name  in  the  Phoenician  n.  pr.  nii'iJ  oriB'-iJ(Nold.  ZDMG.  1888,  p.  481). 
Most  probably  the  term  denotes  some  kind  of  subordinate  spirit  or  demi- 
g-od.  Cf.  Baudissin,  Sem.  Rel.-gesch.  i.  130  ff.  ;  Dclitzsch,  Parodies,  pp. 
153,  154  ;  Sa)-cc,  Hibbert  Lectures,  pp.  290,  440,  445,  446,  449,  450,  456,  463. 

The  poet  at  once  proceeds  to  deny  the  divinity  of  tlie 
Shcdim  by  characterizing  them  as  the  negation  of  deity,  as  a 
"no-god":  see  below,  for  other  examples  of  the  forcible  and 
pregnant  Hebrew  idiom  employed  for  the  purpose. —  Whom 
they  knew  itot\  as  Israel  "knew"  Jehovah:  cf.  ii^s  i^toO 
2925(20)  Hos.  13^  (RV.  marg.).  The  deities  in  question  are 
described  further  as  new  ones  (Jud.  5^),  introduced  recently,  in 
ironical  contrast  to  Jehovah,  who  had  been  the  nation's  God 
from  of  old  (ohyJO  Is.  63^"). — Shuddered  not]  an  uncommon 
word  (Jer.  2^2  Ez.  27^^  32^^!),  perhaps  denoting  here  a  super- 
stitious horror  or  dread  ("Das  Wort  veranschaulicht  mit 
grosser  Kunst  das  Unheimliche  des  Gotzendienstes,"  Kamp.). 
Even  this  had  not  been  felt  by  the  Israelites  of  old  for  the  gods 
whom  their  sons  had  now  learnt  to  honour.  For  another  view 
of  the  meaning,  see  below. — 18.  The  climax  of  ingratitude : 
Israel  forgot  Him,  to  whom,  as  a  Father  (v.*'- 1'')  it  owed  its 
existence  as  a  nation,  and  who  (by  an  effective  change  of 
figure)  is  represented  at  the  same  time  as  a  mother,  travailing 
with  her  infant,  and  bringing  him  painfully  into  the  world. 
For  the  combined  use  of  the  two  figures,  cf.  (in  parallel 
clauses)  Jer.  2'^"  Job  382^ ;  also  (Le  Clerc)  1  Cor.  41-'  Philem.  10 
Gal.  4^^:  the  combination,  with  reference  to  one  and  the  same 
subject,  is  bold ;  but  the  figure  of  the  mother  is  suggested, 
probably,  partly  by  the  parallelism,  partly  by  the  desire  to 
emphasize  the  tender  affection  with  which  Jehovah   regarded 

17.  ni^x  x"?]  cf.  V.-'  "^x  ah  and  cj;  xh.  Is.  lo^''  j"j;  x'?,  31'^  c-x  x'?  3in  and 
Dix  vh  ann,  Am.  6'^  nm  x'7'7  c'nCE:'n ;  Jer.  s*"  and  have  sworn  cnVx  xSa  by 
not-gods  (cf.  £^'  16-"),  2  Ch.  13^  and  became  a  priest  D'n'?x  x^*?  to  7iot-gods, 
Is.  55-  Ps.  44'='  (Ew.  §  287B ;  G-K.  152.  I  n.).  With  vzi  vh  v.^  (if  the  text 
be  sound),  cf.  'Cy  ^  Hos.  i^  2-'. — 3Tipc]  cf.  Job  20''  Ez.  'f ;  Jer.  23-^  (in 
/or«/ sense)!. — CTii'i:']  "G  has  s7?>]<rav,  which  agrees  with  Arab,  sha'ara,  to 
perceive,  and  to  a  certain  extent  with  Aram,  "lyo  to  visit,  inspect,  keep  an 
eye  on.  The  rendering  seems  to  me  to  be  not  so  unworthy  of  consideration 
as  Dillm.  ajjpears  to  think,  who  does  not  even  mention  it  "  (WfR.S.).  The 
same  explanation  is  given  by  Barth,  Etyni.  Studien  (1893),  p.  67. 


364  DEUTERONOMY 

His  people  (cf.  Jud.  10^''^  Is.  63^). — Travailed  ivith  thee  ("i^hno)] 
prop.  wnUJicd,  was  in  anguish,  7viih  thee  (Ps.  5i'^('')  Is.  51^  al.  ; 
cf.  the  phrase  nipi'3  ?^n  travail-pains,  anguish,  as  of  a  par- 
turient woman,  Ps.  48" (^)  al.),  fig.  of  God,  as  here,  Ps.  90^ 
bni  jns  hh)r.T\\,  cf.  Pr.  824-  25  {'rhhSn,  of  Wisdom). 

19-22.  The  punishment  evoked  by  Israel's  defection. 

^^  And  Jehovah  saw,  and  spurned, 

By  reason  of  the  vexation  occasioned  by  his  sons  and  his  daughters. 
-"  And  he  said,  "  I  will  hide  my  face  from  them, 

"  I  will  see  what  their  latter  end  will  be  ; 

"  For  they  are  a  gfeneration  jjiven  to  perversions, 

"  Sons  in  whom  is  no  faithfulness. 

21  "  They  have  made  me  jealous  with  a  no-god, 
"  They  have  vexed  me  with  their  vanities  ; 
"And  I  will  make  them  jealous  with  a  no-people, 
"  With  a  senseless  nation  will  I  vex  them. 

22  <«  Pqj.  ^  fjre  ;<5  kindled  in  my  nostril, 

"And  it  burneth  unto  the  nethermost  Sheol ; 
"  And  it  devoureth  the'  earth  and  its  increase, 
"And  setteth  ablaze  the  foundations  of  the  mountains. 

19.  Sait)\  as  the  occasion  of  the  action  which  ensued,  as  Is. 
5gi''. — Spumed  i^^}^}^^  absol.  as  Jer.  142':  cf.  Lam.  2^'  (also  of 
God),  Jer.  332*  Pr.  i^o  512  155  Ps.  107".  The  vexation  (oy?)  of 
his  S071S  and  daughters  is  the  chagrin  and  disappointment 
occasioned  to  the  father  by  the  unmerited  dishonour  received 
at  his  children's  hands  (cf.  on  4-'^). — 20-21.  Jehovah's  deter- 
mination in  consequence,  expressed  both  negatively  (v. 20)  and 
positively  (v. 21).  The  speech  here  beginning  extends  to  the 
end  of  v. 27. — 20.  Jehovah  will  withdraw  from  them  His  favour- 
able regard  (31^"),  and,  leaving  them,  as  it  were,  to  themselves, 
will  wait  to  see  what  their  final  lot  (v,^^  Job  8")  will  then  be : 
He  will  do  this,  because  they  have  proved  themselves  to  be  a 
falsehood-loving  race,  sons  (v. 5)  disloyal  to  a  tender  Parent. — 
Pc /'versions  (nosnn)]  i.e.  evasions  of  truth  and  right.  The 
word  is  one  which  otherwise  occurs  only  in  the  Proverbs  :   cf. 

18.  Tn]  this  can  be  only  the  pausal  form  of  ';^'?i,  from  n;^',  like  '";4^ 
from  n;ri :  but  the  jussive  form  is  inexplicable,  and  the  other  Semitic 
languages  have  only  saJia  (with  n)  to  forget,  not  n'B'  (with  ').  In  all  prob- 
ability we  should  read  .ifn  (cf.  Sam.  nc'h),  from  r^■^l  (Lam.  3'"  al.)  to  forget 
(Dr.  §  175).— 20.  mDi£nn]  always  in  the  pi.  (cf.  ni':'i2r;n) ;  prop.  titrni)ios 
about,  i.e.  lines  of  action,  or  modes  of  speech,  adopted  for  the  sake  of 


XXXII.  19-21  3^5 

below. — ///  wJiom  is  no  faithftthicss\  opp.  to  God  (v.^). — 21. 
They  will  be  rewarded  according"  to  the  law  of  a  righteous 
retribution  :  jealousy  and  vexation  (4-^-  -'■)  on  the  one  side  will 
be  requited  with  jealousy  and  vexation  on  the  other  ;  the  "  no- 
god  "  will  be  put  to  shame  by  a  "no-people";  and  Israel, 
"senseless"  itself  (v."j,  will  be  taught  a  bitter  lesson  by  a 
people  "senseless"  likewise. — A  no-goii\  a  contemptuous 
designation  of  the  unreal  gods,  whom  the  Israelites  followed 
after  (cf.  on  v.^"). —  Vanities\  ??n  (lit.  a  breath  Is.  571'^)  denotes 
fig.  what  is  evanescent,  unsubstantial,  worthless :  hence  of 
false  gods,  esp.  in  Jer.  :  in  the  sing.  Jer.  lo^^  (  =  5i^^)  i^^'' 
(comp.  2^  =  2  K.  17^-^),  and  in  the  plural,  as  here,  Jer.  S^^  10^ 
1422  I  K.  1613-20  (Deut.),  Ps.  31^  Jon.  2H.—A  no-pcople\  i.e., 
most  probably,  a  savage,  undisciplined  horde  (Maurer,  Ew. 
Kamp.  Oettli).  In  the  parallel  clause,  the  foe  is  termed  a 
senseless  nation  (cf.  Ps.  74^^  senseless  people,  of  the  heathen 
desecrators  of  the  temple),  i.e.  (on  v.'')  an  impious  nation, 
insensible  to  the  claims  of  God  or  man.  With  a  heathen 
nation,  unworthy  to  be  called  a  "people,"  will  Jehovah  now 
provoke  Israel's  jealousy  and  vexation,  by  permitting  it,  viz. 
to  win  successes  against  His  own  people. 

No-pcople,  on  the  analogy  of  no-god,  will  denote  something-  which, 
though  in  a  sense  capable  of  being  termed  a  people,  does  not  really 
deserve  the  name  (cf.  "hZ^  ahupa.,  fitos  dfiiuros,  &c.).  The  term  "people" 
implies  a  community  which  has  attained  a  certain  degree  of  civilization, 
and  has  learnt  to  submit  to  definite  political  and  moral  restraints  :  the 
cy  vh  will  therefore  denote  a  nation  which  is  in  some  way  deficient  in  these 
respects.  It  might  thus  be  used,  for  instance,  of  the  irregular,  loosely 
organized  bands — such  as  those  of  the  Philistines,  of  the  Midianites  and 
"children  of  the  East"  (Jud.  6-"''),  or  Aramaeans  (2  K.  5-  6-^) — at  whose 
hands  the  Israelites  sometimes  experienced  a  sharp  defeat ;  or  it  might 
denote  an  uncivilized  horde,  like  the  Scythians  (the  prototypes  of  the 
Goths  and  Vandals  of  a  later  age),  who  swept  over  Canaan  under  Josiah 
(comp.  Jer.  S^^"^'^) ;  or  it  might  even,  perhaps,  denote  a  nation,  so  inhuman 
and  barbarous  in  its  habits,  and  especially  in  its  conduct  of  war,  as  upon 
moral  grounds  to  be  unworthy  of  the  name  of  people  (comp.  the  terms  used 

escaping  unpleasant  realities,  or  evading  the  truth,  perversions  of  truth  or 
right.  The  W'ord  is  used  esp.  in  connexion  with  utterances,  and  occurs 
sometimes  in  proximity  to  rpy  twisted  (v.^) :  Pr.  2^^  'n  naiD  c"x,  ^'^  who 
rejoice  in  'n3  (v.'*  whose  paths  are  twisted,  &c.),  6^''  (a  source  of  strife), 
gij  jq:;!.;;:!  ,5-^  ((^f^  6'^)^"  23"-'t ;  cf.  17-",  where  the  y^vh-2  ^isnj  is  parallel  with 
the  twisted  in  heart. — pox]  only  here  :  elsewhere  d'oidn  or  n:iDN. 


366  ,  DHUTEKONOMV 

of  a  barbarian  foe,  Is.  24""'  33').  To  judge  from  such  descriptions  as 
\vc  possess,  the  Scythians,  of  all  the  peoples  known  to  the  Hebrews, 
were  the  most  unlike  other  nations  (comp.  Rawlinson,  Afir.  A/on.*  ii.  225  f., 
and  the  extract  in  L.O.T.  p.  237);  and  hence  would  seem  to  answer  best 
to  the  designation  av  x'?  (though,  of  course,  it  does  not  follow  that  the 
Scythians  are  actually  meant  by  the  expression).  It  is  probable  that  the 
poet  has  no  definite  people  in  view,  but  that,  having  heard  by  rumour  of 
the  desolations  wrought  elsewhere  by  the  inroads  of  wild  and  savage 
barbarians,  whom  Israel  would  disdain  to  style  a  "people,"  he  pictured 
such  as  the  instruments  in  God's  hands  of  the  retribution  awaiting  Israel. 
The  view  of  Schultz,  Keil,  and  others,  according  to  which  the  expression 
means  "  not  a  people  in  God's  sight,"  a  jieople  not  enjoying  theocratic 
privileges,  is  not  probable,  or  supported  by  the  context  :  the  term 
"people"  being  used  absolutely,  must  connote  what  naturally  and 
normally  belongs  to  the  idea  of  a  "  people,"  not  what  belongs  to  it  (as  in 
the  case  of  Israel)  exceptionally.  "  Not  a  people"  is  altogether  different 
from  "Not  wj/ people  "  ("cy  n"?)  Hos.  i",  which  must  have  been  used,  had 
this  been  the  sense  which  the  expression  was  intended  to  convey. — In 
Rom.  10'"  the  passage  is  interpreted  freely  so  as  to  refer  to  Isr.-iel's  Ijeing 
provoked  to  jealousy  by  the  heathen  being  admitted  to  the  same  theocratic 
privileges  ;  but  in  the  original  context  it  is  the  favour  shown  to  them  by 
their  being  allowed  io  punish  Israel,  which  moves  Israel  to  jealousy. 

22.  The  ground  of  this  determination  :  Jehovah's  wrath, 
or  jealousy  (4-^),  kindled  into  an  all-devouring  flame,  by 
Israel's  shameful  idolatry.  The  verse  contains  a  g'raphic  but 
hyperbolical  description  (for  the  context  requires  the  judgment 
to  be  limited  to  Israel)  of  the  far-reaching  and  destructive 
operation  of  the  Divine  anger.  The  first  clause  is  repeated 
Jer.  15^-*,  and  (with  DDmp  for  nmp)  17^. — In  my  nostril\  as 
Ps.  18'' (*^):  cf.  Is.  65'^  (also  of  a  fire  kindled  by  the  spectacle 
of  Israel's  idolatry). — Nethermost  She6l\  cf.  Ps.  86'^ :  the 
stream  of  Jehovah's  fire  penetrates  even  to  the  Underworld 
(cf.  Am.  92). — Increase  \>'^'y)\  cf.  11^''  (phil.  n.). — Foundatioiis 
of  the  mountains^  Ps.  i8^("). 

23-25.  The  manifold  forms  of  calamity  in  which  Jehovah 
threatened  that  the  judgment  would  discharge  itself  upon 
Israel. 

^  "  I  will  add  evils  upon  them  ; 

"  Mine  arrows  I  will  exhaust  against  them  : 
^^  "(So  that  they  may  be)  sucked  out  by  famine, 

"And  eaten  up  with  the  Fire-bolt  and  bitter  Destruction  ; 

"And  the  teeth  of  beasts  I  will  send  upon  them, 

"With  the  venom  of  crawling  things  of  the  dust. 

22.  nmp]  Jer.  is''*  i;"*  Is.  50'^  64't :  nn^ip  28"  Lev.  26"'t. 


xxxii.  22-24  367 

25  "■Without  the  sword  shall  bereave, 
"  And  in  the  chambers  terror, 
"(It  shall  destroy)  both  j'ouni;-  man  and  virgfin, 
"The  suckling-  with  the  man  of  g-rey  hairs. 

23.  Add  (nSDX)]  point  nspN  (from  ^Ip^) ;  and  cf.  Ez.  5I6  Lev. 
26-'.  i^??^,  from  nSD  (29^'^(^^))  to  carry  or  sweep  a^vay,  yields 
no  suitable  sense,  to  "sweep  together,  heap  up,"  being  a 
questionable  paraphrase. — Evils\  31^'^- 21. — Exhaust^  lit.  finish'. 
none  will  remain  unused. — Arrows^  fig",  of  Divine  chastise- 
ments, as  v.-i-  Ez.  51*5  Ps.  yi-id^)  sS'^^)  Job  6-* :  cf.  Lam.  312.  is. 
— 24.  (5  omits  and  before  the  teeth,  in  which  case  the  verse 
will  be  unconnected  with  v. '^3,  and  "so  that  they  may  be" 
must  be  omitted;  the  meaning-  being-,  "When  they  are 
already  exhausted  by  famine  and  pestilence,  wild  beasts  and 
poisonous  reptiles  will  be  sent  among-st  them."  Famine, 
particularly  in  a  siege,  is  a  judgment  frequently  threatened, 
as  Is.  5^^  and  esp.  in  Jer.  Ez. :  the  former  has  often  the  com- 
bination, "The  sword,  the  famine,  and  the  pestilence"  (14^^ 
2i9  278-13  &c. :  cf.  Ez.  512  611  715),  to  which  Ez.  (1415-21)  adds 
"evil  beasts,"  as  the  fourth  of  the  "four  sore  judgments," 
which  Jehovah  sends  upon  a  sinful  land  (cf.  here  v.-^-^s). — 
Eaten  tip  ('PC*:)]  ^'^?  i^  ^  poet.  syn.  of.  ?^^J,  found  chiefly  in 
Pr.  (Pr.  417  95  231-6  Ps.  i^i^]-).—The  Fire-bolt  {^^'})]  a  poetical 
designation  of  the  fiery  darts,  sent  by  Jehovah,  to  which  the 
poet  (or  popular  imagination)  attributed  fever,  or  other 
pestilential  complaint.  Cf.  Hab.  3^  (where  the  terribly  active 
malady  is  almost  personified)  "  Before  Him  goeth  Pestilence 
{"^y^, :  comp.  here  ^Dj^) ;  and  the  Fire-bolt  proceedeth  at  His 
feet." 

In  Heb.  fjcT  is  a  poet,  word  for  a  flame,  esp.  a  pointed,  darting  flame 
Cant.  8*  Job  5''  Ps.  76*  (nrp  'Sty-i,  fig.  of  arrows)  78^^!.     In  Phoenician, 

23.  .12:n]  G  avioiioi,  U  congregabo,  S  tfJ^N, — no  doubt  vocalizing-  nspk 
(Mic.  4*^),  from  ^rj^, — 25.  'tp]  from  sg.  .1.ID  only  here,  though  restored  by 
llitz.  Ew.  Del.  Cheyne,  Di.  in  Is.  5'^.  The  word  is  not  above  suspicion : 
but  if  correct,  it  most  probably  means  drained  or  sucked  oxit,  from  niD= 
Arab,  mazza,  to  suck  (cf.  n^D,  Syr.  N^fp,  by  the  side  of  fsp,  Syr.  fp),  a 
variation  of  the  more  usual  mazza  (which  agrees  with  Aram.  fsD,  Heb. 
I'Sp  Is.  66""|-).  <&  rnKoftivoi,  as  though  from  HDp,  Syr.  ^?pD  :  unsuitable,  as 
an  effect  of  hunger.  A.V.  burnt  follows  Ibn  'Ezra  and  Kimchi  3j;t  'srwy, 
who  compares  Nic^  Dan.  2,^^  (Aram.  inf.  of  nin),  though  allowing  that  the 
root  of  this  has  no  D.     Gratz  conjectures  mt  etnaciaied. — 'Ttd]  only  here. 


368  DEUTERONOMY 

however,  the  name  (or  title)  of  a  deity  is  derived  from  it :  CIS.  I.  i.  89,  in 
a  bilingual  inscription  from  Idalion  in  Cyprus,  a  prince  Ba'alram  erects 
an  image,  in  the  Greek  text  tu  ' fiL-roWuvi  tu  'Af/.vxXi>7,  in  the  Phoenician 
■jDO  t^a-\h  (Resheph  of  Amykla;) ;  tb.  90  'na  i?D  jnoVo  i^d  jn'  b-k  m  pn  i'pio 
Sp  yocD  "j'liS'i  "113  hy  'jhoh  11  nica  ^2  m'3  hnn2  h^o  r^nh  'hah  c-i'?i'3  p  Vnni 
713%  «.^.  "  This  is  the  patten  [from  i'pn  /o  spread  out\  of  gold  [  =  Heb.  j'nn] 
which  Milkyaton,  king  of  Kition  and  Idalion,  son  of  Ba'alram,  gave  to 
his  god,  Resheph  of  Mikal,  in  Idalion,  in  the  month  of  Bui  [i  K.  6-^\,  in 
the  2nd  year  of  his  reigning  over  Kition  and  Idalion,  because  he  listened 
to  his  voice:  may  he  bless  (him)!"  '7:3  fjii'T  occurs  also  ib.  91,  93,  94: 
Dn'n7N  r|CT=  A-raXiwv/  tui  AXa(riuTU,i,  and  n"7i<  ''fi'-\-=  A-ttuXuivi  tui  EX'^ra/,  are 
found  on  two  inscriptions  from  Tamassus,  also  in  Cyprus  (see  Euling, 
Sitsungsberich/e  of  the  Berlin  Acad.  1887,  p.  iisf. ;  or  Proc.  Bib/.  Arch. 
1887,  ix.  pp.  47  f.,  loof.,  153  f.;  and  cf.  Clermont-Ganneau,  Recueil  d Arch. 
Orient,  pp.  176  f.,  198  f.);  \v.-:z'-\  is  the  name  of  another  local  fjCT  {CIS. 
ib.  10),  conjectured  by  Clermont-Ganneau,  I.e.  p.  i79ff. ,  to  be  'A^^XXiwy 
' Ayunus ;  the  pr.  names  in'SCT  "  Resheph  has  given,"  and  ",:;'nNi3j;  occur  {ib. 
44,  88,  393) ;  Raspu  or  Resoup,  as  the  name  of  an  Asiatic  god,  is  named  on 
Egyptian  Inscriptions  {ib.  p.  38)  :  it  can  thus  hardly  be  accidental  that  the 
modern  name  of  the  town  which  occupies  the  site  of  the  ancient  ApoUonias, 
near  Jaffa,  should  be  Arsuph  (Ganneau,  p.  177).  As  Apollo,  under  one  of 
his  aspects,  was  the  author  of  pestilence  (//.  i.  50  f. ;  cf.  his  epithets  iKa'.pyes, 
txnfioXos,  ixarvfioXos),  it  is  not  (in  view  of  the  senses  borne  by  the  Heb.  ~^cn) 
too  bold  a  conjecture  that  ^ityn  {Resheph,  or  Reshdph  ?)  was  the  name  of  the 
Phoenician  Fire-god,  who  smites  men  and  cattle  with  his  fiery  darts,  pro- 
ducing in  them  fever  and  other  plagues  ;  and  that  ^f\  here  and  Hab.  3'', 
denotes  the  fiery  bolts,  by  which  Jehovah  was  imagined  to  produce  pesti- 
lence   or    fever.       C5    (ipuffU    opviav,    Onq.    ^pV    '7''2N,    Aq.    [li-[ipa)/u.ivi>l    TTr,vcu],    "ff 

devorabunt  eos  aves,  S)  pJN  d'^cn  NTs'?!,  in  accordance  with  the  interpreta- 
tion of  ''p'i  '33  in  Job  5^  a.s  =  birds. 

Destruction  (^pi^)]  properly,  it  seems,  excidium ;  of  a  pesti- 
lential epidemic,  as  Ps.  91^  (||  "i?"^  pestilence).  Only  Is.  28^ 
besides  ^tSjp  li'V';  cf.  3p'p  Hos.  131^.  By  hitter  is  meant 
poisonous  or  malignant. — The  teeth  of  beasts^  a.  poeti  al  varia- 
tion of  ny"i  n>n  evil  beasts  (Lev.  26*5  Ez,  5^7  al.),  or  ''^yri  n'n 
Lev.  26-2  (with  "Tin^'J'ni)  Hos.  2^^0-)  &c. — Craivling  things  of 
the  dust^  cf.  Mic.  7^''  n><  ynf.  The  root  signifies  to  withdraw, 
retire ;  and  the  expression  denotes  reptiles  such  as  crawl  away 
to  hide  themselves  under  stones,  plants,  &c.  For  the  threat 
itself,  cf.  Jer.  S^^^. — 25.  The  terrible  realities  of  war  will  wreak 
bereavement   alike   throug-h    the  streets  and  in  the  houses : 

25.  omno  .  .  .  j'ins]  p  is  off,  idiom.  =ow  the  side  of:  pn::i  =  outside  is 
frequent ;  omnD  is  a  poet,  variation  of  n'3D  on  the  side  of  the  house  = 
within  {e.g.  Ez.  7''*  n'3D  3j;nni  n3nni  j-in3  3-in.i).— ^sj-n]  is  elsewhere  always 


XXXII.  25-27  3*^9 

neither  age  nor  sex  will  be  spared.  Lam.  i '-'"''  is  a  reminiscence 
of  clauses  a>  b  J  cf.  also  Ez.  y^^  Jer.  920  (-'').  With  clauses  c,  ci, 
compare  such  passages  as  Hos.  14I  (13^''),  2  K.  8'^  Lam.  2^1 
Jer.  18-'^  51"  2  Ch.  36I":  the  young  men,  in  particular,  are 
often  specified  as  the  victims  of  an  invasion. 

26-27.  In  fact,  only  dread  of  the  adversaries'  taunts  had 
withheld  Jehovah  from  resolving^  on  Israel's  annihilation. 

-•■'  "  I  should  have  said,  '  I  will  cleave  them  in  pieces, 
"  '  I  will  make  their  memory  to  cease  from  men '  ; 

2'  "  Except  I  dreaded  the  vexation  caused  by  the  enemy, 
"  Lest  their  adversaries  should  misdeem, 
"  Lest  they  should  say,  '  Our  hand  is  exalted, 
"  *  And  not  Jehovah  hath  wrought  all  this.'  " 

26.  On  clause  ^,  see  below ;  with  clause  ^,  cf.  25!^  Ps.  9^ 
34^"  109^^  Job  iS'*". — 27.  Jehovah  is  represented  again  (cf.  v.^'') 

construed  with  an  accus.  of  the  person  bereaved,  here  it  is  followed  loosely, 
after  the  athnali,  by  an  accus.  of  the  person  carried  off. — 26.  cnwriS*]  a  very 
uncertain  word,  nxs  is  a  corner;  but  no  verb  nxa  is  otherwise  known  in 
Heb. ;  and  Sj-r.  'nb  is  deconis fiiit,  deciiit.  (i)  AV.  has  "scatter  them  into 
corners,"  following-  Rashi  (''^i'D  c^'harh  nxa  DH'B'n)  and  Kimchi  ("733  nirN 
riiS'a),  in  treating  the  word  as  a  denom.  from  hns,  which  can  hardly  be  said 
to  be  probable.  (2)  Most  moderns  (Ges.  Ew.  Kamp.  Knob.  Keil,  Dillm.) 
render  "will  blow  them  away."  This,  however,  is  exceeding-ly  question- 
able :  no  root  nxs  to  bIo7i'  is  known  ;  and  n^s,  of  which  nxs  is  assumed  to 
be  a  softened  form,  means  nothing-  but  to  cry  out  (Is.  42"!),  in  Syriac  to 
bleat  (also  to  cry  out)  :  the  meaning  (Ges.)  flavit,  sibilavit,  is  purely  con- 
jectural, assumed  solely  for  the  purpose  of  explaining  ni'£3.s'  viper,  and 
entirely  without  support  in  Arabic  (Lane,  p.  2421).  (3)  The  Arab,  fa  a  is 
to  cleave  or  split  {e.g.  the  head,  or  a  bowl) ;  and  D.tnsn  is  explained  from 
this  by  Schultens,  Opp.  Minora  (1769),  p.  158  ("  exscinderem  eos  "),  J.  D. 
Michaelis,  Supplem.  ad  Lexica  Heb.  p.  1987,  Schroter  in  Merx,  Archiv,  i. 
461.  If  the  text  be  sound  (which,  it  must  be  owned,  is  doubtful),  this 
meaning  has  most  to  recommend  it,  (2)  being  decidedly  the  least  probable 
of  all.  G  "hiacT'Tipu  (whence  Griitz  emends  ds'Sk).  Sam.  reads  d.t  '£3N, 
whence  Sam.  Targ.  has  prm  (for  p3N  'un)  "they  are  my  anger";  Onq. 
prs'c'Ni  ]-\n^h]l  -n^-\  ^in"  (a  double  rend.);  S  p3}<  k^w,  Aq.  [ku]  toZ  '.'ktiv  ;],  F 
ubinam  sunt?  {i.e.  Dn  'X  f]N:  the  division  into  three  words  is  in  harmony 
with  the  Jewish  methods,  which  Aq.  elsewhere  follows  {Azotes  on  Sam.  pp. 
xliii,  Ixxxiv) ;  it  is  noticed  by  Rashi  and  Ibn  'Ezra  ad  loc.  as  an  old  Jewish 

view  of  the  word).     For  the  c.t  in  c.tnsn,  cf.  G-K.  §§  58.   i  ;    75  R'^'. 

nn";rN]  Am.  S-*. — cnsi  rjNc]  notice  the  Heb.  order :  obj.  at  the  end  rounding 
off  the  sentence.  So  oft.,  as  Is.  37^^  n'j'^D  yh^  isb''  ^h^,  Jud.  i^  -|Cj;  irryi 
n-n,  Ps.  105^*  c'sSo  cn-'^y  rdvi  :  add  Ex.  8^^  Am.  6'*  Jer.  13'-'  Ps.  15*  24-*  2^'' 
26"-"  &c.  ;  and  cf.  on  2  S.  i4''''.  The  Heb.  order  would  be  stiff  and  un- 
natural in  Engl.  :  conversely  the  Engl,  order  would  be  weak  in  Hebrew. 
24 


370  DEUTERONOMY 

as  influenced  by  the  human  emotion  of  Dy3,  chagrin  or  vexa- 
tion :  the  enemy,  by  taking  to  themselves  the  credit  of  anni- 
hilating the  Chosen  People,  and  not  recognizing  in  their 
success  Jehovah's  hand,  would  not  render  Him  His  due ;  and 
the  dishonour  thus  done  to  Him  would  occasion  Him  DVp, 
vexation  at  unmerited  treatment  or  a  slight.  A  similar 
anthropomorphism  is  implied,  when  it  is  said  that  Jehovah 
does  ciny\\\\v\^  for  His  name's  sake,  i.e.  to  maintain  His  reputa- 
tion :  comp.  Is.  489- "Jer.  i47-2iEz.  ao^- i-i.  22  362if. ;  also  Ex. 
32^2  Nu.  14^^'"-  Dt.  9^8. — Misdeen{\  i.e.  fail  to  recognise  the 
truth  (lit.  treat  as  foreign,  Jer.  19'*  Job  21^9  "and  their 
tokens  ye  will  not  mistake''''). — Dreaded  pl^'^)]  i^'^  18--. — Is 
exalted]  more  exactly,  hath  become  high  (np"i  the  perf.,  not 
HOT  the  ptcp.),  i.e.  hath  lifted  itself  up  successfully,  hath 
asserted  itself  triumphantly  :  the  same  idiom  Is.  26^^  Ps.  89^''  (of 
the  arm). — And  not  Jehovah]  but,  it  is  implied,  another.  The 
adverb,  in  virtue  of  its  position,  negatives  not  the  verb  but  the 
subst. ;  the  heathen  nations  are  represented  as  insinuating,  in 
the  supposed  case,  that  they  have  been  themselves  the  sole 
authors  of  Israel's  ruin. —  Wrought  (pys)]  a  poet,  word,  often 
used  of  a  manifestation  of  Divine  power :  Nu.  23^3  (^x  ^VD  no) 
Hab.  i5  Is.  2612  4i4  43I3  Ps.  442  6829  ^^^2  job  22^7  3329. 

28-29.  The  reason  why  Jehovah  had  been  forced  to  threaten 
His  people  thus  severely :  Israel's  inveterate  inability  to  dis- 
cern its  true  welfare. — The  poet  here  speaks  again  in  his  own 
person. 

27.  nm  Vo  h]is  mn-  n'71]  in  place  of  the  usual  'y\  ^]!->  k"?  m.T.  So  Nu.  16-'' 
'jnW  nin'  nV  not  J.  (but  another)  hath  sent  me,  Gn.  45^  al.  (Dav.  §  iz-ja). — 
28.  nviy  13 n]  irreg.  for  Tax,  the  pathah  being-  otherwise  found  (in  the  sf.  c. 
of  the  ptcp.)  only  before  V  (5/'??J,  VP^,  VPi:')-  Bo  (i.  214)  collects  examples 
(such  as  'ry  Tin  Jer.  13"  Lam.  3^^  ■'vy  ]hn  Job  17-,  nsJD.T  nsJ/D  Nu.  17^-'  al.; 
and  Piel  forms,  as  I'jDn  h-^i  Est.  3^,  l'?Dn  Tax  2  K.  21=*,  QV  ac-n  Lev.  25^" 
&c.)  tending  to  show  that  it  is  due  here  to  the  guttural  of  nii-y  ;  but  it  is 
doubtful  if  this  explanation  is  correct,  for  the  pathah  occurs  also  where 
there  is  no  gutt.,  as  Lam.  2^  Lev.  25^-  Is.  14*-  al.  (cf.  ib.  ii.  286).  Stade, 
§  213*  107%  cites  other  analogies  for  — ,  but  only  when  next  to  a  gutt.,  or  n. 
— nisy]cf.  nirn,  ninaa,  nnuj,  niyi,  nio^n,  nion,  niyisi",  n'nn',  n'nnD,  nim^n,  n'nnn 
(v.^-),  ninpj,  nipii,  nin^b,  ni:nn,  &c.  (cf.  Dav.  §  17  R.-).  The  pi.  in  such  cases 
(chiefly  poet.)  has  an  intensive  force  ;  whatever  kind  of  counsel,  under- 
standing, might,  &c.,  there  may  be  scope  for. 


xxxir.  2S-30  371 

^  For  they  are  a  people  lost  in  counsel, 

And  there  is  no  understanding-  in  them  ; 
^  If  they  had  been  wise,  they  would  understand  this, 

They  would  discern  their  latter  end. 

V.28  emphasizes  Israel's  lack  of  insight,  and  assigns  it 
('*  For")  as  the  ground  of  the  withdrawal  of  Jehovah's  favour 
(v.20-2") ;  v.2^  declares  that  had  Israel  been  wise,  it  would  have 
understood  fMs,  viz.  the  necessity  of  such  chastisements  as 
those  just  described  (v. 20-25),  and  discerned  ^/wir  latter  end 
(v. 20),  i.e.  the  final  issue  of  the  course  they  were  pursuing,  in 
case  either  they  themselves  neglected  to  repent,  or  God  out  of 
regard  to  His  honour  (v.2*5f)  did  not  interpose  to  save  them. 
For  lost  {or  perishing)  in  respect  of  counsel^  of.  Jer.  49'^. 

30-33.  Israel's  disasters  are  due  only  to  Jehovah's  aliena- 
tion, occasioned  by  Israel's  sin :  the  heathen  gods  have  not 
the  power  to  produce  them  (v.^^) ;  the  heathen  nations  are  too 
corrupt  to  do  so  (v^^^'). 

2"  How  should  one  chase  a  thousand, 

And  two  put  ten  thousand  to  flight, 

Were  it  not  that  their  Rock  had  sold  them, 

And  Jehovah  had  delivered  them  up  ? 
'^^  For  their  rock  is  not  as  our  Rock, 

Our  enemies  being  the  umpires. 
''-  For  their  vine  is  from  the  vine  of  Sodom, 

And  from  the  fields  of  Gomorrha  : 

Their  g-rapes  are  grapes  of  poison. 

They  have  bitter  clusters. 
*^  Their  wine  is  the  venom  of  reptiles. 

And  the  cruel  poison  of  cobras. 

30.  How  could  a  mere  handful  of  the  foe  have  routed 
whole  battalions  of  Israelites,  unless  Jehovah  had  deliberately 
abandoned  them  ?  The  verse  points  to  military  disasters 
actually  experienced  by  Israel's  troops,  and  argues  that,  as 
they  cannot  be  reasonably  attributed  to  Jehovah's  inability  to 
defend  His  people,  they  must  be  taken  as  proof  that  He  has, 
for  some  sufficient  cause,  designedly  cast  them  off.  With  the 
image  used  to  describe  the  rout,  comp.  Is.  30^'^,  and  the 
contrasted  promise  of  Lev.  26^;  Jos.  23^0. — TJicir  Roc]z\  i.e. 
Jehovah  (v.^-  ^■^). — Sohi\  the  same  figure  which  is  found  Jud. 
2U  38  42.9  io7  (all  Deut.,  except  4»),  i  S.  12O  (Deut.),  Ez.  30^2 
29.  cnnnN"?  \T-y\  Ps.  73'"  onnnN"?  nrnx. — 30.  '3  vh  dx]  v.  Lex.  »3  ad  fin. 


372  DEUTERONOMY 

Ps.  44^'''t. — 31.  For,  as  the  nations  themselves  are  obliged  to 
own,  their  "rock"  (i.e.  their  i^od,  or  g^ods)  cannot  vie  in 
might  with  Israel's  "  Rock"  (comp.  r.ff.  Ex.  14-^;  Nu.  23-24; 
Jos.  2^'- ;  I  S.  4*^  5"-  ""^-  I  K.  20--'-''*),  and  cannot  therefore  have 
brought  about  Israel's  disasters. — 32.  The  "for"  is  parallel 
to  the  "for"  of  v.'^i;  and  the  verses  describe,  for  the  sake  of 
setting  it  aside,  a  second  cause  that  might  be  imagined  for 
Israel's  disasters  :  the  moral  corruption  of  the  heathen  nations 
is  such  that  Jehovah  can  have  had  no  inducement  to  aid  them 
against  Israel  (v."'^'^'- '')  on  their  own  account ;  He  must  have 
been  alienated  by  Israel's  sin. — Their  vinc^  i.e.  their  nature, 
represented  under  this  figure.  The  nations  are  compared  to  a 
vine  whose  stock  is  derived  from  the  growth  of  Sodom  and 
Gomorrha :  its  fruits  are  accordingly  poisonous  and  bitter ; 
and  the  wine  made  from  them  is  as  deadly  as  a  cobra's  bite. 
The  comparison  brings  out  the  fact  that  their  doings  are  the 
natural  outcome  of  an  innate  corrupt  disposition^  a  corrupt 
natural  stock.  —  Tiie  vine  of  Sodov{\  i.e.  a  vine  whose  juices  and 
fruits  were  not  fresh  and  healthy,  but  tainted  by  the  corruption 
of  which  Sodom  was  the  type. — 33.  Poison\  29^"  (^*^). — Reptiles 
(D''j''])ri)]  a  generic  term,  commonly  applied  to  marine  monsters 
(Gn.  1^1  r//.),  but  sometimes  used  of  land-reptiles,  Ex.  79.10.12 
Ps.  gi^-'^'.  ^'■Dragon"  (AV.,  RV.)  is  merely  an  old  English 
synonym  o{  serpent  (SpaKwv). — Cobras\  jns  recurs  Is.  11^  Ps.  58'^ 
gjisa  ^11  |i3ri^  as  here).  Job  20^^- ^^f.  According  to  Tristram 
{NHB.  p.  275  ;  DB'.  s.v.  Asp),  the  species  of  serpent  denoted 
by  iHD  is  the  hooded  cobra  of  Egypt,  the  Naja  iiaje,  which 
though  it  is  not  found  in  the  cultivated  districts  of  Palestine, 
is  well  known  in  the  plains,  and  the  downs  S.  of  Beersheba'. 
It  is  the  species  upon  which  serpent-charmers  (Ps.  58'')  usually 
practise  in  Egypt,  as  they  do  upon  an  allied  species,  the  lYuja 
tripitdians,  in  India ;  it  is  also  in  the  habit  of  frequenting  holes 
in  rocks  or  old  walls  (Is.  ii^). 

31.  D-hhs  irn'iNi]  a  circumst.  clause,  as  Gn.  18'^  jpj  ':nNi='*  my  lord  being 
old"  (Dr.  §  159;  Dav.  §  138a).— C"'?'r2]  Ex.  21'"  Job  3i"t ;  n'>-'?3  Is.  i6't; 
cf.  28^  Job  31'-'*.  The  rare  word  (with  its  cognates)  appears  to  have  ex- 
pressed tlie  idea  oi  arbiter,  arbitration  :  cf.  Sts  to  vicdiate  i  S.  2"^  Ps.  106™ 
Ez.  \&-. — 32.  '2:v]  G-K.  §  20.  2  (2)6. — nnho]  mno  only  besides  Job  13-'' ;  20^* 
(D'jns  mno);  and,  in  the  sense  of  ^att,  ib.  v.". 


XXXII.  31-34  373 

The  view  of  v. •'-"*'  adopted  above  is  that  of  E\v.  Kaiiip.  Dillm. 
According  to  others  (Kn.  Keil,  OettU)  these  verses  describe  the  moral 
character  oi Israel,  for  the  purpose  of  deducing-  from  it  directly  tlio  disasters 
which  have  befallen  it.  In  support  of  this  interpretation,  it  might  be  urged 
that  the  thought  of  Israel's  corruption  as  the  ground  of  its  misfortunes  is 
the  general  theme  of  the  poem,  and  that  the  figures  employed  are  else- 
where frequently  used  with  reference  to  Israel  (the  vine,  as  Hos.  lo^  Jer. 
2-^  Ps.  So**^- ;  the  comparison  to  Sodom,  as  Is.  i'"  3"  Jer.  23"  Ez.  iS""*"^" 
Lam.  4").  The  alternative  view  is,  however,  supported  by  the  context  in 
v.""^""-,  which  plainly  speaks  of  Jehovah's  vengeance  on  Israel's  foes,  and 
where,  if  v.'"-"'-  do  not  describe  the  corruption  of  the  heathen,  there  is 
nothing  for  xit  ("that")  to  refer  to  :  it  is,  moreover,  to  be  noticed  that  in 
\.^-  it  is  not  said  that  the  vine  has  degenerated  froni  its  original  stock  (as 
might  have  been  expected,  if  Israel  were  intended,  cf.  Is.  5-  Jer.  2"-'),  but 
that  it  is  corrupt  in  its  origin  (its  vine  is  from  the  vine  of  Sodom). 

34-36.  But  such  corruption  cannot  remain  for  ever  unnoticed 
by  Jehovah :  it  calls  for  vengeance ;  and  in  the  end  He  will 
interpose  on  His  people's  behalf,  and  abandon  their  enemies  to 
destruction. 

•^  Is  not  that  laid  up  in  store  with  me, 

Sealed  up  in  my  treasuries? 
'^  Mine  is  [Sam.  G  :  Against  the  day  of]  vengeance  and  recompense. 

Against  the  time  when  their  foot  slippeth  ; 

For  near  is  the  da}'  of  their  calamity. 

And  the  destined  future  hasteth  upon  them. 
^^  For  Jehovah  will  judge  his  people. 

And  repent  himself  concerning  his  servants  ; 

When  he  seeth  that  support  is  gone, 

And  that  neither  fettered  nor  free  remaineth. 

34.  The  reference  is  to  the  moral  corruption  of  the  heathen, 
and  its  fruits  (v.^'-'-) ;  these  are  not  forg^otten,  or  disregarded 
by  Jehovah,  but  (as  it  were)  stored  up  with  Him,  till  the  day 
of  retribution  shall  arrive.  For  the  figures  employed,  cf.  Hos. 
131-2  (DnDS  Jiy  -inv),  Job  14^"  ('yy*3  "ii">>'3  nnn),  where  sin  is 
spoken  of  as  bound  up,  or  scaled  in  a  bag,  viz.  against  the  day 
of  punishment ;  for  treasuries,  also,  in  various  figurative 
applications,  see  28'-'  Jer.  iqI-^  50'-^  Ps.  33"  Job  38"-"-. 

That  the  reference  both  here  and  v."''  is  to  the  guilt  of  the  heathen,  not 

34.  ccr]  no  Semitic  root  D33,  with  a  meaning  suitable  here,  is  knowa. 
Most  probably  c:|)  should  be  read,  from  djd  /o  collect,  gather  together,  Ps. 
33"  (i!  niTiixa  jni:)  al. :  in  the  old  character  a  and  3  might  easily  be  confused. 
This,  at  least,  is  the  sense  that  is  required  ;  and  it  is  expressed  by  the 
Versions  (G  <rvyr,xrai,  Symm.  cltokutxi,  U  condita,  S  T^J :  C  paraphrases 
'Dip  jSj  p.Tn^U'  *?-  vhr.). — '•^c-;\=  penes  me  {Gn.  24-'^). 


374  DEUTERONOMY 

to  tli.it  of  Israel,  is  apparent  from  v.^  "/"or  Jehovah  will  judge  His  people, 
and  repent  Himself  towards  His  servants"  :  the  guilt  of  Israel  could  not 
be  a  motive  for  Jehovah's  compassion  towards  them.  Some  commentators 
suppose  "that"  to  point  to  what  follows,  viz.  the  coming  judgment:  but 
where  a  reference  forwards  is  intended,  nx?  rather  than  Nin  is  commonly 
employed.  Keil  (referring  the  whole  passage,  v.'"-'"'',  not  to  the  heathen 
but  to  Israel)  supposes  "that"  to  have  both  a  retrospective  and  a  pro- 
spective reference,  i.e.  to  include  both  the  guilt  of  v.^-'-  and  the  judgment 
of  v.'^".  But  it  is  not  natural  to  understand  Nin  as  pointing  in  two  contrary 
directions :  a  reference  to  the  judgment  can  only  be  included  in  v."*^ 
indirectly,  in  so  far  as  the  figures  employed  in  it  suggest  it  implicitly. 

35.  Jehovah's  veng-eance  will  not  be  indefinitely  deferred  ; 
the  first  reverse  of  Israel's  foes  will  be  followed  speedily  by 
their  total  fall. — Mine  is  vengeance\  the  words  are  not  intended 
as  a  warning  against  self-vengeance  (as  the  verse  is  applied, 
Rom.  12^^) — for  the  prostrate  nation  is  not  in  a  condition  to 
think  of  that:  it  is  meant  as  a  declaration  that  there  is,  after 
all,  a  source  when  vengeance  will  be  forthcoming:  " /,  of 
whom,  under  the  circumstances,  you  least  expect  it,  will  arise, 
and  recompense  your  foes"  (Kamp.).  For  the  thought  of 
Jehovah's  vengeance  (Dpj),  see  v.**- ''^^  Is.  i^^  Mic.  5i-i<'i^)  Nah.  i^ 
Ez.  25i4.ir  jer.  5^-20  gS  (cf.  nso  2012),  4610  50^5.28  516.11  (cf 
V.3G),  Is.  34835*  47-'  59I"  6i2  63*;  cf.  also  Lev.  2625  (H),  Nu. 
31^  (P),  Ps.  94^  99*^.  The  idea  is  commoner  in  the  later 
prophets  (esp.  those  of  the  exile)  than  in  the  earlier  ones. — 
Against  the  time,  &'c.'\  i.e.  so  soon  as  they  once  begin  to 
totter,  vengeance  will  speedily  complete  its  work.  The  totter- 
ing of  the  foot  is  a  frequent  image  of  a  reverse  of  fortune  : 
Ps.  3817O6)  9418^  cf.  66^  i2i\  and  with  l^'f,  Job  12^  Ps.  251^ 
(cf.  Ps.  18''^  37^^)-  The  righteous,  when  their  foot  totters,  are 
upheld  by  Jehovah  (Ps.  94^^) :  in  the  case  of  the  wicked,  a 
similar  moment  is  seized  by  God's  providence,  for  the  purpose 
of  completing  their  destruction.  Sam.  (!j,  however,  for  cr^3  v 
•'mine  is  vengeance"  read  Di^J  Qiv  ^^  against  the  day  0/ \cn- 

35.  dH']  a  subst.,  of  a  rare  form,  like  ns'n  Jer.  5^-'  "i^p  44'-^  (Sta.  §  222). 
— nhii  cion]  a  rel.  clause,  after  ny'? :  cf.  Job  6'" ;  Jer.  49^  50'^  51'". — fni]  the 
masc.  sg.,  ace.  to  G-K.  §  145.  y  a  ;  Dav.  §  113  d. — nn'ny]  an  Aram,  more 
than  a  Heb.  word:  cf.  Syr.  KnTni!  =  Ta  s/iv«,ttsva  Jn.  iS'-*;  JTnyi=/tsxXivTix 
Rom.  8"*  «/.  In  Heb.  the  root  is  seldom  found,  and  chiefly  in  parts  of  the 
OT.  either  late  or  tinged  dialectically  with  Aramaisms  :  the  verb  Pr,  24^ 
Job  IS"**! ;  Tnv  read_y  only  besides  Job  3*  15'-^  Est.  3'^  8'',  and  (in  the  sense 


XXXII.  35-36  375 

g-eance"  (Jcr.  46^"  Is.  34^  61^  63*),  which  connects  well  with 
V.3*  ("sealed  up  in  my  treasuries,  against  the  day  of  ven- 
g-eance  and  recompense  "),  and  forms  a  good  parallel  with  the 
following  clause  {''■against  the  time  when  their  foot  slippeth  "), 
and  is  very  probably  the  original  reading-  (Geiger,  Urschrift, 
p.  247;  Jiid.  Ztscht.  ix.  92  ;  Kamp.  Klost.  Dillm.  Marti).  —  The 
day  of  their  calamity  (dT'N  DV)]  a  common  expression,  denoting- 
the  occasion  of  a  sudden  and  (usually)  irreparable  disaster, 
Jer.  1S174621  Ob.  13  (thrice)  Pr.  2710  Ps.  iSi^^i^)  job  21=^0:  the 
disastrous  character  of  an  T'X  is  illustrated  also  by  the  figures 
used  in  connexion  with  it,  Pr.  i-''  6^^. — The  destined  fit ttire\ 
lit.  tilings  prepared,  or  ready  (n'"iriy) :  see  below. — Hasteth\  cf. 
Is.  60--  Hab.  2^. — 36.  The  verse  states  the  reason  why  Jehovah 
will  at  length  assert  Himself  against  His  people's  foes  :  the 
extremity  of  their  need  will  move  Him  to  take  compassion 
upon  them. — Jtidgc\  i.e.  give  right  to,  vindicate  against  foes  or 
detractors,  as  Gn.  30''  Ps.  54"(")  Pr.  31^;  and  the  synonym 
L^p'J'  frequently  (Ps.  7"^^)  26^  &c.). — And  repent  himself.,  &c.\ 
cf.  Ps.  90^3.     The  two  clauses  are  repeated  verbatim,  Ps.  135^*. 

Keil,  referring-  v.^  (as  well  as  v.''-"^^)  to  Israel,  is  oblig-ed  to  under- 
stand "judge"  v.^®  in  the  sense  of  condemn,  piuiish — "  For  Jehovah  will 
judge  (the  wicked  of)  His  people,  but  repent  Himself  concerning  His  (true) 
servants."  This  forced  explanation  of  v.'*'^,  however,  only  shows  that  the 
exegesis  of  v.^^  which  necessitates  it,  is  incorrect,  and  that  the  reference 
in  that  verse  is  really  to  the  heathen.  The  only  truth  in  Keil's  contention 
is  that,  inasmuch  as  Jehovah  naturally  would  not  interpose  to  aid  His 
people,  so  long  as  it  remained  obdurate,  the  Israel  referred  to  in  v.'^''  is 
implicitly  conceived  as  penitent  (which  is  also  indicated  b)'  the  use  in  the 
parallel  clause  of  the  expression  "His  servants"):  the  fate  of  the  ini- 
penitent  Israelites  lies  here  outside  the  range  of  the  poet's  thought.  But 
such  a  pointed  contrast  between  "His  people"  and  "His  servants"  as 
Keil  postulates  is  not  probable. 

That  support  is  gofie]  Ew,   *'dass  hingeschwunden  jeder 

Halt."     Support  is  lit.  ha^id,  used  fig-,  in  Heb.  of  power  or 

of  things  prepared,  stores)  Is.  lo''".  In  Aram,  and  New  Heb.  the  verb 
occurs  frequently  in  the  sense  of  to  prepare  {e.g.  a  feast),  destine ;  I'ny  is 
often  used  with  an  inf.,  almost  as  a  periphr.  of  the  future  {e.g.  Eccl.  9^^ 
2r  "ins'7  Tnvn  nD=what  will  happen):  and  nu'?  i^nyh  lit.  "for  that  which  is 
destined  to  come  {or  will  come) "  is  a  common  New  Heb.  expression  for 
"in  the  world  to  come." — 36.  cijjn']  in  pause  for  oiijn',  the  vowels  y  — 
being  avoided  in  Heb.  with  n.  So  'nn  is  in  pause  'ijn  (not  'ijn),  'nJj 
becomes  'ijx,  ^-inn  a-jriri,  &c. — nSiNJ  the  Aram,  form  of  the  3  pf.  fern.,— 


376  DEUTERONOMY 

competence  (cf.  Lev.  25^^  Is.  28-  57^° ;  and  sliort-handcd^  im- 
plying impotence,  Nu.  1 1^-'  Is.  37^7  IJ  ""^.V!?}  50^  59^)  I  sometimes, 
also,  of  an  artificial  hand,  or  support  (Ex.  2&^-  ^^) — The 
fettered  and  the  free  (aiTVI  livy)]  an  alliterative  proverbial  ex- 
pression, recurring-  in  the  Deut.  passages  i  K.  14^"  21-^  2  K.  9* 

(^x"i::"a  airyi  ii:>'y),  14-''  (niry  dlni  iivy  D3xi)t,  the  precise  sense 

of  which  it  seems  impossible,  as  Dillm.  remarks,  to  determine 
with  certainty,  but  which  is  meant  evidently  to  be  a  compre- 
hensive formula  denoting  «// (conip.  similar  expressions  29^^(1'') 

Job  I2l6b). 

"i!iV  is  to  shut  up,  restrain,  confine  (e.g.  in  a  prison,  Jer.  33') ;  3iy,  in 
contrast  to  this,  must,  it  seems,  be  used  in  the  old  sense,  which  it  has  Ex. 
23'^  (cf.  Job  10^),  of /o  let  loose.  Nevertheless  the  particular  idea  which  the 
two  words  here  express  is  far  from  clear  ;  and  many  explanations  have 
been  proposed  :  (i)  the  i)npriso7ied  a.r\d  the  released  (Saad.);  (2)  bond  and 
free  (Ges.,  Dietrich,  Abhandl.  s.  Heb.  Gr.  1846,  p.  205);  (3)  kept  in 
(restrained  by  legal  impurity  from  entering-  the  sanctuary  :  cf.  "isyj  Jer.  36'' 
Neh.  6^",  and  ni.T  'js'?  -n:iy  i  S.  21^)  and  at  large  (Ew.  Antiq.  p.  199; 
Smith,  Rel.  Sem."  p.  456,  Smend,  AT.  Rel.-gesch.  p.  126,  Nowack,  Arch. 
ii.  213) ;  (4)  under  and  over  age  (Thenius,  Kamp.) ;  (5)  !na rried  a.nd  celibate 
(De  Dieu,  Keil) ;  (6)  confned  at  home  (by  age,  weakness,  &c.)  and/ree  to 
move  about  (the  able-bodied  warriors),  Oettli.  That  of  Ew.  is  perhaps  as 
probable  as  any.  The  sense  celibate  (5)  is  established  for  the  Arab. 
'az/b,  but  the  meaning paterjhmilias,  alleged  by  De  Dieu  for  'a'sarn,  rests 
upon  an  error  (see  Rod.  Thes.  Append,  p.  104).  The  meaning  celibate  is, 
however,  too  specially  an  Arabism  to  be  adopted  with  safety  for  the  Heb. 
nny.  The  versions  render  no  help,  the  meaning  of  the  expression  being 
evidently  unknown  to  them  (e.g.  ffi  IxXiXoiira/;  xu)  •jreepuf/.ivos  ;  Onq.  j'^aVjO 
pp'3tJ'i ;  Pesh.  "no  helper  or  supporter").  Similar  examples  of  phrases 
which  name  two  categories,  under  one  or  other  of  which  evcrybod}'  is 
(virtually)  included,  are  quoted  from  the  Arabic  ;  e.g.  '*  the  binder  and  the 
bound"  (master  and  servant),  Dietrich,  I.e.  ;  "he  that  has  a  companion 
and  he  that  is  alone"  (Ew.  Gesch.  i.  182);  "he  that  moveth  and  he  that 
is  still,"  "he  that  giveth  to  hear  and  he  that  heareth "  {'al-niusnii'ti 
•wa'ssatni'ti):  see  further  Ges.  Thes.  pp.  1008,  1362.  For  the  alliteration, 
cf.  12^1  r^,  njyi  njf  (Mai.  2'^),  •\'2m  -iv,  T\:m  Tc;;'. 

37-39.  God  will  speak  to  them  through  the  extremity  of 
their  need,  bringing  them  to  own,  by  the  logic  of  facts,  that 
the  gods  in  whom  they  trusted  are  unworthy  of  their  regard, 

in  reality,  of  course,  the  original  form  of  the  ending,  though  in  Heb.  (as  in 
the  ordinary  fem.  of  substantives)  the  n  is  usually  softened  to  n  (Wright, 
Coinpar.  Granun.  p.  167  f.).  This  is  the  only  example  of  the  form  with  a 
strong  verb  in  Heb.  :  a  few  other  cases  occur  with  verbs  n"'?,  Vy,  &c. 
(G-K.  §§  44  R.-* ;  72  R.i  [Ez.  46'"] ;  74  R.^ ;  75  R.^).— ^in]  i  S.  9^  Jer.  23« 
Job  14'^  Pr.  2o"t.     In  Aram,  the  usual  word  for  to  go  away. 


XXXII.  37-3S  Zll 

and  so  making  it  possible  for  Himself  to  interpose  on  their 
behalf. — The  verse  supplies  the  thought  that  was  missing:  i" 
v.^^,  viz.  of  the  moral  change  wrought  in  Israel  by  its  need, 
which  would  be  the  necessary  condition  of  Jehovah's  being- 
able  to  "repent,"  and  receive  them  ag-ain  into  His  favour 
(Ew.  DiUm.). 

•'■'  And  he  will  say,  "  Where  are  their  gods, 

"  The  rock  in  whom  they  sought  refuge? 
^  "  Thev  that  ate  the  fat  of  their  sacrifices, 

"  And  drank  the  wine  of  their  drink-offerings — 

"  Let  them  rise  up,  and  help  you, 

"  Let  there  [Sam.  ^xSi^lB  :  them]  be  a  shelter  over  you. 
^  "  See  now  that  I,  I  am  he, 

"  And  there  is  no  god  with  me  : 

"  /  slay,  and  make  alive, 

"  I  have  wounded,  and  /heal ; 

"  And  there  is  no  deliverer  out  of  my  hand. 

37.  In  their  need,  Jehovah  ironically  bids  the  Israelites 
have  recourse  to  the  gods,  on  whose  help  they  had  relied,  and 
wliose  favour  they  had  sought  to  win  by  their  sacrifices  (cf. 
for  the  thought  Jud.  10^*  Jer.  2-^).  The  manner  in  which  God 
is  here  supposed  to  address  His  people  is  through  the  circum- 
stances of  their  need  :  in  that  need  they,  as  it  were,  hear  His 
voice  convincing  them  of  the  folly  of  their  self-chosen  course, 
and  moving  them  to  look  to  Him  as  their  true  and  sole 
support.  Rock  is  used  here  ironically  of  the  false  gods,  as 
v.-^i. — Sought  (or  took)  refuge]  the  verb  (non)  found  so  often  in 
the  Psalms  of  taking  refuge  in  Jehovah :  e.g.  Ps.  2^2  ^2  (i) 
1 8-^(2)  (i2  npnx  n^V);  cf.  the  subst.  nonp  refuge,  Ps.  146  46^ 
61*  al.  The  proper  sense  of  the  verb  is  apparent  from  the 
passages  where  it  is  followed  by  a  word,  such  as  shadow  or 
iviugs,  definitely  expressing  a  locality,  as  Jud.  9^^  (lit.).  Is.  14^^ 
302  Ps.  36^  (iVDH^  I'SJO  ^vn)  57'^.~A  shelter  (^nnp)]  cf.  the 
masc.  "inp,  of  Jehovah,  Ps.  32'^  91^  119^1^  al.  The  clause  is, 
however,  worded  less  definitely  than  is  probable ;  and  no 
dcubt  we  must  read  either,  with  C;52rF  Sam.  Ew.  Di.  Marti, 
V~'  ("let  tJtem  be")  for  "^1%  or,  with  Kamp.  (who  observes 
that  the  feni.  mriD  does  not  occur  elsewhere),  CinriD  for  n"inp 

37.  von]  G-K.  §  75  R.'*.— 38.  m:;''  .  .  .  i'?3.s"]  frequent.,  as  v.^''^-— cd'dj] 
always  elsewhere  ^04  or  tjcj,  -'cj,  except  here,  meaning  only  a  prince. 


3/8  DEUTERONOMY 

"let  tJicir  shelter  be  over  you." — 39.  With  impassioned 
eloquence  the  poet,  speaking  in  Jehovah's  name,  bids  Israel 
vovD,  whatever  may  have  been  the  case  hitherto,  recognize, 
from  the  impotence  of  their  false  gods.  His  sole  divinity,  and 
own  that  He  has  the  power  both  to  smite  and  to  heal — it  is 
He  who  has  brought  Israel  to  its  present  extremity,  and  it  is 
He  who  is  also  able,  if  it  so  pleases  Him,  to  restore  to  it  its 
lost  prosperity. — That  /,  I  am  he]  the  duplication  of  the  pro- 
noun marks  the  passion  and  fervour  of  the  speaker :  cf.  Hos. 
5'"' Is.  43^1- -■''  51^'-  (see  the  writer's  Isaiah,  pp.  182,  200). — / 
a/n  he  (sin  '•JX)]  so  Is.  41'*  a^'^^-  ^^  (followed  as  here  by  nv:)  pxi 
i^'Vo),  46*  48^2^  ajid  (with  tJiou)  Ps.  \02'^\.  An  emphatic  asser- 
tion of  the  personality  of  Jehovah  :  "  I  am  //f,"  i.e.  He  who 
is — as  opposed  to  the  unreal  gods  of  tlie  heathen  (v.-^"''-,  and 
the  context  of  the  passages  in  II  Isaiah),  or  to  the  transitory 
fabric  of  the  world  (Ps.  1022'''*') — the  Unseen,  yet  Omnipresent 
and  Self-consistent,  Ruler  of  the  world. — And  there  is  no  god 
with  me\  cf.  ^^'^-  ^^.  Similar  monotheistic  affirmations  are 
frequent  in  Deutero-Isaiah  :  see  above,  on  6^  (p.  91). — /  slay, 
and  make  alive]  cf.  i  S.  2^  2  K.  5''  Wisd.  i6i-^  Tob.  132  (a 
quotation).  The  reference  is  not,  of  course,  to  the  resurrection 
of  the  dead,  but  (as  in  the  passages  quoted)  to  Jehovah's 
power  to  rescue  from  mortal  peril  (cf.  Hos.  6-  13^^;  Ps.  16^^ 
30*  (3)  ^e^H.\^)  861'''  Jon.  23-7(2. 6))._/  have  wounded,  and  I  heal] 
cf.  Job  5I8  (nrs-in  in^i  ym^),  Is.  1922  3o-''''  (ss^:  insrp  rnci), 
Hos.  61. — ^"^'D  nn:)  psi]  Is.  43I''  Job  lo^:  cf.  Hos.  51^''.  Is. 
43^1-13  contains  very  clear  reminiscences  of  this  verse.  Though 
Jehovah  has  smitten  His  people  with  war  and  other  scourges. 
He  will  now  heal  them,  and  visit  their  foes  with  irretrievable 
disaster. 

40-42.  In  conclusion,  Jehovah  solemnly  promises  that  He 
will  whet  His  sword,  and  grant  His  people  vengeance  on  their 
foes. 

*•  "  For  I  lift  up  my  hand  to  heaven, 
"  And  say,  '  As  I  live  for  ever. 

*^  "  '  If  I  whet  my  glittering-  sword, 

"  '  And  mine  hand  seize  hold  on  judg-ment, 
"  '  I  will  render  veng-eance  to  my  adversaries, 
**  *  And  will  recompense  them  that  hate  me. 


XXXII.  39-42  379 

42  i<  <  I  y^\\\  make  mine  arrows  drunk  with  blood, 
"  '  And  my  sword  shall  devour  flesh, 
"  '  With  the  blood  of  the  slain  and  of  the  captives, 
"  '  From  the  long-haired  heads  of  the  foe.'  " 
40.  To  ii/'^  up  the  hand  is  the  gesture  of  a  person  taking  an 
oath,  intended  to  imply  that  he  appeals  to  God  as  a  witness 
to  the  truth  of  his  affirmation,  and  that  he  is  willing  to  incur 
the  vengeance  of  Heaven  in  case  he  speaks  falsely:  it  is  here 
applied,  av6po}Tro7ra6Ci<;  and  figuratively,  to  Jehovah  Himself. 
The  same  phrase  ("l^  Nt.*'J)  in  P  and  esp.  in  Ez.  (Ex.  6^  Nu. 
i4-'»  ;  Ez.  2o5-  c.  15.  23  (hence  Ps.  io6-'')  -§•  ^2  36^  4412  4714!) ;  and 
with  Ll^")n  for  X'C'J  Gn.  14":  cf.  Ex.  17I". — As  I  (''D3x)  live  for 
cvcy\  an  emphatic  variation  of  the  usual  formula  "As  I  live" 
('JX  ^~l),  Nu.  14^1-  28  Jer.  22-4  ^513  Zeph.  2^  Is.  49^^,  and  often 
(17  times)  in  Ez.  (5^1  14I0.  is.  20  &c.)t. — 41.  My  glittering  sword 
is  lit.  "the  lightning  of  my  sword"  (cf.  Nah.  3^  p"i31  2"in  irh 
n'^n,  Hab.  3^1  "iJT'Jn  pia  ^vh,  Ez.  2ii<>(i'^)),  which  here,  by  a 
bold  poetic  figure,  is  said  even  to  be  "whetted."  Jehovah  is 
figured  as  a  warrior,  arming  himself  for  the  fray  (cf.  Ex.  15^ 
Is.  42^-^  59^*^)  •  He  "seizes  hold"  of  judgment,  as  though  it 
were  a  weapon,  lying  at  His  side,  and  so  is  ready  for  the 
combat  with  His  foes,  whose  time  of  triumph  over  Israel  is 
now  drawing  to  its  close.  As  the  context  shows,  the  foes 
whom  the  poet  has  in  view  are  the  victorious  heathen  (v.^^-ss) ; 
the  sinners  in  Israel  itself  (though  of  course,  if  pressed,  he 
would  not  deem  them  included  in  the  promised  salvation)  lie, 
as  before  (v.-^*^),  outside  the  range  of  his  thoughts. —  Vengeancc\ 
on  v.-^''. — 42.  The  figure  of  v.*''*  is  developed ;  and  Jehovah's 
vengeance  is  pictured  as  accomplished  amidst  a  scene  of 
carnage,  such  as  the  Hebrew  prophets,  esp.  the  later  ones, 
love  to  imagine  {e.g.  Is.  34'^f-  492*'  63^"^  66^*'  Jer.  12^2  2530-33 
^^510  ^o^^-s'.').  Clause  ^  answers  to,  and  completes,  clause  % 
and  clause  '^  completes  similarly  clause  ^'  (cf.  Is.  49^).  The 
"arrows,"  which  were  formerly  (v.^'^)  to  be  exhausted  against 
Israel,  will  now  be  directed,  with  fatal  effect,  against  Israel's 
io^s.— Devour  {^\t.  eat)\  cf.  2  S.  226  ii25  is.  1^^.— Blood  of  the 

40.  'm^xi]  on  the  tone,  see  on  2^. — 41.  'nisty  irreg'.  for  'nijty  :  cf.  Job  19^' 
(see  Del.) ;  G-K.  §  67  R.i2_,n.xni]  ]  =  so  that  (Dr.  §g  61,  62,  138  i.  /3).— 42. 
c-id]  jD  as  Gn.  9-1  (Is.  51^^). — -Tatf]  21". — a'lN  niyna  cxna]  yis  isjlowhig  locks 


3S0  DEUTERONOMY 

slai>i\  Nu.  2324  2  S.  1-2. — And  the  captives\  an  allusion  to  the 
custom  of  slaug-htering  prisoners  after  the  victory, — a  trait 
meant  to  exemplify  the  completeness  of  the  vengeance. — 
ILong-haircd  licads\  alluding'  either  to  the  exuberant  vigour  and 
pride  of  Israel's  wild  assailants,  or  perhaps  (W.R.S.  in  Black's 
Judges  in  the  Smaller  Camh.  Bible  for  Schools,  p.  39)  to  their 
being-  as  warriors  consecrated  to  their  sanguinary  work,  the 
unshorn  locks  being  the  mark  of  a  vow  :  cf.  Ps.  68-'. — Another 
rendering  (cf.  below)  is  "  From  the  chief  of  the  leaders  of  the 
foe,"  i.e.  from  the  king,  the  "  slain  "  and  the  "  captives  "  being 
the  common  soldiers. 

43.  The  conclusion  to  the  Song,  corresponding  to  the 
exordium,  v.*'^ 

^^  Sing- joyously,  O  nations,  of  his  people  : 
For  he  will  avenge  the  blood  of  his  servants, 
And  will  render  vengeance  to  his  adversaries, 
And   clear  from   guilt  his   land,   his   people   [Sam.   GU :  his 
people's  land]. 

The  nations  are  invited  to  congratulate  Israel  on  possess- 
ing a  God  like  Jehovah  (33-''  Ps.  144^''),  who  will  thus  effectu- 
ally take  up  His  people's  cause.  .Such  an  invitation,  addressed 
to  the  nations  (cf.  Is.  42"^-^-  Ps.  47-'^'^  67'-"  <-//.),  involves 
implicitly  the  prophetic  truth  that  God's  dealings  with  Israel 
have.  Indirectly,  an  interest  and  Importance  for  the  world  at 
large.  With  clause  ''  comp.  v.^''""^,  with  clause  *^  v.-*'".  From 
the  terms  In  which  the  nations  generally  are  here  addressed,  it 
follows,  as  Kamp.  remarks,  that  the  "  adversaries  "  who  are 
threatened  with  vengeance  are  not  the  heathen  in  general,  but 
a  particular  people  hostile  to  \'s,r-A'e\.— Avenge  the  blood  of  his 
servaiits^Q.^.  2  K.  <^  (in  a  Deut.  insertion,  v."'^°''' :   see  L.O.T. 

Nu.  (y'  Ez.  44'-'"t  (cf.  the  verb  Lev.  10''  al.) ;  hence  the  rend.  (.iy-i3=  j,ns)  long- 
haired heads  (Schult.,  Opp.  Min.  p.  159,  Kn.,  Ke.,  W.  R.  Smith,  who 
renders  similarly  Jud.  5-  "for  that  flowing  locks  were  worn  in  Israel." 
Those  who  render  leaders  (Schultz,  Kamp.  Di.  Oettli :  cf.  <&  dp^ovrai*) 
compare  the  Avah.  para'a,  to  surpass,  excel,  far ,  a  prince,  noble:  for  the 
fern.,  of  an  office,  see  G-K.  §  122.  4''.  AV.  (following  Kimchi)  has 
"  revenges,"  which  is  based  upon  the  common  sense  of  i'lS  in  Aram. ;  but 
it  yields  here  an  unsuitable  sense. — 43.  icy  c'l:  ir:in]  p:nn  means  elsewhere 
(a)  cause  to  shout  Ps.  65''  Job  29''' ;  {h)  shout  Vs.  32^'  (absol.)  81^  (with  ^)t. 
"  Cause  his  people  to  shout,  O  ye  nations,"  is  not,  however,  a  probable 
rend.;  and  "Shout,  O  ye  nations,  his  people"  (Aq.  Theod.  J.  D.  Mich. 


XXXII.   43-44  3^1 

p.  i86),  Ps.  79''^. — And  IV ill  clear  from  <i-u ill  (21'')  Jiis  land,  liis 
pcoplc\  viz.  by  slaying-  those  who  h;i\  c  polhited  it,  whether  by 
shedding-  innocent  blood  in  its  midst  (21^  Nu.  35''''),  or  by 
practising  in  it  idolatry  and  other  abominations  (Lev.  iS-'^-^^). 
The  aavr^trov  "his  land,  his  people"  (voy  IDCTs)  is,  however, 
hard  and  unnatural ;  no  doubt  "  the  land  of  his  people  "  (n?3nx 
V2V)  should  be  read  with  Sam.  (SIF  Klost.  Dillm.  Oettli,  Marti. 
According  to  the  context,  the  reference  will  be  to  the  heathen 
adversaries,  who  have  massacred  innocent  Israelites,  and 
committed  other  excesses  in  the  land  (comp.  Joel  4(3)^"-"'); 
but  it  is  possible,  in  the  concluding  words  of  his  poem,  that 
the  poet  may  mean  his  words  to  be  understood  more  gener- 
ally, and  to  include  a  reference  to  the  defilements  wrought  by 
the  sins  of  Israel  itself.  Upon  this  view,  the  poem  will  end 
appropriately  with  the  thought  of  Israel  freed  not  only  from 
the  calamities  which  it  has  so  long  endured,  but  also  from  its 
sin  (cf.  Is.  I-"'-  4"*  33-^  &c.),  and  so  restored  completely  to 
Jehovah's  favour. 

44.  Concluding  notice  respecting  the  Song. — The  verse 
forms  the  conclusion,  corresponding  to  the  introduction  3ii'^'"-"^, 
It  is  tautologous  with  31^"  (D),  but  is  the  natural  sequel  of 
31-'-:  31^2  states  how  Moses  wrote  the  Song,  32*^  how  he 
rccilcd  it  before  the  people.  (K  makes  this  reference  clear  by 
repeating-  31^^  before  32"**. — And  Moses  canie\  viz.  from  where 
he  was  when  he  received  the  instructions  3ii'^'"2i,  or  "wrote" 
the  Song  31".  "Came  and  spake"  (as  Klost.  Pent.  pp.  249- 
251  points  out)  implies  that  some  instructions  or  information 
had  previously  been  given  elsewhere  :  cf.  Gn.  47^  (see  46-'^), 
Ex.  \d^  (see  v. 2),  24^  (see  20-1). — This  song\  3ii''- -i- -'-'. — 
Hoshcd\  prob.  a  textual  error  ^or  Joshua  ,  as  is  read  by  Sam. 
GFS  (Klost.  p.  249  f.):  Joshua'  is  called  Hoshea'  only  in  Nu. 

E\v.)  either  requires  E"U  to  be  taken  in  the  very  improbable  sense  of  the 
two  kingdoms  of  Israel  (Ew.),  or  introduces  abruptly  the  thought  of  the 
nations  now  become  God's  people  (J.  D.  Mich.),  which,  though  suitable 
elsewhere  {e.g:  Ps.  47'*('''),  is  alien  to  the  present  context.  It  is  best  there- 
fore to  suppose  that  I'jin  is  construed  as  jn  (Ps.  si'"  59'^),  and  to  treat  my 
as  the  object  of  the  verb.  Cf  (which  expands  this  verse  into  8  lines)  has 
/jtna.  rov  >.aou  auTou  (so  Rom.  15^'''),  either  rendering  freely,  or  reading  icv  Dj;: 
but  the  Massoretic  text  yields  a  more  forcible  and  appropriate  sense. 


o 


82  DEUTERONOMY 


1^8.  ic  ^pj^  ^\\  ^Y\Q  Pentateuchal  sources  using  otherwise  uni- 
formly the  name  Joshua'. 

45-47.  Moses'  final  exhortation  to  Israel  to  obey  the 
Deuteronomic  law. — The  passage  is  not  connected  with  v.^^. 
It  contains  many  Deuteronomic  expressions  ;  and  its  Hterary 
affinities  are  with  3128-29^  not  with  31I6-22  or  22'^*-— ^5.  ^  ^?'l] 
20^  26^2  3i^*. — -^l^  these  iwrds^  i.e.  the  Deuteronomic  dis- 
courses. Dillm.  Oettli,  Westphal,  however,  suppose  v.^5-47  to 
have  formed  the  close  of  the  same  final  hortatory  address,  to 
which  they  conjecture  3124-29  jq  have  been  the  introduction  (on 
3i28) ;  and  refer  all  these  "words  (as  in  31 2^)  to  that. — All  Israel] 
i^. — 46.  Set  your  heart  to]  i.e.  ^-ive  heed  to,  pay  attention  to 
{yovv  TTpoa-ix^eiv),  the  heart  being  the  organ  of  understanding 
(429)  :  so  I  S.  920  Ez.  40* ;  Ex.  921  i  S.  2525  (sq.  f'X) ;  cf.  (with 
riK')  Ex.  723  2  S.  13^0  al. —  Wlierewith  I  testify  against  you]  see 
2  K.  17^5  Neh.  9^*.  Not  unto  (RV.):  God's  law  is  viewed  as 
a  testimony  against  human  sin  (cf  on  4^^).  Comp.  the  absol. 
use  of  the  verb  in  emphatic  or  earnest  protestation,  in  popular 
language  Gn.  43^  i  K.  2*2^  and  in  a  religious  sense  Jer.  ii^ 
Ps.  5o7  Si^.—This  day]  S^^  and  often  (on  48).— TV/a/ (410)^^ 
may  lay  them  as  a  charge  upon  your  children^  for  them  to  observe 
to  do  (5^)  all  the  words  of  this  law  [2^^^)]  the  verse  inculcates, 
not  attention  to  the  Deut.  law,  as  such,  but  the  duty  of 
impressing  upon  the  rising  generation  (cf.  &  11^^  3i^^)>  for 
practical  purposes,  the  exhortations  accompanying  it. — 47.  For 
that  is  not  a  thing  too  empty  for  you]  the  Deut.  law  is  not 
something  unworthy  of  your  regard,  not  something  so  desti- 
tute of  moral  force  and  value  that  you  can  afford  to  put  it 
aside  with  disdain.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  your  life, — the 
foundation  of  your  moral  and  material  well-being  (3020 ;  see 
on  4I). — And  through  this  thing  ye  shall  prolong  days,  &"€.] 
the  natural  Deuteronomic  sequel  of  "your  life":  cf.  3020  and 
on  42*5. —  Whither  ye  are  passing  over,  &c.]  4-*^:  similarly  6^ 
and  frequently. 

48-52.  Moses  is  commanded  to  ascend  Mount  Nebo,  and 
view  Canaan,  before  he  dies. — This  passage  belongs  to  P,  the 
marks  of  whose  style  (see  the  notes)  are  unmistakable.  It  is 
a  duplicate,  somewhat  expanded,  of  Nu.  2712-1*^  which  is  intro- 


XXXir.  45-49  383 

diictory  to  P's  account  of  the  institution  of  Joshua  (Nu.  2y'^^-''^'-'), 
as  the  present  passag^e  is  to  P's  account  of  the  death  of  Moses, 
contained  in  parts  of  c.  34.  The  additional  matter  consists 
principally  of  more  particular  instructions  relative  to  Moses' 
ascent  of  Nebo. 

Whether  the  duplication  is  to  be  attributed  to  P  himself,  is  uncertain  : 
the  repetition  of  a  coiinnand  is  not  in  his  usual  manner  (cf.  Dillm.  p.  179). 
At  the  same  time,  in  the  original  priestly  document  (before  its  combination 
with  JE  and  Dt.),  the  command  of  Nu.  27^'-"^'*  will  have  been  separated 
from  the  narrative  of  its  execution  in  Dt.  34  by  Nu.  28-31,  parts  of  Nu.  32, 
Nu.  33-36  Dt.  i^;  and  a  repetition  of  its  terms,  with  more  particular  in- 
structions to  Moses,  may  have  been  deemed,  under  these  circumstances, 
not  unsuitable  (cf.  Wellh.  Comp.  p.  115).  This  is  the  simplest  supposition. 
According  to  others,  the  duplication  is  due  to  a  later  hand,  the  motive  for 
it  being-  the  distance  by  which,  when  P  was  broken  up  for  the  purpose  of 
being  combined  with  JE  and  Dt.,  Nu.  27^""^^  was  separated  from  the  narra- 
tive of  Moses'  death  in  Dt.  34.  Thus  Dillm.  conjectures  that  Dt.  ■7,2!^^'^'^ 
originally  stood  where  Nu.  27'-'^^  stands  now,  and  that  it  was  removed  to 
its  present  position,  as  an  introduction  to  c.  34,  at  the  final  redaction  of  the 
Pent.,  an  abridgment,  sufficient  as  an  introduction  to  Nu.  2'j^^'^'\  being 
placed  instead  of  it  at  Nu.  27-'-"":  Bacon  {Triple  Tradition,  pp.  239 f., 
j68)  thinks  Dt.  32**^"^-  an  expansion  of  Nu.  27^^"",  inserted  by  a  later 
priestly  hand,  for  the  same  purpose,  before  c.  34. 

48.  On  this  selfsame  day  (nin  DVn  D^yn)]  a  standing-  ex- 
pression of  P's  (Gn.  71^  1723. 26  &c.) :  scaL.O.T.^.  124,  No.  12. 
The  "  day  "  referred  to  will  be  that  named  in  i^  (also  P),  which 
is  probably  to  be  reg"arded  as  identical  with  the  one  to  which 
P  refers  the  laws  stated  by  him  to  have  been  g-iven  in  the 
Steppes  of  Moab,  Nu.  2Z^^-2>^^^- — 49.  Go  tip  to  this  mountain 
of  the  'Abdrim]  verbatim  as  Nu.  27!'^.  The  "  mountains  of  the 
'Abarim,  in  front  of  Nebo  "  are  mentioned  also  Nu.  33^''''-  (P), 
as  the  last  station  of  the  Israelites  before  they  reached  the 
"Steppes  of  Moab"  (on  34^).  Comp.  Jer.  22-'*.  The  name 
— properly,  no  doubt,  meaning-,  "of  the  parts  beyond" — 
appears  to  have  been  applied  to  the  rang-e  of  mountains 
"beyond"  [i.e.  East  of)  Jordan,  in  which  Nebo  formed  a 
particular  ridg-e.  'lye  (ruins  of)  'Abdrim  was  the  name  of  a 
station  of  the  Israelites  in  the  high  ground  S.E.  of  Moab  (Nu. 
21I1  22"^*). — Unto  Mot/nt Nebo  .  .  .  fronting fericho\  these  words 
are  not  in  Nu.  27^2^  ggg  q,-,  ^41. — In  the  land  of  Moab]  there 
is  no  occasion  to  attribute  these  words  to  a  different  source ; 


384  DKUTKKONo.MV 

for  thoLitii'h  P  speaks  habitually  of  Israel  as  encamped  in  the 
"Steppes  of  Moab "  (on  34'),  Nebo  was  not  situated  in  the 
Jordan  valley,  so  that  some  more  g'eneral  expression  would 
naturally  have  to  be  employed. — And  sec,  &c.\  nearly  as  Nu. 
27'-^.  Here  (as  also  v.")  "•:}<  is  used  for  "  I,"  as  reg-ularly  in 
P  [L.O.T.  p.  127,  No.  25)  :  Dt.  uses  as  reg-ularly  the  other  form 
■'DJX  (i2'"^,  phil.  n.). —  Which  I  am  giving  to\  exactly  as  Lev. 
j^:m  23I0  25-'  Nu.  132  152  (P), — For  a  possession  (i^^C^?)]  as  Lev. 
14''*,  and  often  in  P  {L.O.T.  p.  125,  No.  22).  D  in  a  similar 
sentence  would  use  ''33X  for  ''JS,  and  would  end  with  "for  an 
inheritance"  (i^/H??)  instead  of  "for  a  possession":  see  4^1 
19I0  20^''  21-^  24'*  261.— 50.  And  die,  &c.]  Nu.  27i'',  though 
more  briefly  expressed,  agrees  with  this  verse  in  substance. — 
And  be  gathered  to  thy  father  s  /t/;/]  a  standing  phrase  of  P's 
(Gn.  258  3523  Nu.  20-^--"  271''  31'-  al.)  ;  not  found  in  any  other 
writer  [L.O.  T.  p.  126,  No.  25  /;).  On  the  rand,  fathers ki)i,  see 
below.— /«  Ilor  the  mountain^  so  (in  this  unusual  order) 
always;  see  Nu.  20---'-'i'  21''^  33'^"'^^t  (all  P).  The  site  is 
uncertain,  the  identification  with  Jebel  Nebi  Harun,  a  little 
SW.  of  Petra,  being  very  doubtful:  see  Dillm.  on  Nu.  21"*; 
Trumbull,  KadesJi-barnea,  p.  i28ff.  (who  thinks  of  Jebel 
Madura,  some  50  miles  NW.  of  Edom) ;  Buhl,  Gesch.  der 
Edomiter^  p.  22  f. — 5L  Because  ye  brake  faith  ivitii  mc,  &c.\ 
Nu.  27^-'''  ag-rees  in  substance,  and  partly  in  expression. 
^y^  to  break  faith  (RV.  trespass)  is  a  word  belonging  chiefly 
to  the  priestly  phraseology,  and  found  mostly  in  P,  Ezek., 
and  Chr.  :  see  e.g.  Lev.  51^-  21  (6-)  Nu.  31 1*5  Jos.  7I  (P),  22!'^ 
{L.O.T.  p.  127,  No.  43;  p.  503,  No.  3).— J//VA/  (iin)]  as 
regularly  in  P  (who  rarely  uses  the  syn.  3"ii||,  which  D  prefers : 
cf.  on  i^'').—The  waters  of  Meribath-Kadesh  (the  contention 
of  Kades/i)]  so  Nu.  271'^  (P),  Ez.  471^  482s :  cf.  the  waters  of 
Me'ribah,  Nu.  20!^-  2-1  (P),  Dt.  338  Ps.  SiS  \o&-^\.—The 
•wilderness  of  Zin\  a  designation  used  only  by   P    (Nu.    1321 

50.  D'DV]  in  Arab,  'am  is  patruns  and  patriieles ;  in  Heb.  it  commonly 
means  people.  It  seems  that  the  orig".  meaning-  of  the  word  was  fattier  s 
kin,  retained  in  Heb.  in  the  two  phrases  be  gatliered  to,  and  cut  off  fro  >n, 
one's  D'Dy,  but  usu.  in  H^h  widened  to  people,  while  in  Arab,  it  was 
narrowed  to  fattier  s  brother,  and  fattier  s  brotliers  ctiildren.  Cf.  Wellh. 
in  the  Gottingen  Naclirictiten,  1893,  p.  480. 


xxxii.  50— XXXIII  385^ 

20I  27!^- 1'  33"'^'  343  Jos.  1511 ;  cf.  Zin,  Nu.  34*  Jos.  157).  The 
site  ol"  Zin  is  unknown  ;  but  the  use  of  the  expression  shows 
that  the  "wilderness  of  Zin  "  must  have  been  a  name  for  the 
country  round,  or  near,  Kadesh  (cf.  Nu.  33'^'';  and  see  on  i^). 
— Sanctified  vie  iiot\  or  treated  me  not  as  holy,  viz.  by  paying 
Me  the  honour  and  respect  which  are  My  due :  cf.  Nu.  2oi'-^ 
27^^.  The  word  is  prob.  chosen  on  account  of  its  assonance 
w  illi  Kadesli.  Plays  on  words  are  rare  in  P ;  but  they  occur 
occasionally,  e.g.  Gn.  17^-1"  Nu.  18^  20^^  ("contended"). — 
52.  To  this  verse  nothing"  corresponds  in  Numbers. — T/iou  shalt 
see  the  land  from  a  distance  ("'^^P)]  lit.  from  in  front  (28''^): 
cf.  2  K.  2^5  [^^  sziw  him.  from  a  distance''),  3^^  4-^  (RV.  "afar 
oil").      "  Before  thee"  (AV.,  RV.)  is  not  a  good  rendering. 

XXXIII.  The  Blessing  of  Moses.— The  Blessing  of  Moses 
consists  of  a  series  of  benedictions,  or  eulogies,  pronounced 
upon  the  different  tribes  (Sime'on  excepted),  v.'^-^s,  with  an 
Exordium  v.-"'^,  and  a  conclusion  v."^"^^.  The  aim  of  the 
blessing  is  to  signalize  some  distinctive  feature  in  the  char- 
acter, or  occupation,  or  geographical  situation  of  each  tribe, 
with  allusion,  by  preference,  to  the  theocratic  function  dis- 
charged by  it ;  and  at  the  same  time  to  celebrate  the  felicity, 
material  and  spiritual,  of  the  nation  as  a  whole,  secured  to  it 
originally  by  Jehovah's  goodness  in  the  wilderness  (v. 2"^),  and 
maintained  afterwards,  by  a  continuance  of  His  protecting' 
care,  in  its  home  in  Canaan  (v.-*^"-^).  In  general  character,  it 
resembles  the  Blessing  of  Jacob  (Gn.  49^"-") ;  but  there  are 
several  more  or  less  noteworthy  points  of  difference,  (i)  It 
has  an  exordium  and  conclusion,  distinct  from  the  separate 
blessings,  in  which  the  prominent  thought  is  the  relation  of 
the  nation  as  a  whole  to  Jehovah,  and  its  manifold  indebted- 
ness to  His  bounty ;  (2)  the  blessings  are  wholly  eulogistic 
(contrast  Gn.  ^O)^-"^-  ^-^-i-^) ;  (3)  the  subject  of  a  blessing  is  often 
some  feature  of  a  theocratic  character  (v.s-io-  ^-- 1»-  2W-e.  20-27. 20)^ 
especially  such  as  originated,  or  were  secured  to  Israel,  in  the 
Mosaic  age  (v.^-s-  8-10. 10.  21. 27c-ti^ .  j,^  q,^_  ^^  ^1-,^  secular  relations 
of  the  tribes  are  far  more  prominent,  and  there  is  no  reference 
to  the  circumstances  of  the  Mosaic  age ;  (4)  the  tribe  of 
Sime'on  is  unnoticed;  (5)  each  blessing,  except  the  first  (v.*^), 
25 


386  DKUTEKOXUMV 

« 

is  introduced  separately  by  the  narrator,  speaking-  in  his  own 
person  (as  v.^  "  And  of  Levi  he  said  .  .  .").  Compared,  as  a 
whole,  with  the  Blessing  of  Jacob,  the  Blessing  of  Moses  may 
be  said  to  be  pitched  in  a  higher  key ;  the  tone  is  more 
buoyant ;  the  afTluence,  or  other  distinctive  character,  of  the 
various  tribes  is  portrayed  in  more  glowing  colours :  ease, 
tranquillity,  and  contentment  are  the  predominant  character- 
istics of  the  age.*  The  most  salient  features  are  the  isolation 
and  depression  of  Judah  (the  notice  of  which,  vJ,  is  brief, 
and  very  unlike  the  warm  eulogy  of  Gn,  49^"^-),  the  honour 
and  respect  with  which  Levi  is  viewed  (contrast  the  minatory 
tone  of  Gn.  49^"^),  the  strength  and  splendour  of  the  double 
tribe  of  Joseph,  v.^^-i'^,  and  the  burst  of  grateful  enthusiasm 
with  which  the  poet  celebrates  the  fortune  of  his  nation,  settled 
and  secure,  with  the  aid  of  its  God,  in  its  Palestinian  home 
^Y_2(3-29j_  Reminiscences  of  Gn.  49  appear  in  v.^^'^'^-^s  (see  the 
notes). 

Date  of  the  Blessing.  The  Blessing  contains  more  than 
one  indication  that  it  is  not  Mosaic.  It  is  incredible  that  v.^"' 
("Moses  commanded  us  a  law")  could  have  been  written 
by  Moses ;  and  even  though  (as  is  done  by  Volck,  p.  45  ; 
Delitzsch,  ZKWL.  1880,  p.  508)  v.^  be  rejected  as  a  gloss, 
there  remain  other  traits  which  it  is  difficult  to  reconcile  with 
his  authorship.  V.-"-  '■^^  look  back  to  the  conquest  of  Pales- 
tine 'a.s  past  ['■^  And  he  drave  out  the  enemy  from  before  thee, 
and  said,  Destroy ;  so  Israel  dwelt  securely  upon  a  land  of 
corn  and  wine,"  &c.)  ;t  v.^--  ^^---^  describe  special  geographical 
or  other  circumstances  (v. 21  the  part  taken  by  Gad  in  the 
conquest  of  Canaan),  with  a  particularity  not  usual  when  the 
prophets  are  declaring  the  future ;  and  the  silence  respecting 

*  Contrast  for  instance  v.^"^'  (Levi,  Jehovah's  faithful  minister)  with  Gn. 
49'''^  (Levi  reproached  for  its  violence,  and  scattered  in  Israel  for  a  punish- 
ment);  v.^-  (Benjamin  dwellingf  in  tranquillity  under  Jehovah's  shelter) 
with  Gn.  49'-''  (Benjamin  a  wolf,  ever  active  in  the  pursuit  of  prey);  v.^'' 
(Joseph  an  unassailable  military  power)  with  Gn,  49-^  (Joseph,  thousj;:h  main- 
taining- his  position,  sorely  beset  by  foes)  ;  v.^^"'^  (Issachar  happy  in  its 
peaceful  country  life)  with  Gn.  49!^^-  (Issachar  mocked  for  its  indolence  and 
slavish  submissiveness  to  the  foreig-ncr). 

t  These  tenses  cannot  be  naturally  understood  as  "prophetic"  pasts  : 
cf.  Dr.  §  82,  with  the  Obs. 


XXXIIT.  387 

Sime'on  presupposes  a  period,  when  (as  was  certainly  not  llie 
case  till  considerably  after  the  Mosaic  at^e :  cf.  Jud.  r")  the 
tribe  was  absorbed  in  Judah.  Nevertheless,  thoui;"h  not 
Mosaic,  the  Blessing"  is  certainly  ancient,  though  it  is  difficult 
to  fix  the  date  precisely,  the  historical  allusions  of  the  poem 
being  either  indefinite  or  obscure,  and  hence  aflbrding  room 
for  divergent  conclusions.  The  Blessing  presupposes  a  period 
when  Reuben  had  dwindled  in  numbers,  and  Sime'on  had 
ceased  to  exist  as  an  independent  tribe,  when  the  tribe  of  Levi 
was  warmly  respected  (v.^'i),  when  the  Temple  had  been 
built,  and  was  regarded  witli  affection  by  the  piovis  worshippers 
of  Jehovah  (v.^^j^  when  Ephraim  was  flourishing  and  powerful 
^y_i:MG.  17^^  and  Zebulun  and  Issachar  commercially  prosperous 
(v.''"^'^') ;  Judah,  on  the  contrary  (v.^),  would  seem  to  have 
been  in  some  difficulty  or  need,  and  (see  the  note)  severed 
from  the  rest  of  Israel.  The  circumstances  of  the  nation  must 
have  been  very  different  from  those  under  which  the  Song" 
ooi-is  xvas  composed :  no  trace  of  idolatry,  or  of  Israel's 
declension  from  its  ideal ;  no  foes,  threatening  Israel  with 
ruin, — at  most  the  allusions  to  local  or  contingent  troubles  in 
yCb.  7c-(i.  iic-d  .  no  word  of  censure  or  reproach:  v. -"-^^  may  be 
said  to  be  parallel  to  32^2-14^  but  on  all  the  melancholy  history 
that  follows  (321^*^-)  the  Blessing  is  silent.  It  breathes  the 
bright  and  happy  spirit  of  the  earlier  narratives  of  King's  (as 
distinguished  from  the  Deuteronomic  additions  made  by  the 
compiler).  The  periods  to  which  the  criteria  just  noted  have 
generally  been  considered  to  point,  are  either  one  shortly  after 
the  rupture  under  Jerobo'am  i.,*  or  the  middle  and  prosperous 
part  (cf.  2  K.  1425)  of  the  reign  of  Jerobo'am  11.  [c.  780  15. c.)  :t 

*  Schrader,  Einl.  §  204  ;  Dillm. ;  Westphal,  ii.  50. 

t  Graf,  pp.  79-82  ;  Bluek,  Einl.  §  127  ;  Kucnen,  Hex.  §  13.  16 ;  Reuss, 
La  Bible,  ii.  360  f.;  Stade,  Gesch.  i.  150,  152;  Cornill,  §  13.  6;  similarly 
Baudissin,  Priesterfhum,  pp.  74 f.,  266.  Evv.  {Hist.  i.  128)  assigned  the 
Blessing  to  the  age  of  Josiah.  Kleinert  (pp.  169-175  :  so  Konig,  Einl. 
p.  202  f.)  assigns  it  to  the  close  of  the  period  of  the  Judges,  when  Judah 
also  plaj'ed  a  part  distinct  from  the  other  tribes,  and  was  relatively  much 
less  prominent  ;  v.^-  he  refers  to  the  territory  of  Benjamin  generally, 
observing  that  all  the  principal  places  named  at  this  time  as  religious 
centres  (Bethel,  Gilgal,  Mizpah,  Nob)  were  within  its  borders.  Riehm 
{Einl.  i.  313)  places  it  during  the  rivalry  of  the  two  kingdoms  of  David 


3S8  DEUIERONOMY 

the  intermediate  period  is  improbable  on  account  of  the  Syrian 
wars  (cf.  p.  346) ;  and  a  date  later  than  the  age  of  Jerobo'am 
would  be  unsuitable  on  account  of  the  anarchy  and  unsettle- 
ment  which  ensued  in  Israel  after  his  death,  and  the  deporta- 
tion of  the  N.  and  E.  tribes  by  Tiglath-Pileser  in  B.C.  734 
(2  K.  15-').  There  seems  to  be  no  sufficient  reason  why 
the  first  of  these  dates  should  not  be  accepted :  *  under 
Jerobo'am  11.,  Israel  had  too  recently  recovered  itself,  and  its 
prosperity  (see  Amos,  passim)  was  too  superficial,  to  be  con- 
templated by  a  prophet  of  Jehovah  with  the  admiration  and 
satisfaction  which  the  Blessing  displays.  The  sympathy 
shown  for  the  Northern  tribes,  and  especially  the  glowing" 
eulogy  bestowed  upon  Joseph, — while  Judah  is  dismissed  in  a 
few  words,  with  the  wish  that  it  may  be  united  to  the  nation 
generally, — is  an  indication  that  the  poet  represents  the 
Ephraimite  point  of  view,  and  that  he  belongs  to  the  Northern 
kingdom.!  It  is  most  probable  that  the  Blessing  was  in- 
tended from  the  first  to  pass  under  Moses'  name :  if  this  was 
the  case,  it  will  be  most  natural  to  suppose  that  (like  the 
poetical  utterances  placed  in  Bala'am's  mouth  in  Nu.  22-24) 
it  was  the  poetical  development  of  an  ancient  popular  tradi- 
tion,! which,  as  it  took  shape  in  the  poet's  breast,  received  in 
parts  the  stamp  of  the  age  in  which  he  lived  ;  and  the  aim  of 
which  (Dillm.  p.  416)  was  "to  rally  the  nation  anew  around 
the  banner  of  the  Mosaic  institutions,  and  to  awaken  in  it  a 

and  Ishbosheth  (2  S.  2-4:  with  v.''  cf.  2  S.  5^'-);  Octtli,  p.  23,  inclines  to 
the  same  view. 

*  Unless,  indeed,  the  familiar  use  of  the  term  covenant  (v."')  pre- 
supposes a  later  age  (cf.  on  4^'). 

t  Cf.  Westphal,  ii.  50,  "  Le  verset  7  ne  s'explique  parfaitcnient  que  si 
la  pit;ce  ci  laquelle  il  appartient  a  &1&  ecrite  au  lendeniain  memo  du  Schisme 
des  dix  tribus,  en  ces  temps  i  la  fois  prospt^res  et  douloureux,  011  les  deux 
moities  de  I'heritag-e  de  David  souhaitaient  encore  de  se  rejoindre.  La 
forme  du  voeu, — qui  n'est  point  la  plus  naturelle,  puisque  c'est  Israel  qui 
s'est  separd  de  Juda, — montre  assez  que  I'auteur  de  la  piece  est  un  homme 
du  royaume  du  Nord.  On  sent  d'ailleurs  aussi  freniir,  dans  les  derniers 
mots  de  la  bent^diction  de  L^vi,  le  ressentinient  que  I'lsrael  fidele  dprouvait 
contre  les  institutions  imiiics  de  Jdroboam  I.  (comp.  i  Rois  xii,  surtout  le 
verset  31)."     Cf.  the  note  on  v.^. 

t  Westphal,  ii.  48 :  "  L'amplification  po^tique  d'un  souvenir  ancieu 
dans  la  tradition  populaire." 


XXXIII.  I  389 

fresh  and  vivid  consciousness  of  the  happiness  imphcd  in  its 
being- Jehovah's  people." 

The  Blessing-  contains  several  words  or  forms,  not  occurring  elsewhere 
(two  or  three  due  prob.  to  a  corrupt  text) :  v.^  mii'N  (?),  v.^  nan,  lan,  nnai, 
v.^  '•pann  (elsewhere  the  Nif.  icm),  v.^"  miap  (elsewhere  map),  v."  p  as 
conj.,  v.^-  '-an,  v.^-*  nna,  v.^"  use,  psb",  v.-^  pji,  v.^^  na-i-,  v.^  '7^:0  (elsewhere 
^ii'33),  NDi.  Rare  words  are  v.*  r^hnp  (usually  ^^^p),  v.^-^s  jmc",  v.^^^^"  IJD, 
V.-*  f-i-ij?.  Of  these  22n,  pji,  ysr,  and  1:0  have  an  Aramaic,  or  (■i:iD)  North- 
IsraeJitish,  tinsTfe. 

As  to  the  manner  in  which  the  Blessing  was  incorporated  itito  Dt., 
nothing  definite  can  be  said.  Dillm.  and  Cornill  (§  13.  6)  think  that  it 
formed  part  of  E  ;  Bacon  {Triple  Tradition,  p.  269 ff.)  argues  in  favour  of 
its  having  belonged  to  J  ;  but  the  arguments  on  both  sides  are  slight  and 
inconclusive.  It  displays  no  literary  connexion  with  the  narrative  of  cither 
c.  31-32  or  c.  34 :  the  sole  noteworthy  points  of  contact  with  the  Song  in 
c.  32  are  Jeshtiriui  v.®--'',  fpy  v.-^'',  and  the  figure  in  v.^^"'  (see  3215a- '-a. i:ia^ . 
in  general  style  and  tone  it  differs  from  it  completely.  Nor  do  remin- 
iscences, or  other  traces  of  its  influence,  appear  in  the  discourses  of  Dt.  : 
hence  it  is  quite  possible  that  it  was  incorporated  from  an  independent 
source — perhaps  a  collection  of  ancient  national  hymns — after  the  book 
liad,  in  other  respects,  reached  its  present  form.  The  question  is  not, 
criticall}-,  one  of  importance. 

As  regards  the  order  of  the  tribes,  the  series  is  opened  naturally  by  the 
first-born,  Reuben  ;  in  Gn.  49  Reuben  is  followed,  in  order  of  seniority,  by 
Sime'on,  Levi,  Judah,  and  then  by  the  two  younger  Leah-tribes,  Issachar 
and  Zebulun  :  here  (Sime'on  being  omitted)  Judah  precedes  Levi, — on 
account,  doubtless,  of  its  political  prominence ;  the  two  Rahel-tribcs, 
Benjamin  and  Joseph  (which  in  Gn.  49,  as  Jacob's  }"oungest  sons,  come 
last,  in  the  opposite  order)  precede  Zebulun  and  Issachar, — in  view,  no 
doubt,  of  their  superior  theocratic  or  political  importance,  Benjamin  stand- 
ing first  on  account  of  the  Temple  ;  and  the  series  is  closed  by  Gad,  Dan, 
Naphtali,  Asher,  the  two  Bilhah  (Rahel's  handmaid)-tribes  coming 
between  the  two  Zilpah  (Leah's  handmaid)-tribes. 

Monographs  on  the  Blessing  :  K.  H.  Graf,  Der  Segen  Mose's,  1857  ; 
W.  Volck,  Der  Segen  Mose's,  1873  :  see  also  Stade,  Gesch.  i.  150-172. 

XXXIII.  1.  Superscription. — The  tnan  of  God]  so,  of  Moses, 
Jos.  14''  Ps.  90  iitlc\.  Frequently  of  prophets  (i  S.  2^''  9" 
I  K.  12'--  i3^''^-  2  K.  4-8  (oft.),  &c.),  or  messeng-ers  of  God 
(Jud.  13''-*). — Before  his  dcat]i\  Gn.  27"  50^*^  i  Ch.  22''. 

2-5.  Exordium.  How  Jehovah,  revealing  Himself  majes- 
tically to  His  people  in  the  desert,  gave  them  a  law  through 
Moses,  and  secured  for  the  tribes,  united  under  His  sovereignty, 
the  possession  of  Canaan. 

XXXin.  1.  'v\  1-13  i^n]  the  double  accus.,  as  12"  15"  (G-K.  §  117.  5"; 
Dav.  §g  75'',  78  R^). 


390  DKUTERONO.N.Y 

^  Jehovah  came  from  Sinai, 

And  beamed  forth  unto  them  from  Sc'ir ; 

He  shone  forth  from  Mount  Paran, 

And  approached  out  of  holy  myriads  ; 

From  his  right  hand  was  a  [burning]  fire  for  tliem. 
^  Yea,  he  had  affection  for  the  peoples  [G  :  his  people] ; 

All  its  holy  ones  were  in  thy  hand  : 

And  they  [followed]  at  thy  foot, 

Receiving-  of  thy  words. 
*  A  law  Moses  commanded  for  us, 

A  possession  (for)  the  assembly  of  Jacob. 
^  And  he  became  king  in  Jeshurun, 

When  the  heads  of  the  people  were  asseml)!ed. 

All  together  the  tribes  of  Israel. 

2.  It  is  not  said  that  Jehovah  came  /o  Sinai,  but  that  He 
came  from  it ;  hence  the  verse  cannot  rehite  to  the  deliv'ery  of 
the  la\v,  when  Jehovah  "came  down  i/poii  Sinai"  (Ex.  ig^^--*^), 
but  describes,  under  grand  poetic  imag^ery,  how  from  spots 
bordering-  on  the  wilderness  of  the  wandering's,  Jehovah  had 
displayed  Himself  g-loriously  to  His  people,  assisting-  them 
with  His  presence,  and  gfuiding-  them  on  their  journey  to 
Canaan.  Cf.  the  theophanies  described  in  Jud.  5^*'-  (whence, 
with  variations,  Ps.  68^'-  ("'•)),  Hab.  s^'f.  Ps.  7710-20.  sinai, 
which  is  already  called  the  "mount  of  God"  in  Ex.  3^  (cf. 
19''),  must,  it  seems,  have  been  a  sacred  spot  before  the 
Israelites  made  it  their  halting--place  (cf.  Wellh.  I/zsL  p.  343  f.  ; 
W.  R.  Smith,  Rcl.  Son.  p.  iiof.,  ed.  2,  1894,  p.  iiyf.)-  Tlie 
majestic  mountain  rang-es  on  the  other  side  of  the ^ great 
desert,  which  stretched  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  on  the  S. 
of  Canaan,  impressive  both  for  their  solitude  [S.  &  P.  p.  12  f.) 
and  for  their  savage  g"randeur,  appear  to  have  been  reg^arded 
by  the  Israelites,  before  the  establishment  of  the  sanctuary  on 
Zion,  as  Jehovah's  earthly  dwelling'-place,  whence  He  Issued 
forth  for  the  defence  or  g-uidance  of  His  people. — Sin^ii]  D 
always  speaks  oi  Horeb  (i*^). — Beamed  forth  (mi)]  viz.  as  the 

2.  ir»'c]  ja  may  express  either  out  of,  from,  or  off,  on  the  side  of  =  at 
(Ps.  16^  and  oft.) :  the  former  is  more  suitable  here. — n-j-^i'x]  so  Mass.,  with 
the  note  pin  npi  in  3'n3,  i.e.  to  be  written  as  one  word,  and  read  as  two 
(n-j  nx).  m,  for  the  reason  stated  above,  cannot  be  correct :  hence  we  are 
driven  to  conclude  that  the  text  is  corrupt.  Most  of  the  suggestions  that 
have  been  made  are,  however,  questionable  philologically :  so  t^'vc'A^  (Graf) 
support,  viz.  for  Israel  (cf.  Aram.  t«iT-j;f=N  =  Heb.  nii;  i  K.  7^^  10"),  nii^N 


xxxiii.  2  391 

rising"  sun,  illumining'  the  horizon  with  the  splendour  of  its 
rays.  Tliis  is  what  mi  always  denotes  :  cf.  ^  mf  Cin.  32''-(^'); 
and  fig.,  as  here,  of  Jehovah,  Mai.  3-<> :  so  ^y  mt  Is.  60^-2. — 
Unto  thcni\  viz.  the  persons  whom  the  poet  has  in  his  mind  (Is. 
13^  33^;  Nah.  jS  "  its  place"),  i.e.  here  the  people  of  Israel. — 
From  Scir\  i.e.  from  Edom  (p.  6).  The  mention  of  Edom — a 
country  generally  so  hostile  to  Israel — as  a  place  whence 
Jehovah  manifests  Himself  for  the  salvation  of  His  people, 
is  remarkable;  but  it  recurs  in  Deborah's  Song,  Jud.  5^ 
("Jehovah,  when  thou  camest  forth  from  Scir,  when  thou 
marchedst  from  the  field  of  Edom'"),  and  in  the  Ode  of 
Habakkuk,  Hab.  3''  ("God  came  from  Teman  [a  district  of 
Edom],  and  the  Holy  One  from  Mount  Paran  ")  ;  and  in  Jud. 
5''  the  theophanic  storm  on  Sinai  appears  to  be  represented 
not  as  a  consequence  of  Jehovah's  descent  from  heaven,  but 
as  a  consequence  of  His  issuing  forth  from  Edom.  Were  we 
better  acquainted  than  we  are  with  the  ancient  religion  of 
Edom,  the  reason  for  this  representation  mig'ht  be  apparent. 
— Shone  forth  (ysin)]  Ps.  50"-  (from  Zion),  80-  94I :  the  thought 
also  as  Hab.  3^  n'-nn  "11X3  nJ31. — From  Rloiint  Paran]  or 
(collect.)  the  mountains  of  Paran:  so  Hab.  3'^  (just  quoted). 
The  data  at  our  disposal  do  not  enable  us  to  fix  with  con- 
fidence the  locality  intended  (cf.  p.  4) :  by  some  (Schultz,  Keil, 
Palmer,  Desert  of  the  Exodus,  p.  510,  cf.  pp.  28Sf.,  339,  344  f.) 
it  is  ide.itified  with  Jebel  Mugrah,  a  height  of  some  2000  ft., 
abou.  29  miles  S.  of  'Ain  Kadis,  50  miles  W.  of  Edom,  and 
130  N.  of  Sinai,  forming  the  S.  part  of  the  mountain  plateau, 
now  inhabited  by  the  Azazimeh  Arabs  ;  by  others  (Delitzsch 
on  Hab.  3',  Volck)  with  the  range  of  hills  extending"  in  a  N.E. 
direction  from  Sinai,  along  the  W.  side  of  the  Aelanitic  Gulf, 

(Fricdr.  Del.  ZKWL.  18S2,  p.  342,  tentatively)  standing-places  (from  the 
Assyr.),  niiyj?  (E\v.  Knob.)  lightniuir-flashes  (Aram.  luW  to  pour  forth,  but 
not  spec,  of  light),  nifx  (Bo.  Kc.)Jire  sliot  forili  (of  lit^htning-,  lit.  fire  of 
throwing,  from  c'K  and  nga*  from  Aram.  nB*  to  thro7v,  Hcb.  rriy'  in  the  n. 
pr.  niN'i^f'  Nu.  i''  2^"),  a  sense  which  Ges.  seeks  to  extract  from  MT.,  by 
treating"  n'j  as  contr.  from  n":;,  from  m'  to  throw.  Dillm.,  observing  that 
the  idea  o{  liglitning  is  best  suited  to  the  context,  proposes  cither  n'i[3  7]  b'N 
(Ex.  20^*)  or  n"[p,']  trx  ;  these  are  by  far  the  best  proposals  that  have  been 
made,  the  latter  (as  the  f.  pi.  of  T2^  is  not  found  except  as  a  n.  pr.)  being 
the  preferable  one. 


392  DEUTERONOMY 

towards  I"'dom.  The  latter  raiii^^e  of  mountains  appears  to  be 
the  loftier  and  more  imposing"  (cf.  Hull,  Mount  Scir,  Siii(n\  &c. 
pp.  55-61),  if  such  characteristics  may  be  presumed  to  have 
determined  its  selection  in  the  present  connexion.  And  El  of 
Parau,  if  this  be  rightly  identified  with  Elath  (2^),  at  the  head 
of  the  Aelanitic  Gulf  (cf.  Dillm.  on  Gn.  14*'),  would  seem  to 
connect  Paran  somewhat  intimately  with  that  neighbourhood. 
— Approaclicd  ('^9^)1  '^^^  ''^  ^'^"^  Aram,  synonym  of  j^a  to  come 
(cl.''),  found  sometimes  in  Ileb.  poetry  (v.-i  Is.  21^2  jej-.  2,"  nl.). 
Approached  is  adopted  merely  to  avoid  the  repetition  of  the 
same  word  came. — Out  0/ holy  myriads\  i.e.  from  His  abode  in 
heaven,  where  He  sits  enthroned,  surrounded  by  angelic  hosts 
(i  K.  22'^  Ps.  8cy  Dan.  7^"  al.).  But  the  sense  thus  produced 
is  here  unsatisfactory ;  and  it  is  very  doubtful  if  the  text  is 
correct. 

A  periphrasis  for  heaven  is  not  a  probable  parallel  to  Sinai,  Se'ir,  and 
Paran  ;  and  the  thoiiyht  of  Jehovah's  coming-  forth  from  His  heavenly 
abode  (Mic.  i'')  sliould  precede  the  three  earthly  localities  :  moreover,  the 
angfel  hosts  would  be  more  naturally  pictured  as  accompanying  their 
Sovereiijn  (Zech.  14''  Ps.  68'^ (^')),  than  as  left  behind  by  Him  in  heaven. 
(G  (for  lioly)  has  Ka5»j ;  whence  Ew.  {Hist.  ii.  198  ;  Jahrh.  Bibl.  Wiss.  iii. 
234),  Dillm.  read  v-\p  n^'iao  "from  Meribath-Kadesh  (s^"''),  to  which  Oettli 
also  inclines  ;  Bottcher,  Neue  Ahrenl.  (less  probably)  cip  n2"ii'a  "  from  the 
steppes  (34**)  of  ^adesh";  Wellh.  {Hist.  p.  344)  np  nana  "and  came  to 
Meribath-Kadesh."  Kadesh  (as  its  name  implies)  was  an  ancient  sanctu- 
ary, and  for  long-  a  resling--place  of  the  Israelites  (i"*^ :  cf.  p.  32  f.),  thoug-h 
details  of  their  sojourn  there  are  not  preserved  in  our  present  Pentateuch. 
Its  mention  here  would  thus  not  in  itself  be  unsuitable  :  thoug-h  tK>  g^eo- 
graphical  character  of  Kadesh— a  recess  in  a  low  limestone  range,  rising- 
out  of  the  plain  (p.  6) — in  view  of  the  fact  that  Jehovah's  theophanies  are 
habitually  associated  with  g-reat  mountain  reg-ions,  does  not  lend  prob- 
ability to  the  idea  of  a  theophanyyVow  it.  Wellh. 's  reading  may  thus  be 
worthy  of  greater  consideration  than  Dillm.  (p.  417  f.)  is  disposed  to  give 
to  it ;  for,  to  judge  from  its  other  name  (Gn.  14")  'En-Mislipat,  "  Spring  of 
judgment,"  contending  parties  sought  at  Kadesh  authoritative  settlement 
of  their  disputes  ;  hence  it  is  quite  possible  that  tradition  may  have  con- 
nected part  of  Moses'  legislative  activit}'  with  the  period  of  Israel's  sojourn 
there.  Other  slight  emendations,  deviating  less  from  the  existing  text, 
and  none  unsuitable  to  the  context,  would  be  nnai^  for  nnma  (cf.  p.  31  «.) 
"and  came  ivitli  holy  myriads";  B'^p  naan  nhxi  "and  ivitli  him  (so,  for 
came,  Sam.  SSTU:  for  the  n,  see  on  34^^)  were  holy  myriads";  or  nnx] 
np  ni^siD  (mentioned  by  Graf),  "and  with  him  were  holy  cJiariots"  {ci. 
Ps.  68'**  ('')  Hab.  3'^'').  It  is  impossible  to  determine  with  confidence  what 
the  original  text  was. — The  passage,  as  understood  by  the  Jews  (2^  "  and 


xxxiii.  3  393 

with  liini  were  myfiatls  of  holy  ones "  ;  cf.  (Tf  in  clause  ^  Ik  ^i^rZv  al/rou 
uyy-kot  fiiT  ai/Tou),  gfavc  rise  to  the  belief  that  the  ang'cls  assisted  at  the 
delivery  of  the  law,  Acts  7"''  Gal.  3^''  (see  Liy;htfoot),  Hcb.  2-  Jos.  AnL 
XV.  5.  3  al. ;  cf.  Weber,  AUsynag.  Theol.  p.  259. 

A  huniing  fire  for  thcm\  the  Heb.  text  has  in^  m  C'S  "fire 

was  a  law  for  them."     But  m  "  law  "  is  a  Pcrsiaii  word,  found 

only  in  the  latest  parts  of  the  OT.  (Ezr.  Est.  Dan.) :  it  is  next 

to  impossible  that  it  can  have  been  used  in  Heb.  at  the  time 

when  this  Blessing"  was  written.     Various  emendations  have 

been  proposed  (see  below),  of  which  the  most  plausible  is  that 

of  Dillm.,  here  adopted,  n"lp"'  for  n^  :  for  the  thought,  cf.  Hab. 

3^  "  He  had  rays  of  light  (coming  forth)  from  his  hand,"  Ex, 

2o^s  Ps.   50^.     The  theophany  is  described  (as  Hab.  3^''-)  as 

accompanied  by  a  flood  of  brilliant  light. — 3.  The  verse,  with  its 

many  aTra^  £ip7//xei'a,  and  other  difficulties,  can  hardly  be  in  its 

original  form  :  as  it  stands,  the  general  sense  expressed  by  it  is 

Jehovah's  loving  guidance  of  Israel,  and  the  instruction  which 

He  vouchsafed  to  give  it. — Had  affection  for  (33n)]  only  here  ; 

common   in  Aram,   and  Arab,   in  the   sense   of  io  love.     The 

thought   as   7"-s   Sec—Bis  people  (voy)]   so   (&  Dillm.    Oettli, 

Marti :    cf.   the  sing.   pron.  its  in  cl.  ^.     The  text  has  peoples 

(C'foy).     This  regularly  denotes  the  heathen  nations  (so  Schultz, 

Keil),  God's  regard  for  which  is,  however,  here  entirely  foreign 

to  the  poet's  train  of  thought. —  Its  holy  ones\  i.e.  Israel's,  the 

"holy  nation"  (Ex.    ig";    Dt.  7"   142-21  26^'').     The  pron.  can 

hardly  be  rendered  his,  on  account  of  the  very  harsh  eiiallage 

3.  3 5 h]  the  ptcp.  w'ithoiit  the  siibj.  expressed  is  defensible  (v.'-:  Dr. 
§  135.  6;  Dav.  §  loo'"') ;  but  here,  as  pflF.  precede  and  follow,  nan  ((IlrS'iirU, 
Kn.  Di.  Oe.)  is  preferable.— D-aj']  on  the  strength  of  Gn.  28^  48^  Jud.  5^^  Hos. 
10",  it  has  been  supposed  (Onq.  Ibn  'Ezra,  Rashi,  Graf,  Kn.  al.)  that  D'Dy 
may  mean  the  tribes  of  Israel :  but  it  is  very  doubtful  if  the  promise  that 
Jacob  is  to  become  "a  company  oi peoples"  (cf.  "of  nations"  Gn.  35^^),  or 
Jud.  5"  Hos.  lo^*  (where  "  thy  D'Dj;  "  appears  to  mean  "  thy  kinsfolk  "  :  see 
on  32^"),  justif}"-  the  supposition  that  D'Dy  used  absolutely  would  express  this 
sense. — isn]  would  be  a  pf.  Pu.  from  n3n :  but  no  root  nrn  is  known.  De 
Dieu,  Ges.  Rod.  (in  Thes.)  al.  render  reclined,  comparing-  Arab,  'iitakaa 
(viii.  conj.)  to  lean,  recline  (e.g.  oh  seats  Qor.  18^*  43'''')  '•  but  this  rend,  is  very 
dub. ;  there  is  no  genuine  root  taka'a  in  Arabic  ;  'itlakaa,  like  'aikaa  (iv.), 
is  a  secondary  formation  from  li'aka'a  (Freyt.  s.v.  ;  Lane,  p.  2962).     Graf, 

Knob,  would  read  ?3n,  comparing  Arab,  thakka  peregrinatus  fuit ;  but  l  ■'•  1 
should  correspond  to  Heb.  ty,  notn.     Other  explanations  are  still  less  satis- 


394  DEUTERONOMY 

pcrsojinc,  which  would  then  be  involved  in  the  followini^f  iJiy, 
— Follo7vcd\  the  rend,  is  given  conjecturally,  "lan  being  in  fact 
a  vox  ni/iili ;  see  below. — Ai  thy  fooi\  i.e.  at  thy  g'uidance 
(see  below):  cf.  i'"'  &c. — 77/1'  ivords\  i.e.  commands,  laws, 
&c. — 4.  Possession  (n*J'"]iD)]  otherwise  only  Ex.  6^  (P),  and  Ez. 
J  J 15  25i- 10  332'!  352- ■■'•5^  of  a  territorial  possession.  n?n3  in- 
Jtcritance  lends  itself  to  fig",  uses  ;  and  hence  a  late  Psalmist 
can  speak  of  the  law  as  his  nbnj  (Ps.  119^) :  but  the  metaph. 
use  of-ncni^  is  not  probable  ;  and  the  reference  is  no  doubt  to 
Canaan,  of  which  the  cogn.  verb  cn^  is  constantly  used  (Dt. 
4''  &c.). — Assembly  (i^p'??)]  only  Neh.  5'':  T'HP  is  the  usual  word 
(232(1)). — 5.  Becmnc  king^  &=<:.]  Jehovah  assumed,  as  it  were, 
the  sovereignty  over  Israel,  when  the  tribes  with  their  leaders 
(v. 21)  were  gathered  about  Him,  on  the  "day  of  the  assembly  " 
(9I0  10*  iSi")  at  Sinai. — JesJiurini\  the  designation  shows  that 
Israel  is  here  contemplated  under  its  ideal  character  (32!'^). — 
King\  of  God,  as  Nu.  2321 ;  cf.  Jud.  823  jg,  3322,  Qraf,  Wellh. 
[Hisf.  p.  254),  Stade  [Gesch.  i.  177),  Reuss,  Kuenen  [Hex.  §  13. 
16),  Cornill,  §  13.  6,  render  "And  there  was  a  king,"  &c.,  sup- 
posing the  reference  to  be  to  the  recognition  of  Saul  as  king 
by  united  Israel.  But  this,  as  Dillm.  observes,  does  not  seem 
to  lie  in  the  line  of  the  poet's  thought.  CI.  ^  leads  on  appro- 
priately to  the  notices  of  the  separate  tribes,  which  follow  (Di.). 
6.  Reuben. 

Let  Reuben  live,  and  not  die  ; 
But  let  his  men  be  few. 

factory.  The  Versions,  and  Jewish  authorities,  render  no  help,  in  most 
cases  merely  conjecturing'  from  the  context ;  ffi  tivo  ai  (as  though  nnn  for 
iDn),  S  X^-va  foUoived,  Aq.  percussi  {as  thoug-h  13 n),  U  qui  appropiiiqxiant 
pedibus  tuis,  Ibn  'Ezra  i::;'C3,  Kimchi  -^yh  laSii  nannj  loipo  'd'?  lyjy.  isSi, 
or  ij;d3,  is  the  idea  that  is  required  (see  the  note  on  "'^ii'?) :  but  there  is  no 
Heb.  word  expressing  it,  which  graphically  resembles  i3n  :  the  corruption, 
it  is  evident,  is  deep-seated. — ■I'7J^'?]  the  7  does  not  express  locality,  but  is 
the  S  of  norm  (11^^),  as  i  S.  25^-  "who  went  according  to  her  foot,"  i.e. 
.ittended  her  wherever  she  went,  Gn.  30"^  33^*  {ace.  to  the  foot — i.e.  pace — 
of  the  cattle),  Is.  41-  (RV.  2nd  w.),  Hab.  3^ — nc"]  the  "  sj-nchronistic " 
impf.,  as  Is.  42"  Jer.  15*  i  S.  18''  Ps.  26^  (Dr.  §§  34<'«f/,  163;  Dav.  §  141. 
R.^). — -I'nnmo]  with  jD  part.  The  form  .ti3"0  (not  elsewhere)  excites  sus- 
picion.—4.  nVnp]  poet,  for  n'?np'? :  cf.  Is.  28''  48'^  (G-K.  §  119.  5).— 5.  ^^'] 
beginning  the  clause  with  emph.  :  cf.  Job  3^*  16'"  19^-  al.\  and  i"n'  v.'  Is. 
jj7.  u  21-  al. — 6.  '.Ti]  the  sg-.,  as  32"-^ — vno]  on  4-'^. — nsrc]  lit.  number  (G-K. 


XXXIII.  4-6  395 

The  series  opens  with  Reuben,  the  first-born  (Gn.  49''). 
The  blessing  is  a  qualified  one,  and  corresponds  with  the 
position  actually  taken  by  Reuben  in  history.  The  tribe  main- 
tained its  existence,  but  was  not  politically  important ;  and 
its  numbers  were  probably  greatly  reduced.  It  is  reproached 
by  Deborah  (Jud.  5^-^*^-)  for  its  indiff'erence  in  a  great  national 
crisis;  and  many  of  the  cities  assigned  to  it  in  the  "table- 
land" (iic^DH)  N.  of  the  Arnon  (Jos.  i^'^'-^--'')  appear  afterwards 
(see  the  Inscription  of  Mesha' ;  Is.  15-16;  Jer.  48)  in  the 
possession  of  Moab.  It  is  rarely  referred  to  in  the  history. 
The  dwindling  numbers,  and  national  insignificance,  of  the 
tribe,  are  reflected  in  the  Blessing ;  Reuben  is  to  be  saved 
from  extinction,  but  its  existence  is  to  be  a  precarious  one. — 
Sime'on,  Leah's  second  son,  who  would  naturally  follow 
Reuben  (as  Gn.  49^),  is  passed  by.  This,  it  seems,  is  to  be 
explained  by  the  fact  that  Sime'on  at  an  early  period  was 
virtually  absorbed  by  the  tribe  of  Judah,  in  the  S.W.  of  whose 
territory,  about  Beer-sheba',  its  possessions  lay :  all  the 
Sime'onite  cities  enumerated  in  Jos.  19^"®  are  classed  in 
1-20-32.42  as  belonging  to  Judah  (cf.  also  Jos.  19^  i  Ch.  /\.-''-  "i)  ; 
after  the  division  of  the  kingdom,  Sime'on  hardly  figures  as 
an  independent  tribe ;  nor  is  a  single  member  of  it  named  as 
resident  in  the  same  cities  (Neh.  u-""'-)  after  the  exile  (cf. 
Ew.  I/isL  ii.  287  f.  ;  Stade,  Gcsch.  i.  154  f.).  Its  early  close 
connexion  with  Judah  is  attested  by  Jud.  i^-  '^'^.  Cod.  A  and 
other  MSS.  of  (Jj  insert  2v/Aeojj/  in  cl.  ^',  rendering  (falsely)  k(u 
wu/Aewi'  ecTTw  TToAvs  Iv  apiO/xw;   but  this  is  evidently  a  correction, 

§  141.  2  R^ ;  Dr.  §  192.  2  ;  Dav.  §  29°),  idiom,  for  numerable,  few  (Is.  10^"; 
Nu.  9-"  ;  Dt.  4-^  «/.).  The  qualified  blessing-  has  appeared  to  many  to  be  a 
difliculty  ;  and  attempts  have  hence  been  made  to  extract  from  the  verse 
a  difTerent  sense.  Thus  Graf,  Ke.  understand  the  ncg.  in  nO'  '?N1  to  rule 
also  the  foil,  clause  (as  Ps.  9'^  35^"  38-  44'^  75"  i  S.  2") ;  but  this  happens 
only  where  the  neg-.  holds  the  principal  place  in  the  first  of  two  parallel 
clauses :  here  it  holds  a  subordinate  place,  the  words  and  7iot  die  being- 
added  to  Let  Reuben  live,  merely  for  the  sake  of  emphasizing  that  (cf.  Ps. 
28-^''  Jer.  2^  18^  21'"  24®  42'") ;  the  first  clause  of  the  verse,  therefore,  so  far 
from  supplying  a  neg.  to  determine  the  second,  in  reality  contains  only  an 
rt/?7^wrt//z't' proposition.  Di.  treats  1  in  -r\'^  as  =  so  that  {G-K.  §  109.  2'' R  ; 
Dr.  §  64  ;  Dav.  §  65^)  "  Let  Reuben  live  ;  and  let  him  not  die  so  that  his  men 
be  few"  ;  but  this  rend,  destroys  the  rhythm  and  s)mmetrv  of  the  verse. 


39^  DEUTERONOMY 

made  to  remove  what  had  the  appearance  of  a  didiculty.     See 
further  at  the  end  of  the  note  on  v.'^  (p.  397  f.). 
1.  Judah. 

^  Hear,  O  Jehovah,  the  voice  of  Judah, 
And  brinti'  him  to  his  people  : 
Witli  his  hands  he  hath  contended  for  it, 
And  be  thou  a  help  from  his  adversaries. 

The  prayer  of  the  first  Hne  impHes  that  the  tribe  desires 
something- — whether  release  from  peril,  or  success  in  war,  or 
union  with  its  natural  allies — which  it  has  not  yet  attained 
(Ps.  i8'(*'''  62-'0);  cf.  Gn.  21^7  Nu.  -qIS)  ;  the  prayer  that  it 
may  be  "  brought  unto  its  people"  implies  that  it  is  separated 
from  them.  And  the  tribe  beingf  spoken  of  as  a  whole,  the 
"people"  to  which  it  is  to  be  brought  can  only  be  the  rest  of 
Israel.  When,  however,  was  Judah,  relatively  to  the  rest  of 
Israel,  in  the  situation  thus  presupposed  ?  And  what  is  the 
separation  alluded  to  ?  Onq.  paraphrases  :  **  Hear,  O  Jehovah, 
the  prayer  of  Judah  iohe?i  he  goeth  forth  to  battle;  and  bring 
him  back  to  his  people  in  peace'''' ;  and  the  words  are  explained 
similarly  by  Keil  and  others.  But  this  exegesis  is  question- 
able :  the  limitation  expressed  in  the  first  italicized  clause  is 
not  suggested  by  anything  in  the  text,  which  implies  that 
Judah  is  generally^  at  the  time  contemplated  by  the  poet,  in 
need  of  assistance.  And  we  at  least  know  nothing  from  the 
history  of  its  having  been  the  custom  for  Judah  to  fight  on 
behalf  of  the  other  tribes,  and  in  separation  from  them  ;  Jud. 
i3  20^^  do  not  prove  it.  Judah,  during  the  period  of  the 
Judges,  so  far  from  having  been  the  champion  of  the  other 
tribes,  appears  rather  to  have  held  aloof  from  them,  and 
pursued  an  independent  course  of  its  own :  in  the  Song  of 
Deborah,  it  is  not  even  named.  By  many  the  words  have  been 
interpreted  as  a  prayer,  uttered  from  the  point  of  view  of  an  I 
Israelite  of  the  Northern  kingdom,  for  the  reunion  of  Judah  j 
and  Israel,  either  (Riehm,  Einl.  i.  313)  during  the  rivalry 
(2  S.  2-4)  between  the  two  kingdoms  of  David  and  Ishbosheth, 
or  at  some  period  (see  p.  387  f.)  after  the  rupture  under  Jero- 
bo'am  I.  (so  Ew.  Hist.  i.  128;  Graf,  p.  28  f.;  Wellh.  Hist. 
p.    282;    Stade,    Gesch.   i.    160;    Dillm. ;    Westphal,   ii.   50). 


XXX 111.  7  397 

Although,  from  a  Juda?an  pohit  of  view  (i  K.  12  Is.  y^''  &c.), 
the  rupture  was  \iewcd  us  a  defection  of  the  Nortliern  tribes 
from  the  dvnasty  of  David,  yet  Judah  was  the  smaller  unit, 
and  the  Northern  kingdom  retained  the  national  name  of 
"  Israel,"  so  that  an  Ephraimite,  who,  whether  on  religious  or 
political  grounds,  regarded  the  division  as  a  misfortune,  might 
well  speak  of  Judah  as  being  brought  to  the  larger  whole,  of 
which  it  was  naturally  a  part,  viz.  "its  people"  Israel.*  It  is 
not  a  decisive  objection  to  this  view  that  bring  b(tck  (i:2''C^n) 
would  be  used  of  a  rt'union,  rather  than  merely  bring  ("ijs''3n) : 
see  Dt.  30''  Ez.  36--^  37^1  al.  Clause  ^  will  then  allude  to  the 
leadership  naturally  assumed  by  Judah  under  David  and 
Solomon:  the  victorious  wars  of  David  (2  S.  8,  &c.)  might 
well  be  described  poetically  as  contests  in  which  the  tribe  was 
engaged  for  the  common  weal.  This  is  the  best  explanation 
of  which  the  words  admit :  our  ignorance  of  the  exact  circum- 
stances under  which  the  Blessing  was  composed,  naturally 
precludes  us  from  being  confident  that  it  is  the  correct  one. 
Clause*^,  "  if  it  be  not  meant  quite  generally,  could  be  readilj- 
understood  as  an  allusion  to  the  invasion  of  Shishak,  i  K. 
i/|.25f.  >>  (Dillm.). —  With  his  hands,  &c.\  justifying  the  desire 
for  reunion,  just  expressed,  by  a  reference  to  Judah's  services 
for  the  common  weal.  But  v  H''"!  T'"''  (addressed  to  God) 
"  with  thy  hands  contend  for  it"  (Is.  •49-5  51'-^'-'  &c.),  is  (as  Di. 
also  allows)  a  plausible  conjecture  (Stade,  /.c). 

The  brevity  of  the  blesshig'  of  Judah,  and  tlie  martial  terms  of  v.^^, 
which  seem  imsuited  to  the  character  of  Levi,  led  K.  Kohler  (Der  Segen 
Jacob's,  1867,  p.  5)  to  conjecture  that  v.^  was  misplaced,  and  that  it  ought 
to  follow  v.-'",  in  which  case  v.^'  would  of  course  relate  to  Judah.  Gnitz 
{Gcsch.  derjudcn,  ii.  i  (1875),  p.  486 f.)  went  further,  following-  R.  Eli'ezer, 
a  Talmudic  author  of  the  2nd  cent,  a.d.,  in  applying  to  this  verse  the 

7.  -h  i-\  vt]  constr.  as  Ps.  3^^  ifi-^^  44!  &,c.  (G-K.  §  144,  4*;  Dav. 
§  109  R.2). 

*  On  the  theocratic  relation  of  the  kingdom  of  Israel  to  that  of  Judah, 
see  an  excellent  paper  by  the  Rev.  A.  Robertson,  D.D.,  in  the  Thinker, 
Jan.  1895,  who  points  out  well  that  though  Judah  beca^ne  ultimately  more 
important,  nevertheless,  during  the  two  centuries  following  the  division 
of  the  kingdom,  Israel  was  both  i)olitically  the  more  powerful  and  also  the 
chief  centre  of  spiritual  life  and  activity  (Elijah,  Elisha',  Amos,  Hosea'). 


39S  DKUTKKONOMY 

somewhat  bold  exegetical  canon  that  when  a  word  did  not  suit  a  passage 
another  more  suitable  mij^^ht,  if  necessary,  be  substituted  for  it,  and,  in 
reading'  accordingly,  Simeon  (twice)  for  Jiidah.  Heilprin,  Hist.  Poetry  of 
the  Hebrews  (New  York,  1879),  i.  113-116,  and  Bacon,  Triple  Tradition, 
pp.  270-272,  argue  strongly  in  support  of  this  correction,  and,  combining 
with  it  the  emendation  suggested  by  Kohlcr,  obtain,  as  the  Blessing  of 
Sime'on  (v."),  *'  Hear,  O  Jehovah,  the  voice  of  Sime'on,  And  bring  him  to 
his  people  "  (the  reference  being  supposed  to  be  to  the  remnant  of  Sime'on- 
ites,  who  found  refuge  in  Se'ir,  i  Ch.  4'''^") ;  and,  as  the  Blessing  of  Judah 
(v.^'),  "Judah  with  his  hands  contends  for  himself.  And  thou  art  an  help 
from  his  foes  :  Bless,  O  Jehovah,  his  might,  And  accept  the  work  of  his 
hands  ;  Smite  through  in  the  loins  those  that  rise  up  against  him.  And 
them  that  hate  him,  that  they  rise  not  again  "  (Heilprin,  p.  ii6f. ;  slightly 
differently  Bacon,  p.  315).  The  correction  is  an  ingenious  one  :  but  no 
reason  appears  for  the  transposition,  and  other  alterations,  which  it  postu- 
lates :  and  it  is  difficult  not  to  feel  the  justice  of  Dillmann's  verdict,  that 
it  is  "too  violent"  to  be  probable.  (The  play  on  Sime'on  in  "Hear" 
{shemd')  is  no  appreciable  argument  in  its  favour ;  for  though  the  names 
of  the  tribes  are  played  on  in  Gn.  49  (v.*^- ^''' ^"),  this  is  not  elsewhere  the 
case  in  Dt.  33, — VT  in  v.'',  on  mi.T,  being  very  doubtful.) 

8-11.  Levi. 

*  Thy  Thummim  and  thy  Urim  be  for  the  man,  thy  godly  one, 

Whom  thou  didst  prove  at  Massah, 

With  whom  thou  contendedst  at  the  waters  of  Meribah  : 
'■^  Wlio  saith  of  his  father,  and  of  his  mother,  I  have  not  seen  him, 

Neither  doth  he  acknowledge  his  brethren, 

Nor  knoweth  he  his  own  children  ; 

For  they  keep  thy  saying,  and  observe  thy  covenant : 
^^  They  show  Jacob  thy  judgments. 

And  Israel  thy  direction  (law) ; 

They  set  incense  in  thy  nostril. 

And  whole-offerings  upon  thine  altar : 
^^  Bless,  O  Jehovah,  his  might. 

And  favour  (accept)  the  work  of  his  hands  ; 

Smite  through  in  the  loins  those  that  rise  up  against  him. 

And  them  that  hate  him,  that  they  rise  not  (again). 

Contrast  Gn.  49^"^. — 8.  Jehovah  is  addressed,  with  the 
petition  that  the  privilege  of  guarding"  for  Israel  the  sacred 
lot  may  be  confirmed  to  Levi,  whose  fidelity  had  been  so 
severely  tested  in  the  wilderness. — Thuvimim  and  Urwi\  else- 
where always  Urini  and  TJmmmim,  Ex.  28''°  Lev.  8^  Ezr.  2*''^ 
(  =  Ne.  7"''),  and  esp.  i  S.  14*^  (5  ("Wherefore  hast  thou  not 
answered  thy  servant  this  day?  if  this  iniquity  be  in  me  or  in 
Jonathan  my  son,  O  Jehovah,  God  of  Israel,  give  Urim  ;  but  if 
it  be  in  thy  people  Israel,  give  Thummim  ")t :  the  Urim  alone 


xxxiii.  s  399 

are  named  Nu.  27-^  i  S.  28'''t. — For  the  7iiaii,  tJiy  sfuiily  onc\  i.e. 
the  tribe  Levi,  conceived  colleclively,  and  personified  as  an 
individual ;  in  clauses  ^'  '''  it  is  then  described  as  being* 
"proved"  at  Massah,  and  "contended"  with  at  the  waters  of 
Meribah,  viz.  (if  the  reference  be  to  what  is  described  in  our 
existing-  Pent.)  in  the  persons  of  its  two  representative  leaders, 
]\Ioses  and  Aaron.  This  rend,  is  supported  by  the  prominence 
which  it  gives  (in  agreemenl:  with  the  other  blessings)  to  the 
tribe  itself:  but  the  sense  put  upon  cl.  ^''  *^  is  rather  strained. 
Dlllm.  Oettli  render  "  for  the  men  of  thy  godly  one,"  viz.  of 
Moses,  the  men  of  his  tribe  (c'"'X  being-  collective,  as  Jos.  9^^* 
Jud.  8-^'  Is.  S^-";  and  often);  in  this  case  the  relatives  in 
cl.  '''  *^  will  refer  directly  to  Moses.  The  passage,  however, 
occasions  difficulty :  for  (i)  the  words,  taken  in  their  natural 
sense,  refer  to  the  tribe  generally  (notice  X\\^  plurals  in  v.-"-), 
which  however  is  not  mentioned  upon  either  of  the  occasions 
referred  to  (Ex.  17^"'';  Nu.  20^"^^) ;  and  (2)  even  if  it  be  granted 
that  the  tribe  is  conceived  as  represented  by  Moses  or  Aaron, 
nothing  is  elsewhere  said  of  either  having  been  tried  by 
Jehovah  at  these  places  :  but  (with  a  play  on  the  two  names) 
it  is  said  in  J  (Ex.  1721'- 7;  cf.  Dt.  6^^  9"^)  that  the  people 
"proved"  (see  on  6^*^)  Jehovah  at  Massah  ("Proving"),  and 
in  E  (Ex.  I7-''- *")  that  they  "contended"  on  the  same  occasion 
with  Moses  at  Meribah  ("Contention");  further,  at  a  much 
later  period  of  their  wanderings  (Nu.  20^'^  J),  that  they  "con- 
tended "  with  Moses, — or  (in  P)  with  Jehovah  (Nu.  2d^'-',  cf. 
271-*), — at  the  "waters  of  Meribah,"  in  Kadesh.  Upon  the 
supposition  that  the  present  passage  alludes  to  the  incidents 
thus  recorded,  it  is  commonly  understood  to  say,  with  another 
play,  that  Jehovah  "proved"  the  tribe  in  Moses'  person — or 
(Di.  Oe.)  "proved"  Moses  himself — at  Massah  (Ex.  17),  viz. 
by  observing  how  he  would  behave  under  the  provocation  of 
the  people's  complaints;  and  "contended"  with  him  at  the 
waters  of  Meribah  (Nu.  20:  cf.  Ps.  81®  "I  tested  thee  [Israel] 
at  the  waters  of  Meribah  "),  viz.  indirectly,  by  subjecting^  him 
to  the  test  of  a  trying  and  arduous  situation.*     But  this  ex- 

■*■  Which,   at  least  accordhig  to  P  (Nu.   20^---^  27^''  Dt.  32°';  cf.   Ps. 
io6^-'-),  neither  Moses  nor  Aaron  endured.     This  representation  certainly 


400  DEUTERONOMY 

planation  cannot  be  said  to  be  a  natural  one.  Wellh.  [Hist. 
p.  134),  Brcdenkamp  [Gcscta  11,  Proph.  p.  177,  Sinend,  Alltcst. 
Rel.-gesch.  p.  78:  Dillni.  also  inclines)  render  cl.  '',  '■'■For 
whom  thou  contendedst "  (Is.  i^'  51'--) — viz.  by  enabling" 
Moses  and  Aaron  to  satisfy  the  people  with  water :  but  even 
so,  as  Bred,  allows,  the  reference  to  Ex.  17  Nu.  20  remains 
dillicult;  and  the  possibility  must  be  admitted  that  another 
version  of  the  incidents  at  Massah  and  Meribah  was  current, 
in  which  the  fidelity  of  the  tribe  was  in  some  manner  tested 
directly  by  Jehovah. — Godly  (T'DH)]  lit.  kind  ox  kvidly  (akin  to 
^p^,  p.  102) ;  but  as  in  ancient  Israel  kind  men  were  also 
commonly  God-fearing"  men,  the  word  acquired  the  sense  of 
godly,  pious.  It  is  so  used  often  in  the  Psalms,  esp.  late  ones 
(4*  30-^  31-^  37-'^  &c.) ;  and  in  the  IMaccabaean  age  it  became  the 
name  of  the  pious,  or  patriotic  party,  who  opposed  the 
Hellenization  of  their  countrymen  ('Ao-iSatot,  i  Mace.  2^2  yi3 
2  Mace.  14^). — 9.  The  subject  is  the  tribe  generally,  who 
referring  to  man  (or  moi)  in  v.^,  the  numbers  alternating  in 
the  parallel  clauses,  as  is  often  the  case  in  Heb.  poetry,  when 
a  group  of  persons  is  spoken  of.  The  intention  of  the  verse 
is  to  predicate  of  the  members  of  the  tribe  a  repudiation  of  all 
considerations  based  upon  earthly  relationship.  The  reference 
is,  however,  disputed.  The  verbs  in  cl.  "'  ^'  °  may  be  either 
present  or  past  {said.,  did,  knew).  It  is  often  understood  to 
refer  to  the  incident  Ex.  32-''--^,  when  the  "  sons  of  Levi,"  dis- 
regarding all  ties  of  relationship,  signally  manifested  their  zeal 
for  Jehovah,  and  were  rewarded,  it  seems  (see  v.^'' ;  and  cf.  on 
10^),  with  the  prerogative  of  the  priesthood.  Others  (J.  D. 
Mich.,  Graf)  suppose  the  words  to  be  meant  more  generally, 
and  to  denote  hyperbolically  the  disregard  of  even  the  closest 
of  worldly  ties  or  interests,  with  which  the  discharge  of  a 
sacred  office — whether  the  administration  of  justice  (on  17'''), 
or  other  duties  (Mai.  2^) — should  be  conducted.  Thus  Onq. 
paraphrases:  *' Who  has  no  compassion  on  his  father  or  his 
mother  when  they  are  convicted  by  the  court,  and  regards  not 
the  persons  of  his  brothers  and  sisters."     The  causal  clause, 

cannot  be  alluded  to  here,  where  the  context  shows  that  something  credit- 
able to  the  tribe  (or  its  representatives)  is  in  the  poet's  thoug-hts. 


xxxiii.  9-10  401 

the  wording  of  w  hich  is  quite  general  ("  For  Ihey  keep,"  &c.), 
■avours  this  interpretation.  Probably,  however,  the  other 
should  not  be  excluded  (Baudissin,  Pricstcrthum,  p.  77 ; 
Oettli ;  cf.  Dillm.).  The  intention  of  the  poet  is  to  describe 
tiie  disinterested  spirit  in  which  the  ideal  Levite  discharged 
his  priestly  office ;  but  in  doing  this  he  so  expresses  himself 
as  to  allude  at  the  same  time  to  the  occasion  Ex.  32-"--",  on 
which  a  similar  spirit  was  displayed  in  a  conspicuous  degree. 
As  Oettli  remarks,  the  words  are  applicable,  in  a  certain  sense, 
to  every  sacred  trust:  cf.  Mt.  lo-'"  Lk.  14-";  also  Dt.  i3V(f<)ii"..  For 
another  view  of  the  meaning  of  the  passage,  see  Wellh.  Hist.  p. 
i35f. — I  have  not  seen  hwi\  a  hyperbolical  expression  of  repudia- 
tion (Job  ^''^).—Ackuoivledge  (i'?n)]  21^'^ .—For  they  keep,  &fc.\ 
the  ground  of  this  disinterestedness,  viz.  their  strict  observance 
of  Jehovah's  commands. — Sayi)ig\  i.e.  command  (Is.  5-'^). — 
Covenant^  cf.  on  d^'-'.  Here  of  the  conditions  under  which  the 
priesthood  was  entrusted  to  the  tribe  of  Levi  (so  Jer.  ^Z'^"^' 
Mai.  2^-^-^). — 10,  Two  great  duties  of  the  priestly  tribe  are 
indicated  in  these  words:  (i)  to  decide,  in  cases  brought 
before  them,  in  accordance  with  the  principles  of  Jehovah's 
"direction,"  or  "law,"  of  which  they  are  the  guardians  (Jer. 
S'^) ;  (2)  to  maintain  the  service  of  the  altar.  (For  three  other 
duties,  see  on  10^.)  Shoio  is  lit.  direct  [hordh),  corresponding 
to  the  following  direction  (law) :  the  two  terms  are  used,  which 
denote  regularly  the  priestly  duty  (see  on  17^"^;  and  cf.  Ez. 
44--')  of  giving  direction  {Toraii)  on  points  of  ceremonial 
observance.  Micah  (3II)  charges  the  priests  with  granting 
"direction"  for  money:  Ez.  (22-*')  and  Zeph.  (3^)  speak  of 
Jehovah's  "  direction  "  (law)  suffering  violence  ;  for  an  example 
of  "direction"  being  inquired  for,  see  Hag.  2^^-^'^.  'Byfudginents 
will  be  meant  decisions  in  civil  and  criminal  causes,  or  the 
ordinances  founded  upon  them  (see  Ex.  21^  Ez.  44-^  ;  and  cf.  on 
4I  17").  In  neither  case  is,  however,  a  moral  element  to  be  re- 
garded as  excluded.  "Jehovah  is  distinguished  from  the  gods 
of  Israel's  neighbours,  and  towers  above  them,  as  the  God 
in  whose  name  justice  was  administered,  and  of  whom  it  could 
be  said  that  He  was  not  known  where  the  laws  of  honour  and 

9.  v:ivh\  h  —  iiboul,  as  Gn.  20^''  al. 
26 


402  DEUTERONOMY 

g'ood  faith  were  violated  ;  "  hence  the  priest,  as  His  organ 
and  interpreter,  is  "the  bearer  and  appointed  upholder  of 
riirJit'"  (Kuenen,  Ilibb.  Led.  p.  90).  And  so  Hosea  represents 
Jehovah's  Tora/t  as  a  moral  agency  (4''"^),  and  attributes  the 
crimes  rampant  in  Israel  (v.^^^-  -)  to  the  priests'  forgetfulness 
of  its  true  character  (v.*'^'),  and  to  their  worldly  unconcern  for 
the  "knowledge"  of  God,  which  its  possession  implies  (v.'"'"); 
many  moral  precepts,  also,  are  embodied  in  Lev.  18.  19  (H) ; 
and  the  "judgments"  of  Ex.  21-23  ^''^  directly  designed  for 
the  maintenance  of  justice,  and  civic  righteousness,  between 
man  and  man  in  Israel  (comp.  Kuen.  I.e.  pp.  83-91  ;  Hex. 
§  10.  4;  Smend,  Alttest.  Rel.-gesch.  pp.  77  f.,  277;  Wellh. 
Hist.  pp.  394-396,  434-439;  Montefiore,  Hibb.  Led.  pp.  45  f., 
49,  64f.,  69-71;  Benzinger,  pp.  321,  324,  4i2f.  ;  Nowack, 
ii.  97  f.). — Liieense^  to  burn  incense  was  the  duty  (and  privilege) 
of  the  priests:  see  i  S.  22s,  and  (in  P)  Nu.  i6*5-io  17^  (i640). 
(Wellh.  Hisi.  p.  64  f.,  Nowack,  ii.  246  f.,  and  others,  contend 
that  here  and  Is.  i^'^  not  ineense,  but  sweet-smoke.,  is  meant, 
and  that  the  reference  is  to  the  fat  of  the  thank-offerings 
burnt  upon  the  altar :  cf.  Ps.  66^^^  ^nd  the  cognate  verb  "i^Dpn 
"send  up  in  sweet-smoke,"  Lev.  3^  &c.) — In  thy  nostnt\  for 
the  fig.,  cf.  Ps.  i8'J(s),  and  Gn.  8-1  Am.  5^1  Lev.  2&\~Whole- 
offerings  (^^i^D)]  see  on  1317(1*;). — With  the  entire  passage, 
comp.  Mai.  2*"^,  where,  in  terms  recalling  those  used  here 
(/a;TO=  "direction "),  the  prophet  deplores  Levi's  declension 
from  its  ideal. -/IL  LI  is  inight\  i.e.  his  ability  for  the  efficient 
discharge  of  his  sacred  trust  (so  G  i^xS'i,  U  fortitudo ;  Graf, 
Ke.  Di.  Stade,  Oettli).  In  itself  the  word  might  equally  mean 
substance,  possessions  (AV.  RV.),  as  S'*' ;  but  wealth  is  not, 
either  elsewhere  in  Dt.,  or  generally  in  the  earlier  historical 
books,  the  predominant  characteristic  of  the  tribe. — The  work 
of  his  ]ia7ids\  i.e.  (at  least  chiefly)  his  services  in  connexion 
with  the  altar,  which,  if  they  are  to  be  efficacious,  must  be 
favoured  (or  accepted)  by  Jehovah:  cf.  Hos.  8i'^  =  Jer.  14^^ 
(Dy-1  X^  m.-^^l),  Am.  522  Ez.  2o^i  4327;  ^ndi  for  acceptance  iprh) 
Jer.  6-0  Is.  56"  60^  Lev.  i^  aL  (rendered  _/rt'z;o?^r  Ps.  513(12)  js_ 
60IO  aL). — Smite  through  (('CIP)]  or  wound  severely  (32^9),  con- 
11.  D':nc]  as  to,  or  on,  the  loins:  cf.  Ps.  3^  and  on  19"  (Dav.  §  71). — 


XXXIII.  II-I2  403 

iiisc  cf.  of  the  head  (irremediably),  Jud.  ^-^  Ps.  68'-'-  no'' 
Hab.  3^. — T/ic  loins\  named  as  the  centre  of  streni^th  (Ps.  66^1 
69-^*  Na.  22."  Ez.  29').— VD^]  Ex.  15"  Ps.  i8'0(3;o  al.  (poet.). 
Cf.  Ps.  18^^(3^)  Dip  1^3''  N^l  DVn?^X. — The  general  picture  given 
in  these  verses,  of  the  rights  and  privileges  of  the  tribe  of 
Levi,  harmonizes  with  the  representation  contained  in  other 
passages  of  Dt.  ;  see  the  notes  on  lo^f-  18^"^  (pp.  214,  219  f.). 
12.  Beujamin. 

^  Thejjeloyed  of  Jehovah  dwelleth  secur£ly^esidc_hun^ 
H^  encompasseth  him  all  tlie  day, 
And  He  dwelleth  between  his  shoulders. 

Contrast  Gn.  49-'^.  The  tribe  is  characterized  (so  to  say) 
as  Jehovah's  darling,  enjoying  in  a  special  degree  His  pro- 
tection and  regard.  '*  Certainly  the  whole  people  is  Jehovah's 
T")^  Jer.  ii^^  [cf.  12'''],  all  His  faithful  servants  are  Dnn''  Ps. 
60'^  [  =  108"],  but  the  tribe  which  He  has  chosen  to  put  His 
name  there  (Dt.  12^  &c.  ;  cf.  Ps.  87-),  is  specially  honoured 
by  Him,  and  receives  this  title  in  a  special  sense  (cf.  Ps.  127^), 
as  Solomon  was  once  named  Jcdufish  2  S.  1225"  (Graf). 
Perhaps  the  smallness  of  the  tribe,  and  the  recollection  of  the 
affection  with  which,  as  tradition  told,  its  ancestor,  the  child 
of  Jacob's  old  age,  had  been  regarded  by  his  father  (Gn.  43^"^^ 
44-"  &c.),  may  have  contributed  towards  its  being  so  described, 
in^  is  a  poetical  word,  choicer  than  2inN,  and  occurring, 
besides  the  passages  quoted,  only  Is.  5I  Ps.  45i(;''V''<^)  84^. — 
Dwelleth  securely^  lit.  in  confidence :  a  frequent  phrase,  denot- 
ing undisturbed  security,  Jer.  23^  33^*^  Ps.  16^  (of  freedom  from 
the  fear  of  death);  cf.  with  2C%  v.^s  12^0  Lev.  25I8.  i9  &c. — 
Beside  him  (ivy)]  the  word  is  doubtful  (see  below) ;  it  intro- 
duces anJdea_ahiclLha£monizes  imperfectl}^  with  the  figures  in 
cl.  ^'  '^ ;  and  the  thought  of  cl.  ^  is  complete~vvithout  it^for  tlve 

vc;5]poet.,  as  often,  for  v'jv  D'cp.i  (Dav.  §  98  R.'). — poip'  jc]  i.e.  J1di,t  t^nc 
poet,  for  c;pD  (Is.  24I"  &c.):  Dr.  §  41.— 12.  Sam.  GS  omit  the  first  r^v 
(G  «'  6ioi  might  be  thought  to  be  a  paraphrase  of  jv'py  ;  but  this  is  elsewhere 
regularly  S^iittos)  ;  U  and  several  Heb.  MSS.  omit  the  2nd.  In  view  of 
the  wide  use  of  h]}  to  denote  beside  {Lex.  Sy  6),  it  cannot  perhaps  be  said 
that  h]!  [re  would  not  be  a  possible  constr. ;  still  ha  — beside  is  rarely  said 
of /fr^owj  except  with  ten  and  as:  (Gn.  18- 45^  &c.),  which  are  not  quite 
parallel  (being  prop,  to  stand  over),  and  never  elsewhere  with  pa/  or  3C\ 
The  first  clause  is,  in  fact,  complete  at  securely  :  in  cl.  ^  it  seems  that  v^y        i  , 


n 


L 


^f 


404  DKUTKKONOMY 

ground  o^  Benjamin's  security  follows  in  cl.  ''*^).  It  has  not 
improbably  come  into  the  text  here  by  error. — lie  cncoinpassctit 
hini\  God  encircles  Benjamin  with  His  protection  (cF.  Is.  31''). 
— And  He  dwelleth  de/7veen  his  s/ioulders\  alludini;-  to  the  site  of 
the  Temple,  just  within  the  rocky  border  of  lienjamin  (Onq. 
Nri:3-J'  nrn  .Tpx^^,  Rashi,  Ew.  Graf,  Dillm.  &c.).  The 
boundary  between  Benjamin  and  Judah  ran  close  along-  the 
S.E.  of  Jerusalem  (cf.  Jos.  i^'^  iS'");  according-  to  the  later 
Jews,  the  Temple  itself  was  in  Benjamin,  and  the  courts  in 
Judah.  Benjamin  is  pictured  as  a  reclining  man  ;  the  use  of 
the  term  shoulders  (T'DD^)  being  facilitated  by  the  fact  that  it 
has  also  a  geographical  sense,  denoting  the  shoulder  or  side 
of  a  mountain  (6'.^.  Jos.  15''  18''' the  "  shoulder  of  the  Jebusite," 
of  the  same  mountain-side  on  the  top  of  which  the  Temple 
stood).  ]yc'  is  the  usual  expression  for  Jehovah's  d^velling 
among  His  people,  as  Is.  8"^  Joel  4^'- 21  Ps.  68i"0''')  74-  Ez. 
43"  al.  ;  cf.  (in  the  causative  conj.)  Dt.  12^^,  with  the  note. 
The  expl.  "Between  his  (Jehovah's)  shoulders — i.e.  on  His 
back — he  (Benjainin)  dwells"  (Schultz,  \'olck,  Ke.),  intro- 
duces an  unsviitable  idea,  as  well  as  one  which  is  incongruous 
with  the  preceding  clause ;  Jehovah  may  be  said  finely  to 
bear  His  people  (32^^  Ex.  19*  Is.  46^),  but  Benjamin  could 
hardly  be  described  as  dwelling  u^ton  Him. 

13-17.  Joseph. — Fertility  of  soil,  and  indomitable  military 
strength,  are  the  blessings  for  w'hich  the  poet  eulogizes  the 
double  tribe  of  Ephraim  and  Manasseh.  The  verses  contain 
several  unmistakable  reminiscences  of  the  Blessing  on  Joseph 
in  Gn.  4922-26, 

^^  Blessed  of  Jehovah  be  his  land, 

From  the  choice  fruits  of  heaven,  from  the  dew  \coitJ.:  of 

heaven  above], 
And  from  the  deep  that  coucheth  beneath  : 

'■jSn  and  vhy  f]sn  are  alternative  reading^s,  and  one  of  the  two  v^V  should  be 
omitted. — ^^En]  only  here.  The  meaning-  surround  (rather  than  cover)  is 
supported  by  Arab,  haffa  (Qor.  18"^  of  a  g-arden  surrounded  by  palm-trees, 
39'°  of  ang-els  surrounding  God's  throne),  fpn  shore  (as  surrounding  the 
sea),  ~2n  bridal  chamber  Ps.  19"  Joel  2"'  (as  enclosed).  Is.  4^  nsn  seems  to 
mean  canopy  ;  but  the  text  is  here  doubtful.  Aq.  ■jta.sTutrii  (whence  U  quasi 
in  thalamo  morabitur),  treating  ~fn  as  a  denom.  from  nan. 


XXXIII.  13  405 

'■*  And  from  the  choice  fruits  of  the  crops  of  the  sun, 

And  from  the  choice  fruits  of  the  yield  of  the  months  ; 
"  And  from  the  top  of  the  ancient  mountains, 

And  from  the  choice  fruits  of  the  everlasting-  hills  ; 
^•*  And  from  the  choice  fruits  of  the  earth  and  its  fulness, 

And  the  favour  of  him  that  dwelt  in  the  bush — 

Let  them  come  upon  the  head  of  Joseph, 

And  upon  the  crown  of  the  head  of  him  that  is  prince  among 
his  brethren  ! 
'"  His  firstlingf  bullock, — it  hath  majesty, 

i\nd  its  horns  are  horns  of  a  wild-ox  ; 

With  them  he  pushcth  peoples. 

All  tog-ether  the  ends  of  the  earth  : 

Those  are  the  m5Tiads  of  Ephraim, 

And  those  are  the  thousands  of  i\Ianasseh. 

13.  The  poet  beg^ins  with  the  primary  requisites  of  a  pro- 
ductive soil,  an  abundant  supply  of  rain  and  dew  from  the 
sky,  and  of  fertilizing-  spring's  in  the  earth.  From  (v.^''-^'') 
denotes  the  source  of  the  blessing :  English  idiom  would 
naturally  say  tvitli;  but  as  this  could  not  stand  in  v.^^'"- 1'^, 
from  has  been  adopted  throughout  for  the  sake  of  uniformity, 
"ijp  by  usage  (see  below)  denotes  "  choice  y>////'^ " ;   rain  and 

13.  n:D]  v."-!"  Ct.  4I3.1G  ^14  (each  time  of  fruits)t.  Arab,  majad  is 
honour,  dignity,  nobility ;  S}'r.  Nnjo  (rare)  is  fruit,  VL  N'UO  (also  rare)  is 
choice  fruit.  The  word  may  be  here  a  North  Isr.  Aramaism. — "J^r]  the  ' 
is  an  old  case-ending-,  having-  in  Arab,  the  force  of  a  g-en.  (as  'ibfut  Imalki, 
son  of  the  king),  but  in  Heb.  retained  only  exceptionally  as  a  binding- 
vow-el,  connecting  a  word  in  the  st.  c.  with  its  gen.:  viz.  in  certain  pr. 
names  (as  pnsoSs,  "pNnsj,  Sx'jn  &c.),  in  the  particles  ^rhi  (regularly),  and 
'n'?i7  (Dt.  i=*s  412  Jos.  11"  I  K.  3^8  j22»  Ps.  iS^-f),  otherwise  in  prose  only 
Gn.  31^^-  2^,  and  (doubtfully)  Lev.  26^--  ^--  ■*- :  in  poetry,  in  '30  (for  ip),  some 
30  times  (not  hi  the  Pent.),  otherwise  about  30  times,  esp.  in  participles 
before  a  noun  provided  with  a  prep.  (G-K.  §  130.  i  ;  Dav.  §  28  R.^),  viz.  in 
the  Pent.  Gn.  49"-"  Ex.  15''  n^a  rnxj,  and  here;  in  other  books,  Hos.  10" 
vrh  'n^nx,  Is.  i-^  csk'D  'nix'js,  22^^-'^^  Jer.  10^^  nv^ca  'nacv,  22^  pjaSa  'nacr 
C'nN3  'n::pD,  49i«-i6  511^  Ez.  2f  Ob.^  Mic.  7"  Zech.  ii".i7Lam.  i^- 1-1421 
Ps.  lor''  no*  112-^.6.7.9  J, ^8  123I,  prob.  in  niy  'CSNI  ':n  Is.  47*- 1"  Zeph.  2'-"', 
very  doubtfully  in  Ps.  113*  (read  la'C'inV),  116I :  where  the  word  is  a  ptcp. 
fern.,  the  Massorites  often  substitute  a  more  regular  form,  as  Jer.  lo'".  See 
further  G-K.  §  90.  3^  The  facts  of  the  usage  have  but  to  be  stated  for  it 
to  become  at  once  apparent  that  it  is  no  "archaism,"  upon  which  an 
argument  can  be  founded  for  the  Mosaic  authorship  of  the  Pentateuch  (cf. 
L.O.T.^  p.  528  f.). — n:2]  Ex.  3-'^t. — ~nN''i3!?]  an  impossible  form:  read 
eitlicr  (Dillm.)  n:N'ian  (i  S.  10^),  cf.  yr.u  Gn.  49-*' ;  or  (Rod.  in  Thes.  Index, 
p.  II,  Ols.  p.  452,  Konig,  i.  646 f.,  G-K.  §  48.  3  R.)  ."ixiaB,  the  cohort,  with 
the  3rd  pers.,  as  Is.  5'"  (Dr.  §  45  «.). 


406  DEUTERONOMY 

dew  are  poetically  pictured  as  the  fruit  of  heaven.  As  the  text 
stands,  dc7o  is  explanatory  of  "choice  fruits  of  heaven";  rain 
seems  thus  to  be  excluded :  it  is  probable  that,  by  a  very 
slig'ht  chang'e,  we  should  read  above  for  from  Uic  dcii}  (pyro  for 
70D),  improvingf  at  the  same  time  the  parallelism  of  the  verse. 
Heaven  above,  exactly  as  Gn.  27'''',  and  esp.  49-',  the  same 
verse  from  which  the  following^  words,  "  the  deep  that  coucheth 
beneath,"  are  also  borrowed.  The  "deep,"  like  the  "deeps" 
of  8"  (see  note),  is  used  of  the  subterranean  waters  {4^^),  the 
supposed  source  of  spring's  and  rivers,  as  of  nutriment  to 
trees  (Ez.  31^). — Coucheth  (nVDl)]  properly,  as  an  animal  (on 
2gio(20)^;  perhaps  the  subterranean  deep  was  pictured  as  a 
g"ig"antic  monster. — 14.  The  allusion  is  to  the  various  crops  of 
fruit,  veg-etables,  g-rain,  &c.,  which  ripen  at  different  seasons 
of  the  year. — Crops  (nsi!in)j  lit.  in-coines  (cf.  '^''r!?  bring  in, 
2  S.  9'"):  in  the  sing-,  usu.  rendered  iitcrcase  (i4'^^'2S)j  in  the 
pi.  used  of  the  crops  of  successive  years  (2  K.  8'"'  Lev.  2t^-^- 1^). 
—  Yield  (^''?.-!)]  properly  something-  thrust  forth:  only  here. — 
Months  (2^'?y.)J  with  a  play  upon  H"])  moon,  in  poetical 
parallelism  with  sun. — 15.  Cf.  Gn.  49-'^  ("the  blessing-s  of  the 
perpetual  mountains  [read  '7.""!?  for  ""li'"! ;  see  Hab.  3''],  the 
delectable  things  of  the  everlasting-  hills  ").  May  the  mountain 
sides,  to  their  very  top  (Ps.  72^'^),  be  fertile  with  good  thing-s, 
for  the  support  of  man  or  beast ! — 16.  The  first  part  of  the 
blessing-  here  reaches  its  climax :  may  Nature  at  larg^e  be 
prodig-al  for  Joseph  of  her  best  g-ifts !  may  he  secure,  above 
all,  Jehovah's  favourable  eye  !  Tlie  earth  and  its  fulness,  as 
Ps.  24^  Mic.  i2  a/. ;  cf.  Ps.  50I-  89^-  (^?'?)- — Favour  (pyi)]  cog-nate 
with  n^")  to  favour  {ox  accept),  v.":  cf.  Ps.  51^(12)  3oS(')  5120(18) 
(AV.  good  pleasure),  89^^('").  AV.  here  goodwill.  It  corre- 
sponds to  ivSoKLa.  "  In  '  Mini  that  dwelt  in  the  bush  '  (Ex.  3-"*), 
God,  by  an  advance  beyond  Gn.  49'-"^-,  is  desig-nated  emblem- 
atically as  the  God  of  the  Mosaic  covenant"  (Dillm.).  To 
dwell,  or  inhabit  (pc*), — the  word  used  regularly  of  Jehovah's 
abiding  \\\th  His  people  (v-^-), — suggests  a  more  permanent 
occupancy  than  is  implied  in  the  narrative  Ex.  3^-^ ;  and  is 
possibly  the  survival  of  an  ancient  belief  to  that  effect  (cf. 
W.  R.  Smith,  Rel.  Sent.  p.  176 f.,  ed.  2,  p.  193  f.).     Clauses '^'^ 


XXXTII.    14-17  407 

arc  exactly  as  Gn.  49-''',  with  the  one  change  of  let  f/icui  conic 
for  /(•/  them  Z'C— vns:  Tj:]  so  Gn.  /\<.f\  Lit.  either  "the 
separate  one  ("^"'■1'?),"  or  "  the  crowned  one  pT-?)  of  his  brethren," 
i.e.  either  distinguished  from  the  others,  in  influence,  wealth, 
&c.,  or  actually  a  prince  among-  them:  of.  Lam.  ^"  (RV. 
nobles)^  ;  ^^T''?'P  Nah.  3^'  (RV.  thy  crowned)j.  In  either  case, 
a  title  of  distinction,  implying  superiority  to  the  other  tribes, 
and  reflecting  the  affluence,  dignity,  and  power  which,  in  its 
flourishing  days,  belonged  in  a  pre-eminent  degree  to  the  double 
tribe  of  Joseph. — 17.  The  poet  proceeds  here  to  describe,  in 
h3'perbolical  language,  the  invincible  military  power  possessed 
by  Joseph's  firstborn ;  and  ends  by  stating  explicitly  that  the 
people  thus  blessed  are  the  thronging  multitudes  of  Ephraim  and 
Manasseh. — His  firstlifig  biillock\  i.e.  Ephraim,  in  accordance 
with  Gn.  48^""-*'.  Ephraim  is  figured  as  a  young  and  nobl}-- 
built  bullock,  possessing  horns  of  immense  size  and  strength, 
with  which  it  pushes,  or  butts  (i  K.  22^^  Dan.  8'),  with  such 
effect  that  even  remotest  nations  are  powerless  before  it. — 
Wild  ox\  Heb.  re  cm,  a  gigantic  species  of  ox,  now  extinct, 
the  formidable  horns  of  which  are  also  alluded  to  in  Ps.  22'-- 
92I1  Nu.  2322  (=248). 

The  characteristics  of  the  re  cm  are,  in  particular,  its  formidable  horns, 
its  size  and  strength,  and  its  untamableness  (see  esp.  Job  39""'-).  Tristram 
{A'HB.  pp.  146-150)  pointed  out  that  the  animal  meant  must  be  one  now 
extinct,  the  Auerochs  of  the  old  Germans,  the  Urus  of  Caesar  {B.G.  vi,  28, 
— described  as  being  nearly  as  large  as  an  elephant  and  untamable),  the 
Bos  primigenitis  oi  na.t\iraXists  ;  Mr.  Houghton  has  shown  more  recently, 
from  the  pictorial  representations  on  the  Assyrian  sculptures,  that  the 
Assyrian  riinti  was  a  gigantic  species  of  Bos ;  and  it  is  remarkable  that 
four  teeth  of  an  ox  similar  to  the  Bos  primigenitis  should  have  been  dis- 
covered (Tristram,  I.e.  p.  150;  Land  of  Israel ,  pp.  9-12)  in  the  valley  of  the 
Nahr-el-Kalb,  in  the  same  neighbourhood  in  which  Tiglath-Pilescr  i.  (B.C. 
1120-1100)  claims  to  have  hunted  and  killed  the  riinu,  "opposite  the  land 
of  the  Hittites,  and  at  the  foot  of  Lebanon"  (Houghton,  Trans.  Soc.  Bib/. 
ArcJi.  V.  (1877),  pp.  33,  326 ff.;  N^at.  Hist,  of  t lie  Ancients,  p.  171  ff.:  see 
also  Cheyne  on  Is.  34" ;  Friedrich  Delitzsch,  The  Heb.  Lang:  in  the  Light 
of  Ass.  Research,  1883,  p.  6f.,  Proleg.  eines  neiien  Heb.-Aram.  WiJrter- 
biiches,  p.  i6f.).  Comp.  Schrader,  KAT."  ip.  456,  where  Shalmanescr  11. 
says,  "  His  land  I  trod  down  like  a  ri/nn."—Th<i  Arab.  rVtn  is  the  Antilope 
tciicoryx,  a  graceful,  gentle  creature,  inhabiting  the  sandj' wastes  of  Arabia 
and  N.E.  Africa,  which  cannot  be  the  Heb.  r<fcm. 

17.  nic  nun]  the  cas.  pendens,  as  32^. — nn-j  cf.  on  v.''. 


408  DEUTI.RONOMY 

Ends  of  iltc  carUi\  parallel  to  peoples,  as  to  nations  in  Ps.  2'' 
2228(2V)  js_  52'*'.  —  Those  (dh)]  i.e.  such  as  have  been  described  : 
so  Knob.  Ke.  Volck,  Stade,  Dillm.  Oettli,  Marti ;  cf.  xin  Job 
gig  -^r^^i  j-!»  2i28_  And,  at  the  beginning-  of  clause*',  is  best 
omitted  with  Sam.  GSU.  AV.,  RV.,  al.  (in  both  clauses) 
And  they,  in  which  case  the  two  horns  will  be  referred  to,  and 
explained  as  signifying  Ephraim  and  Manasseh  respectively. 
With  this  verse  contrast  Gn.  49-^'^',  where  Joseph,  though 
victorious  through  the  aid  of  its  God,  is  described  as  having 
severely  sufiered  in  contests  with  its  foes. 

18-19.  Zebulun  and  Issaehar. 

^*  Rejoice,  Zebulun,  in  thy  goin^  out. 

And,  Issaehar,  in  thy  tents  : 
^®  They  call  peoples  to  (the)  mountain  ; 

There  they  offer  sacrifices  of  rig'hteousncss  : 

For  they  suck  the  abundance  of  the  seas. 

And  the  hidden  treasures  of  the  sand. 

18.  A  poetical  variation  of  the  common  phrase,  "going 
out"  and  "coming  in"  (Ps.  121^;  see  on  28"),  used  to  desig- 
nate a  man's  whole  activity  and  enterprise.  Zebulun,  though, 
to  judge  from  Jos.  ig^''"^*',  its  territory,  at  least  in  the  main, 
was  inland  (Asher  extending  along  the  sea-coast),  is  spoken 
of  in  Gn.  49^^  as  reaching  to  the  sea  ("about  Carmel,"  Jos. 
Ant.  V.  I.  22);  and  Issaehar,  in  Gn.  49'*^-,  as  devoting  itself 
only  too  readily  to  the  easy  task  of  cultivating  its  fertile  soil : 
here,  accordingly,  it  is  Zebulun  who  is  to  rejoiec  in  its  "going 
out,"  i.e.  in  the  enterprises  which  an  approach  to  the  sea 
would  open  to  it,  and  Issaehar  in  its  "tents,"  i.e.  in  the  more 
sedentary  pursuits  of  an  agricultural  community :  each,  in 
other  words,  is  to  be  attended  with  success  in  its  own  prin- 
cipal, or  most  characteristic,  occupation.  There  is  no  trace 
here  of  the  disparagement  with  which  Issaehar  is  regarded 
in  Gn.  49^^'^-.  At  the  same  time,  the  two  ideas  are  not  each  to 
be  limited  rigidly  to  the  clause  in  which  it  stands ;  the  dis- 
tribution is  poetical  rather  than  logical;  cf.  Pr.  10^  Is.  ii^^ 
(where  in  the  Heb.  outcasts  \s  masc,  and  dispersed  fern.). — 19. 
It  seems  that  these  two  Northern  tribes,  whose  position  gave 
tbefH-iiicilities  for  commercial  intercourse  with  foreigners  (cf. 
Gn.  49^0' And  he  (Zebulun)  is  for  a  haven  of  ships ;  and  his 


xxxiii.  1S-19  409 

furthest  point  reacheth  unto  Sidon "),  were  in  the  habit  of 
holding  sacrificial  feasts,  in  which  foreign  nations_vy:ere  invited 
to  tal<e'part.  Call^  i.e.  invite  to  a  feast,  as  i  S.  gi^-  -^  1  K.  j'.'-  ". 
What  "mountain"  is  meant  is  quite  indeterminate-:  at  the 
time  when  the  Blessing  was  written,  local  altars  and  sacrifices 
would  be  customary  (p.  137) ;  hence  Herder  and  Graf  thous^ht 
of  Tabor,  Knob,  of  Carmel  (cf.  i  K.  iS-'-W') :  Zion  {^  Rashi 
[both,  however,  understanding  hy  peoples  the  tribes  of  Israel  : 
cf.  on  V.'*],  Ew.,  Bredenkamp,  p.  140)  seems  too  distant  to  be 
alluded  to  here;  the  high  land  (3-'')  of  Canaan  generally 
(Schultz,  Keil)  is  too  wide  an  area  to  be  probable,  especially 
where  two  particular  tribes  are  concerned.  There  may  have 
been  more  than  one  mountain  sanctuary  in  Zebulun  and 
Issachar ;  and  the  reference  ma}-  be  to  these  generally.  The 
indefiniteness  of  the  expression,  coupled  with  our  ignorance 
of  the  customs  of  the  time,  prevents  our  interpreting  the 
passage  with  entire  certainty.  Graf  (p.  56)  and  Stade  [Gesch. 
\.  171)  may  be  right  in  conjecturing  that  sacrificial  feasts  were 
held  periodically  in  the  territory  of  these  two  tribes,  which 
were  frequented  by  the  people  of  the  surrounding  districts,  and 
utilized  by  them,  in  the  manner  of  a  fair,  for  purposes  of  trade  ; 
Stade  compares  the  Mina  festival  of  Mecca  (Sprenger,  Geog?-. 
Arab.  p.  222  flf.). — Sacrifices  of  righteoitsness\  i.e.  sacrifices 
ofi"ered  in  a  right  frame  of  mind,  the  outcome  of  a  right  spirit 
(Ps.  4'^('^)  5i-i(^'')t). — For\  the  reason  why  the  two  tribes  invite 
foreign  nations  to  such  feasts  :  the  wealth  derived  by  them 
from  the  sea  enables  them  to  do  so. — Suck\  fig.  for  drawing 
rich  nutriment  and  sustenance  (Is.  60^'^  66^i-  i-). — TJie  abund- 
ance of  the  seas,  &fc.\  the  allusion  appears  to  be  to  the  wealth 
accruing  to  the  two  tribes  from  the  sea,  partly  through  fisheries 
or  maritime  commerce  (cf.  Gn.  49^''),  partly  by  the  manufacture 

19.  J-Eti']  only  here  :  r\'itv  Job  22"  38-'^  (of  waters) ;  2  K.  9'^  Is.  60"  Ez. 
26'**  (a  troop  of  men  or  animals)t.  The  root  in  Aram,  is  to  stream  over, 
overflow  :  see  2^  Pr.  3^"  5'",  S  Rom.  5'''  (for  ixicixvrai) ;  cf.  Is.  48^*  C  115V3 
n-]$  nrt^ — Sin  ':ica  'jsb-]  of.  Job  20^^  can  'Vm  nnj ;  and  see  on  21"  (Dav. 
§  28  R.").  ]S'cf  (only  here)  is  merely  another  orlhoj^r.  of  JSD  v.^^,  which  is 
generally  used  fi^f.  of  covering-  in  walls  with  panelling-  (Jer.  22^*).  jctj  is 
to  /tide,  esp.  in  the  earth  (Jos.  7-') ;  cf.  c'^ma  buried  stores  Jer.  41^,  'JicuD 
DnnoD  Is.  45-*. 


4IO  DF.UTF.RONOMY 

of  glass  from  llie  sand  about  'Akko.  Ps. -Jonathan  para- 
phrases :  "  For  they  will  settle  on  the  shore  of  the  Great  Sea, 
and  delig'ht  themselves  with  tritons,  and  catch  mussels,  and 
dye  purple  with  their  blood  the  cords  (Nu.  15"'^)  of  their 
mantles,  and  from  the  sand  they  will  produce  mirrors  [spccu- 
laria)  and  vessels  of  g^lass  ;  for  the  treasures  of  the  deep  are 
revealed  to  them."  Josephus  {BJ.  ii.  10.  2)  states  that  the 
sand  of  the  Belarus,  which  runs  into  the  sea  a  little  S.  of 
'Akko,  was  much  used  in  the  manufacture  of  glass  (cf.  Plin. 
II. N.  V.  17,  xxxvi.  65  ;  Tac.  Hist.  v.  7) ;  and  Strabo  (xvi.  2.  25) 
says  the  same  of  the  sand  on  the  coast  between  'Akko  and 
Tyre. 

20-21.  Gad. 

^^  Blessed  be  he  that  cnlarg-cth  Gad  : 
He  dwellelh  like  a  lioness, 
And  tcareth  the  arm,  yea,  the  crown  of  the  head. 

"'  And  he  looked  out  a  first  part  for  himself, 

For  there  a  commander's  portion  was  reser\'ed  : 
And  he  came  to  \co7ij.  with]  the  heads  of  the  people 
He  executed  the  rig'hteousness  of  Jehovah,  , 

And  his  ordinances  with  Israel. 

20.  Gad's  "  enlarger "  is  God,  who  frees  him  from  the 
foes  who  hem  in,  and  broadens  his  territory  (Gn.  26—;  cf. 
with  ^*32  border  Am.  ii'-  Ex.  34-*  Dt.  1220  198).  In  cl.  ^' *=  the 
warlike  character  of  the  tribe  is  signalized  (cf,  Gn.  49^^;  i  Ch. 
12^  Gadite  warriors,  whose  "  faces  were  like  the  faces  of  lions, 
and  as  swift  as  roes  upon  the  mountains ")  :  it  lies  on  its 
broad  and  picturesque  table-land  {S.  &  P.  p.  320),  like  some 
huge  lion,  ready  to  tear  in  pieces,  not  only  the  arm,  but  also 
the  head,  of  any  one  who  presumes  to  assail  it.  Gad  was  the 
strongest  tribe  on  the  E.  of  Jordan  (Nu.  32'^'^'*'  Jos.  13-^-28)  j 
and  it  maintained  its  position  and  importance  there  long  after 
Reuben  had  become  insignificant,  though  it  proved  unable  to 
cope  with  Tiglath-Pileser  (i  Ch.  z^^^).—D'ii:cllcth  (pL")]  cf.  Nu. 
242  Jud.  5^^  Gn.  49^''.  The  comparison  to  a  lioness,  as  Nu. 
2324.   24!">  (=:Gn.  49'^'').— 21.  Gad,  the  first  of  the  tribes  to  find 

20.  "iptp  IN  J'lit]  r;.y  in  poetry  introduces  a  climax,  or  sometimes  a  syn- 
onym, with  force  :  cf.  i  S.  2^  conn  ^^v.  "j'ssrs,  Ps.  65"  n'c  f;x  lyynn',  74"'  Is. 
42'^  n-Ti"  s]N  j;"T,  46" ;  and  on  2^1. 


XXXIII.    20-2I  41 1 

a  settled  home,  was  not  unmindful  afterwards  of  its  duty 
towards  the  rest  of  Israel.  The  allusion  appears  to  be  to 
what  is  narrated  in  Nu.  32,  according;  to  which  Gad,  on  con- 
dition of  assisting  afterwards  in  the  conquest  of  Canaan, 
secured  an  allotment  in  the  rich  pasture-country,  E.  of  Jordan. 
— A  first  part  (n-w'Xi)]  i-e.  a  district  that  was  both  a  best  part 
(i  S.  15-^),  and  also,  as  it  were,  the  firstfnnts  (Dt.  18^  al.)  of  the 
newly  conquered  territory. — For  there,  &rc.^  in  the  place  where 
Gad  made  his  choice,  a  commander' s  portion,  i.e.  a  district 
worthy  of  a  martial  leader,  was  reserved. — Portion  ('^P^'D)]  viz. 
of  land,  as  2  K.  921.26  ^of  Naboth's  estate),  Jos.  24''^  al. — 
Commander  (PiP.il^P)]  PPI^  is  to  ctit  in,  engrave  (hence  ph  statute, 
5^,  lit.  something-  inseribcd  ox  engraven  on  a  public  tablet),  fig. 
to  decree,  enact,  Is.  10^  Pr.  8^^ :  ^"^y^"^  is  thus  properly  a  pre- 
scribcr  of  laws  ;  in  a  primitive  warlike  community,  however, 
the  prescriber  of  laws  would  also  be  the  sovereign  military 
authority  ;  hence  pp"in?0  comes  to  mean  commander,  Jud.  5^* 
(where  the  context  points  manifestly  to  persons  holding  some 
military  office :  cf.  the  ^SIC'''  "'ppin  of  v.^).  Is.  3322  [pur  com- 
mander, of  Jehovah) ;  also  of  a  commandei^ s  staff,  or  wand  of 
office,  Gn.  4910  Nu.  21IS  Ps.  60^  (=108^).  Here  the  term  is 
applied,  kut  l^oxr]v,  to  the  warlike  tribe  of  Gad,  which  is  said 
to  have  obtained,  in  the  allotment  of  the  conquered  territory, 
a  portion  worthy  of  its  martial  character.  SC  (paraphrastic- 
ally),  .SU,  and  some  moderns,  "For  there  was  the  portion  of 
the  hidden  {i.e.  buried)  lawgiver,"  vis.  Moses;  but  Nebo, 
like  Pisgah,  was  in  the  territory  of  Reuben  (Nu.  32^^;  Jos. 
13-*^),  not  Gad  ;  portion  w-ould  hardly  be  used  of  a  burial-place  ; 
and  the  For  is  then  inexplicable. — And  he  came,  &'c.\  he  took 
his  part  afterwards  with  the  other  tribes,  and  executed  with 
them  Jehovah's  behests,  in  the  conquest  of  Canaan. — Heads 
of  the  people\  v.^  Nu.  25^  (JE)- — HV///]  an  emendation.  The 
text  can  hardly  be  made  to  yield  a  tolerable  sense ;  see  below. 
— Jehovalis  righteousness^  i.e.  what  is  righteous  in  Jehovah's 

21.  1*?  .  .  .  .XTi]  saTV  for  hi>nself=  provided  (cf.  Gn.  22**  i  S.  16'). — pa::] 
covered  in  (on  v.'"),  fig-,  for  laid  up,  reserved, — unless,  indeed,  pSii  (cf.  Pr. 
1 3--  Job  21'"  rt/.)  should  be  read.  The  masc,  by  attraction  to  ppino  (Dav. 
§  116  R.-;  G-K.  §  146.  i). — Nno.]  for  nri^'i  (cf.  Pr.  i^"  xnn  for  naxn) :  G-K. 
§§  68.  2  R. ;  75  R.--;  76.  2^.     N^i'i  (ben  Naft.)  is  better  than  nn;i  (edd.) ; 


412  DEUTERONOMY 

eye,  and  what,  if  man  fulfils  it,  becomes  righteousness  for  him 
also  (cf.   6-^). — Oniinanccs\  4^      Here,   it  seems,  of  the  com- 
mand to  make  no  truce  with  the  Canaaniles  (Ex.  2y^-'--''). 
22.  Dan. 

Dan  is  a  lion's  wliclp, 

That  leapelli  forth  from  Bashan. 

In  Gn.  49^''^  Dan  is  compared  to  a  venomous  serpent,  dart- 
ing" out  insidiously  from  its  concealment,  and  causing  a  passing 
horse  to  throw  its  rider;  and  here  the  suddenness  with  which 
the  Danite  would  attack  and  overcome  his  foes  suggests  the 
comparison  with  a  lion,  springing  forth  unexpectedly  from  its 
lair.  Lions  w/iclp,  as  Gn.  49''  (of  Judah).  The  original 
settlement  of  the  Danites  was  in  the  two  vales  of  Ajjalon  and 
Sorek,  in  the  S.W.  of  Ephraim  (G.  A.  Smith,  Hist.  Gcogr.  of 
the  Holy  Land,  p.  220  f.  ;  cf.  Jos.  19^0-*"  P;  Jud.  i:"""-  JE) ;  but 
they  found  their  position  here  untenable  ;  and  a  body  of  them 
migrated  to  the  North,  and  seized  Leshem  or  Laish,  at  the 
foot  of  Hermon  (Jos.  19'";  Jud.  18:  cf.  on  34^),  with  which, 
after  the  time  of  Samson  (Jud.  13-16),  the  name  of  the  tribe 
is  all  but  exclusively  associated.  The  character  given  to  the 
tribe  here  and  Gn.  49^''  is  no  doubt  true  to  history;  but  our 
materials  do  not  enable  us  to  illustrate  it,  except  from  the 
narrative  in  Jud.  18  of  the  surprise  of  Laish,  and  perhaps 
from  the  exploits  of  Samson.  The  words  That  leapcth  forth 
from  Bashan  characterize  the  lion,  not  Dan  :  nevertheless  the 
locality  mentioned  seems  to  show  that  the  poet  has  the 
Northern  Dan  in  his  mind,  for  Bashan  appears  to  have  ex- 
tended as  far  as  Hermon  (cf.  on  3^),  "  laish,"  also,  it  may  be 
noted,  is  one  of  the  Heb.  words  for  lion  (Is.  30-' a/.).      Possibly 

see  Kon.  i.  syy.^cy  txi  NnnJ  came  to  is  a  doubtful  rend.;  for  nnx  and  nu 
are  not  construed  with  an  accus.  of  the  pers.,  except  in  the  sense  of  come 
upon  (Ps.  119^')  or  against  (Job  15"-') ;  and  even  so  only  with  a  suff.  (ll.cc), 
except  Is.  41-''  (where  nU'  should  very  prob.  be  did-).  Graf,  Knob.  Stade 
render  "  came  as  the  heads  of  the  people  "  (cf.  Job  29-'  rxi  ^r.xi),  i.e.  fought 
at  their  head. in  the  conquest  of  Canaan  (3"*  Jos.  i'^  4'-  Xu.  32''  &c.) ;  but 
the  pi.  is  difficult  in  this  case,  and  not  justified  by  i  Ch.  12'^'',  Hence 
Dillm.  Oettli  read  "nx  nx!!  (Is.  4i"-''''),  and  lie  came  ivitli.—^l.  pjij  only 
here  :  (5  £xT>iS«v.  Syr.  pji  \?ijecif,  sngi/tavit;  NH.  p3i  is  io  squirt  or  spout 
out. — Jcan]  on  3'. 


XXXIII.    22-23  413 

there  may  be  some  allusion  to  attacks  made  by  the  Danites  of 
Laish  upon  neighbouring-  border-tribes  (cf.  Stade,  Gcsch.  i. 
i68).  Lions  in  Bashan  are  not  elsewhere  alluded  to  ;  but  its 
mountain  ranges,  and  oak  forests  (3I),  would  form  a  natural 
ambush  for  them  (for  lions  in  Hermon,  see  Ct.  4'^). 
23.  Naphtali. 

-'  O  Naphtali,  satisfied  with  favour, 
And  full  with  the  blessing-  of  Jehovah  : 
Possess  thou  the  lake  and  tlie  south. 

Naphtali,  blessed  as  it  is  with  nature's  gifts  through 
Jehovah's  favour  (v.^*^),  is  not  to  be  limited  to  the  highland 
plateau  (the  "hill  country  of  Naphtali,"  Jos.  20")  of  Upper 
Galilee,  well  watered  and  richly  wooded  as  it  is :  it  is  to 
possess  in  addition  the  yet  more  fertile  and  beautiful  region, 
exuberant  with  an  almost  tropical  vegetation,  which  borders 
on  the  Lake  of  Gennesareth.  The  territory  of  Naphtali  (Jos. 
jg32-39j  extended  from  the  far  North,  close  under  Lebanon, 
along  the  W.  side  of  Jordan,  to  a  point  a  little  S.  of  the  Lake 
of  Gennesareth.  Ancient  and  modern  writers  vie  with  one 
another  in  praising  the  soil  and  climate  of  the  territory  owned 
by  Naphtali :  it  was  abundantly  irrigated  ;  and  its  productions 
were  rich  and  varied.  Lower  Galilee  was,  however,  yet  more 
fertile  and  beautiful  than  Upper  Galilee ;  and  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  Lake,  a  "  torrid  basin,"  6S0  ft.  below  the  level 
of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  the  vegetation  is  semi-tropical :  the 
plain  of  Gennesar,  on  the  N.W.  of  the  Lake,  is  eulogized  by 
Josephus  {BJ.  iii.  10.  8),  on  account  of  its  climate  and 
vegetation,  almost  as  if  it  were  a  terrestrial  paradise.  See 
Jos.  B/.  iii.  3.  2,  Rob.  BR.  ii.  388,  402,  S.  &  P.  p.  374, 
DB.^  s.v.  Galilee  (p.  11 18)  and  Gennesareth,  Neubauer, 
Gcogr.  du  Talmud,  pp.  45  f.,  180,  G.  A.  Smith,  Gcogr.  of  the 
Holy  Land,  pp.  417-420,  439  f.,  446  f.  The  lake  (D^)  or  sea 
(cf.  Is.  82^  "[9I])  is  the  "Sea  of  Kinnereth  "  (p.  58),  i.e.  the 
Lake  of  Gennesareth    (so   already   Onq.).      By  the  south  are 

23.  C'l  Onq.  (uniting-  the  two  senses  of  c")  no'jj  c  anj'D  "the  west  of  the 
sea  of  Gennesar." — cm]  Job  37'^  Eccl.  i"  ii-'  Ez.  21-,  and  12  times  in  Ez. 
40-42!. — n-j"-;-]  the  emph.  form  of  the  imper.  in  pause,  like  ■li'^''')  '""^('^ 
Dan.  g^'-*  (G-K.  §  48.  5).     Elsewhere  v^_  (in  pause,  c*-!). 


414  DEUTERONOMY 

meant  the  parts  bordering-  on  this  Lake, — so  styled  (it  seems) 
partly  in  contrast  to  the  main  possessions  of  the  tribe  (which 
were  further  North),  partly  with  allusion  to  the  sunny  warmth 
which  prevails  there. — Satisfied^  or  filled  abundantly,  satiated. 
The  word,  which  (either  as  adj.  or  verb)  is  a  common  one 
(see  6''  8'^-  ^2  nis  ^^Ji  26^2  31^0)^  is  not  always  quite  adequately 
represented  by  satisfied. — Favour]  or  good-will  (v.^*'):  cf.  Ps. 
145^*^  V^  '"'^  ^3^  y^C'D  "satisfying  all  that  liveth  with  good- 
will." 

24-25.  Asher. 

^  Blessed  above  sons  be  Asher  : 

Let  him  be  the  acceptable  (favoured)  one  of  his  brethren; 

And  (let  him  be)  dipping-  his  foot  in  oil : 
^  Thy  bolts  be  iron  and  bronze  ; 

And  as  thy  days,  so  let  thy  [streng-th]  be. 

24.  Let  Asher  be  blessed  above  other  fathers'  sons, — a 
child  of  fortune  (probably  with  allusion  to  the  idea  which  the 
name  would  suggest,  happy ;  see  Gn.  30^-') ;  let  him  be  his 
brothers'  favourite,  the  one  in  whose  companionship  and  good 
fortune  they  delight  (cf.  Est.  lo^  VHN  yrh  ^^VJ) ;  the  last  clause 
alludes  hyperbolically  (cf.  Job  2cf')  to  the  fertility  of  Asher's 
territory.  Asher  (Jos.  ig^^-^i)  bordered  Naphtali  on  the  West : 
its  climate  and  soil  were  similar  to  those  of  the  higher  parts 
of  Naphtali,  and  were  favourable  in  particular  to  the  g^rowth 
of  the  olive-tree:  Josephus  {BJ.  ii.  21.  2)  speaks  of  Galilee  as 
ovcTT]';  iX.aLO(fi6pov  fxciXtara  ;  "  it  is  easier,"  says  a  proverb  in  the 
Talmud,  "to  raise  a  legion  of  olives  [read  ^tj*  for  ^fo]  in 
Galilee  than  to  bring  up  a  child  in  Palestine "  {Bcrcs/iit/i 
Rabbah,  c.  20;  Neubauer,  I.e.  p.  iSo).  The  productiveness  of 
Asher's  soil  gives  also  its  point  to  the  blessing  in  Gn.  49^0 
("Asher,  his  bread  is  fat ;  and  he  yieldeth  a  king's  dainties  "). 
— Blessed  above  sons]  cf.  (for  the  form  of  expression)  Jud.  5-* 
I  S.  15^^  ("among,"  Heb.  above  or  more  tlia7i,  as  here);  also 
Gn.  3^^  ("cursed  above''). — 25,  The  allusion  in  cl.  ^  may  be  to 
Asher's  position :  situated  in  the  far  North  of  Canaan,  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  foreigners,  it  would  need  to  be  well  defended 
against  encroachment  and  invasion,  /i'jip  [bolt],  from  'Pi'J  to 
bolt  a  door  (Jud.  3-3-  -^) ;  no  doubt  the  same  as  ''U'^'p  Ct.  5^  al.. 


XXXIII.  24-26  415 

which  Neh.  3''- •' shows  to  be  distinct  from  nn^  bur  (3"').  In 
cl.  "^j  the  word  rendered  strcngtJi  is  extremely  uncertain  ;  see 
below.  The  tribe  is  pictured  as  an  individual ;  and  if  that  be 
the  true  rend.,  it  will  be  a  wish  that  Asher's  strength  may  be 
maintained  as  time  wears  on,  instead  of  being-  (as  it  were) 
diminished  by  old  age. 

26-29.  Conclusion,  celebrating  the  good  fortune  of  Israel, 
which  has  been  planted  by  its  God  in  a  fruitful  land,  blessed 
with  success  against  its  foes,  and  secured  in  happiness  and 
peace. 

^®  There  is  none  like  the  God  of  Jeshunin  : 
Who  rideth  through  the  heavens  as  thy  help, 
And  in  his  dignity  through  the  skies. 

^  The  God  of  old  is  a  dwelling-place  ; 
And  underneath  are  everlasting  arms  : 
And  he  drave  out  the  enemy  from  before  thee  ; 
And  said,  Destroy. 

"^  So  Israel  dwelt  securely, 
The  fountain  of  Jacob  alone, 
Upon  a  land  of  corn  and  wine  : 
Yea,  his  heavens  drop  down  dew  ! 

^  Happy  art  thou,  O  Israel,  who  is  like  unto  thee  ? 
A  people  saved  by  Jehovah, 

The  shield  of  thy  help,  and  the  sword  of  thy  dignity  : 
So  shall  thy  enemies  come  cringing  to  thee, 
And  thou  shalt  tread  upon  their  high-places. 

26.  The  Mass.  text  can  only  be  rendered  like  God,  O 
Jeslnirun :  but  the  point  is  not  the  uniqueness  of  God,  as  such 
(i  S.  2^  I  K.  8--'),  but  the  uniqueness  of  the  God  of  Israel; 
and  this  sense  is  expressed  by  a  slight  change  in  the  punctua- 
tion (^N3  for  !'X3) ;  so  GF5©  Graf,  Di.  Oettli,  &c. ;  cf.  Ps.  68'^« 
(^XIC'^  ^X),  144^^  146^— /t'jr/rwm?^]  V.5. —  WJio  rideth,  ^c]  Ps. 
5834f.  psf.j  jg  a,  paraphrase  and  commentary :  Jehovah  comes, 

25.  ~N2n]  "as  yet  unexplained  "  (Di.).  Strength  (CrS©  Saad.)  yields  an 
excellent  sense  ;  but  it  has  no  philological  justification,  a  root  Nm  not  being 
known.  Ges.  Graf,  Schultz,  Kn.  Ke.  al.  render  rest ;  but  this  rend,  is 
very  uncertain,  depending  only  on  a  remark  in  the  Kamus  that  Arab. 
daba'a  has  this  meaning.  Sam.  has  "l"3i,  and  Sam.  Targ.  (Petermann) 
T:3, — pointing  apparently  to  a  reading  ■;N3n=^3"j  (which  Di.  tliinks  under- 
lies also  the  rend,  strength) ;  but  this  cannot  have  been  the  original  text. 
— 26.  ~ntj?3]  as  thy  help,  the  3  essentice  (on  10"-):  so  Ex.  18'  Nah.  3"  Ps. 
35'  146'. 


4l6  DEUTERONOMY 

riding'  through  the  heavens,  to  g'ive  victory  to  His  people:  of. 
Ps.  i8'i ('")»•  Is.  19I  Huh.  3^^-^-''.—n/^////v  (n]X3)]  not  majcs/i' 
(P^^3) ;  for  nisa  is  used  g-enerally  in  a  bad  sense,  pride:  as 
here,  of  God,'  Ps.  68-''''(;5»).  AV.  RV.,  excellency,  a  \ague 
word,  which  (like  excellent,  Is.  4^  for  pNJ)  has  quite  lost  the 
idea  of  loftiness,  or  surpassing-  grandeur,  attaching  properly 
to  the  Lat.  excello,  as  to  the  Heb.  nS3._27.  Of  old  (D^p)]  lit. 
aforetime,  denoting  what  is  ancient  rather  than  what  is  eternal ; 
the  word  is  often  used,  for  instance,  of  the  Mosaic  age,  or  other 
distant  periods  of  Israel's  past  (Ps.  44-(0y4-'i2  Is.  gi^  Mic. 
7-*^),  and  even  of  a  former  period  of  a  single  lifetime  (Job  29-) ; 
of  mountains,  v.'"',  the  heavens,  Ps.  68-^^('^''),  of  God,  as  here, 
Hab.  ji-  Ps.  55-0(''')  (RV.  "of  o\d'').—D7vclli7ig-placc  (Wp)] 
fem.  of  )ii'^,  Ps.  90^  (cf.  9i'')- — And  underneath,  <5~'c.]  not  only 
is  God  a  divelling-place  (Ps.  90^)  for  His  people,  He  is  also 
their  unfailing  support ;  His  almighty  arms  are  ever  beneath 
them,  bearing  them  up,  and  sustaining  them,  alike  in  their 
prosperity  and  in  their  need.  For  the  fig.,  cf.  Hos.  ii-^  Is.  33^ 
51^  Ps.  44^  89-"^.  —  Thrust  (or  drave)  out]  the  word  used  in  Ex. 
232S-31  332  34II  QE),  Jos.  2412.1S  jud.  2^  6''  {^y_).  Not  else- 
where in  Dt.,  where  the  same  idea  is  generally  expressed  by 
C'''")in  dispossess  (see  on  4^^  9''^), — in  AV.  RV.  rendered  likewise, 
unfortunatel}',  drive  out.  The  tenses  in  this  and  the  next 
verse  show  that  when  these  words  were  written  the  Israelites 
must  have  been  long  settled  in  Canaan. — And  said,  Destroy] 
thereby  authorizing  Israel  to  take  possession  of  Canaan  (cf. 
Ex.  23-""-  Dt.  f-  -''  Sec). —Destroy]  i-"  (phil.  n.).— 28.  The  con- 
sequences of  Jehovah's  protection  :  Israel's  security  in  a  home 
blessed  by  nature's  bounty.  —  The  fountain  of  Jacob]  i.e.  the 
constant  succession  of  his  descendants,  figured  as  a  stream 
ever  welling  forth  freshly  from  its  source  (cf.  Is.  48^  Ps.  68-"  (-'")). 
— Securely]  v.i^. — Alone]  or  solitarily  (Mic.  7'^  RV.)  ;  i.e. 
secluded  from  foes,  isolation  being  regarded  as  the  guarantee 
of  security.  So  elsewhere  :  see  Jer.  49-''i  (|!  abide  securely  [RV. 
ivithout  care],  as  here),  Ps.  4^^'^)  (render:   "Thou  makest  me 

28.  n^a]  adv.  accus.,  as  12'":  so  mn  (32^-). — SN]  =  ':'y  :  see  i  S.  17^  19'^; 
and  cf.  Lex.  ^  note  2.— ^v^  laii"  vcc-  yx]  yx,  as  Ps.  i6«-"-»  i8«  68»-"'  77"- '«; 
cf.  on  V.-".     Iiy,  as  32-t. 


xxxiii.  27-xxxiv  417 

dwell  solitarily,  in  sccurit}- "),  Mic.  7I';  and  cf.  Jud.  18'^. — 
Corn  ami  wine  (L*"l"l''n)]  see  on  7^^. — Dcio]  dew  is  often  heavy 
in  Palestine  (G.  A.  Smith,  Gcogr.  p.  65:  cf.  Jud.  G'^''"^*') ;  and 
at  seasons  when  rain  is  deficient,  is  important  for  the  land  ; 
hence  it  is  frequently  alluded  to  in  the  OT.  as  a  source  of 
fertility  (Gn.  27-s  Pr.  1912  Hos.  i4«;  2  S.  I'-^i  i  K.  i7i)._29. 
There  is  none  (v.^t^)  like  the  God  of  Jeshurun ;  and  so  Israel 
holds  a  unique  position  among-  the  nations. — Savcci^  i.e. 
victorious  (Zech.  9^  Ps.  33^^):  cf.  salvation  (i.e.  deliverance, 
victory)  Ex.  14^^  i  S.  11^^  19-^  Pr.  21^1  al. — Shield]  of  God,  as 
Gn.  15I  Ps.  3'*(^>  igs.  31(2.  30)  2320^  and  elsewhere. — The  sword  of 
thy  dignity^  i.e.  the  sword  which  maintains  thy  dignity  (v.^^'). 
Jehovah  is  to  Israel  both  armour  for  protection,  and  a  weapon 
for.  attack. — Come  cringing  to  thee]  properly  lie  to  thee,  i.e. 
yield  feigned  obedience  (RV.  m.),  of  the  unwilling  (and  insincere) 
homage  rendered — especially  in  the  East — by  the  vanquished 
to  the  conqueror.  So  Ps.  i8^^(^^)  66^  Si^*^. — Tread  upon  their 
high  places]  i.e.  march  over  them  in  triumph  ;  see  on  2,-^-\ 

XXXIV.  The  narrative  of  Moses'  death.— The  death  of 
Moses  will  naturally  have  been  narrated  by  all  the  principal 
Pentateuchal  sources ;  and  accordingly  it  is  not  surprising 
that  the  present  chapter  should  comprise  elements  derived 
from  JE,  D,  and  P.  The  analysis  is  in  most  cases  sufficiently 
clear ;  the  only  uncertainty  is  in  one  or  two  places  where  the 
phraseology  displays  so  little  that  is  characteristic  that  it 
might  have  been  used  by  any  narrator. 

To  P  belong-— 

V.^  certainly yVo/w  the  Steppes  of  Moab  unto  Nebo  (see  32^^ :  and  note 

that  Steppes  of  Moab  is  peculiar  to  P  :  L.O.T.  p.  128,  No.  50)  ;  and 

probably  that  is  fronting  Jericho  as  well  (see  on  32^"). 
V*  to  wheti  he  died  (note  the  exact  conformity  of  the  sentence  with 

Nu.  33^^ ;  also  with  the  other  similarly  constructed  sentences  Gn. 

12^  i6i«  l^^^  21^  252"  41^6  50-'"  Ex.  7^— all  P) ;  perhaps  also  v.'^'^. 
V.^'"  (in  v.^*  notice  "the  Steppes  of  Moab,"  and  the  great  similarity  in 

form  of  Nu.  20-^*^ :  v.^''  points  back  directly  to  P's  account  of  the 

institution  of  Joshua,  Nu.  27^8^.  I'Ba.  y_9b  j.q  ^^^^  27^0  -^yi^v  ;  and  with 

And  ttiey  did  according  as  Jehovah  commanded  Moses,  comp.  Lev. 

8^  le'"*"  Nu.  20-''  27--  31 31,— all  P). 
Probably  also  v.*""'  "at  the  command  of  Jehovah"  (see  Nu.  ^Z^^t  of 

Aaron  ;  and  note  that  'a  ^]!  is  a  standing;  expression  of  P's,  L.O.T. 

p.  127,  No.  41). 

27 


4l8  DEUTERONOMY 

The  rest  of  the  chap,  shows  no  signs  of  P's  style.  "  The  mention  of 
Pisgah  v.-  (Nil.  21"*  23'* :  also  Dt.  3-''),  the  phrasinjj  of  v.***  (which 
ajifrees  verbally  with  Ex.  ;i^^),  the  characteristic  expressions  in 
v.*'"^'',  and  the  affirmation,  v.^",  of  the  fact  that  no  prophet  had 
since  arisen  in  Israel  whom  Jehovah  had  known  '  face  to  face '  (see 
Ex.  33^^ ;  and  cf.  Nu.  I2'''*),  all  point  unmistakably  to  the  pro- 
phetical narrative  of  JE"  (Westphal,  p.  46  f.).  One  or  two  ex- 
pressions in  v.®-''*  are,  however,  possibly  additions  by  D:  and 
v.^^''^  (which  abounds  with  Deut.  phrases)  is  a  supplement  to  v.^", 
attached  certainly  by  a  Deutefonomic  hand. 

1.  Frotn  the  S.cppcs  of  Moah  (3XiD  niaiV)]  Nu.  22^  263-63 
21I2  334S-50  2^1  0513  Jqs_  13-21^  'Yh^  term  (which  is  used 
only  by  P)  denotes  the  open  plain,  between  Jordan  and  the 
mountains  of  Moab,  into  which  the  Jordan-valley  expands 
immediately  N.  of  the  Dead  Sea,  now  called  the  Ghor-es- 
Seisebdn,  about  9  miles  from  N.  to  S.,  and  5-7  miles  from  E. 
to  W.  The  corresponding  plain  on  the  W.  side  (about  8 
miles  from  N.  to  S.,  by  6i  from  E.  to  W.)  is  called  the 
Steppes  of  Jericho  (Jos.  4^'3  5^0  2  K.  25^  Jer.  39^  52^).  The 
term  is  elsewhere  used  of  a  desert  land  (Is.  35^  51^  «•/.),  and 
seems  to  have  been  given  to  the  region  in  question  on  account 
of  its  barren,  unproductive  soil :  at  least,  the  plain  about 
Jericho  (except  the  immediate  environs  of  the  city  ;  see  on  v.^) 
has  this  character  (Jos.  BJ.  iii.  10.  7  iprj/xLav ;  Rob.  BJ^.  i.  542  ; 
S.  &  P.  296,  297 ;  PEF.  Sia-vcy,  iii.  168), — the  Ghor-es- 
Seiseban,  is,  however,  described  as  well  watered,  and  covered 
with  trees  (Tristram,  Moab,  p.  349;  Land  of  Israel,  513  f.). — 
Went  iip\  Nebo  would  be  more  than  3500  ft.  above  the  level  of 
the  Jordan-valley. — Unto  Mount  Nebo,  to  the  top  (or  head)  of 
Pisgah,  that  is  fronting  Jeric]io\  a  comparison  of  3-'^  with  32^^ 
shows  that  "Mount  Nebo,"  and  "the  top  (head)  of  Pisgah" 
are  two  alternative  designations  of  the  same  spot — the  one, 
perhaps,  fixing  it  more  precisely  than  the  other — used  by 
different  writers :  here  they  are  combined, — probably  by  the 
final  compiler  of  the  Pent.,  who  to  the  words  of  JE,  "And 
Moses  went  up  to  the  top  [or  head)  of  Pisgah  "  (cf.  3-^ ;  and 
in  JE,  Nu.  21^0  23!^),  added  the  geographical  definitions  of  P 
(cf.  32*^).  On  the  name  Pisgah,  see  on  3^''. — Fronting^  ""DS  hv 
usually  suggests  East  of  [cL  on  1  i^s) :  so  e.g.  Gn.  25^8  i  K.  1 1". 
The  spot  referred  to  can  be  fixed,  at  least  approximately, 


XXXIV.  I  419 

with  tolerable  confidence.  The  table-land  (the  ]\lis/ior,  3'"')  or 
Moab,  a  plateau  about  3000  ft.  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
descends  gradually  to  the  Jordan-valley  by  a  multitude  of 
irregular  mountain  ridges  and  summits,  intersected  by  numerous 
Wadys.  Among  these  ridges  there  is  one  which  "runs  out 
west  from  the  plateau,  sinking  gradually ;  at  first  a  broad  brown 
field  of  arable  land,  then  a  flat  top,  crowned  by  a  ruined  cairn, 
bearing  the  name  Ncbd  "  :  this  is  just  5  miles  S.W.  of  Heshbon, 
and  9^  miles  due  W.  of  the  N.E.  end  of  the  Dead  Sea;  its 
height  is  2643  ft.  above  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  or  3935  ft. 
above  the  Dead  Sea.  West  of  Neba,  the  ridge  becomes 
narrower  :  at  about  a  mile  from  Neba  are  the  ruins  (Byzantine) 
of  Sidghah',  and  h  a  mile  S.W.  of  this,  the  ridge  terminates 
in  a  projecting  spur  called  Rds  Sidghah  (the  head  of  Siaghah), 
whence  the  slopes  fall  steeply  on  all  sides  down  to  the 
Jordan-valley,  and  the  Dead  Sea,  3586  ft.  below  (Conder, 
Heth  and  Aloab,'^  p.  132  f.).*  About  a  mile  N.  of  these  two 
heights,  the  ridge  of  which  they  form  part  slopes  down  into 
the  picturesque  W^ady  'Ayun  Musa,  in  which  are  the  cascades 
mentioned  on  3^^.  This  ridge  is  stated  to  bear  indifferently 
the  names  of  Neba  and  Siaghah.  Neba  is  doubtless  the 
ancient  Nebo.  The  name  Pisgah  has  not  been  preserved. 
Presumably,  it  was  the  ancient  name  of  the  entire  ridge. 
njDDn  :;'X"i  may  be  rendered  either  the  top  or  the  head  of 
Pisgah  ;  if  c'Sl  be  top,  the  locality  meant  will  have  been  the 
modern  Neba,  the  culminating  point  of  the  ridge ;  but  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  it  is  described  in  Nu.  21^0  as  looking  forth  over 
Jeshinion  (whether  this  be  the  wilderness  of  Judah,  or  the  long 
tract  of  barren  land  on  the  E.  of  Jordan,  N.  of  the  Dead  Sea), 
it  is  more  natural  to  understand  it  of  the  projecting  headland 
at  the  W.  extremity  of  the  ridge,  the  Ras  Siaghah,  which 
commands  the  better  prospect  of  the  Jordan-valley  below. 

From  neither  point  is  there  much  to  be  seen  towards  the 
E.  and  S.,  the  high  plateau  of  Moab  behind,  and  the  ridge  of 
Maslubiyeh  on  the  S.,  intercepting  the  view  in  those  directions. 
But  towards  the  N,,  W.,  and  S.W.,  the  panorama  is  superb, 

'  On  Siag^liah,  see  further  Survey  of  E,  Palestine,  pp.  154-156  ;  and  on 
Neba,  ib.  pp.  198-203. 


420  DEUTERONOMY 

though  the  terms  of  Dt.  34^-^  are  hyperbolical,  and  must  be 
taken  as  including  points  filled  in  by  the  imagination,  as  well 
as  those  actually  visible  to  the  eye  (see  the  notes).  Actually 
the  prospect  embraces — on  the  N.E.,  the  Belga  (p.  52),  a 
"  waving  ocean  of  corn  and  grass  "  ;  on  the  N.  the  undulating 
forests  of  the  Southern  half  of  Gile'ad,  terminating  in  the 
Jebel  'Osha  (3650  ft.  above  the  sea),  behind  es-Salt ;  the  snow- 
clad  top  of  Hermon  ;  Tabor  (in  Zebulun) ;  Ras  Ibzik  (Bezek), 
S.  of  Gilboa'  (in  Issachar) ;  'Ebal  and  Gerizim,  with  the  cleft 
between  them  indicating  where  Shechem  lay ;  in  front,  as  the 
eye  moves  Southwards,  the  heights  of  Benjamin  and  Judah 
with  the  Jordan-valley  spread  out  beneath  ;  the  gap  in  the 
hills  leading  up  from  Jericho,  with  the  height  of  Karantania 
on  the  right ;  further  off,  on  the  horizon,  the  lofty  peak  of 
Neby  Samwil,  the  ancient  Mizpeh  (2935  ft.);  next,  the  Mount 
of  Olives,  with  the  hill  of  Zion  behind,  and  the  ridge  on  which 
Bethlehem  and  Hebron  lie,  stretching  out  to  the  left ;  in  the 
valley  below,  the  lower  course  of  the  Jordan,  fringed  with  its 
growth  of  semi-tropical  vegetation,  the  "pride  of  Jordan" 
(Jer.  12^,  49^9=50'*^,  Zech.  11^) ;  the  plain  of  es-Seiseban  (East 
of  the  river),  the  old  Abel  Shittim,  immediately  beneath  the 
spectator ;  opposite,  the  dusky,  barren  plain  of  Jericho,  with 
the  "rich  green  islets"  of  'Ain  es-Sultan  and  'Ain  Duk, 
underneath  the  hill  of  Karantania ;  lastly,  the  Dead  Sea,  as 
far  as  'Engedi,  stretched  out  like  *'a  long  strip  of  molten 
metal,  with  the  sun  mirrored  on  its  surface,"  and  bordered  by 
the  bare  and  stern  limestone  rocks  forming  the  edge  of  the 
"Wilderness  of  Judah."* 

And  Jehovah  showed  Itim  all  the  land,  (even)  Gilead  as  far 
as  Dan,  "^and  all  Naphtali,  and  the  land  of  Ephraim  and 
Manasseh,  and  all  the  land  of  Judah  as  far  as  the  hinder  sea, 
^  and  the  South,  and  the  Round,  (even)  the  plain  of  Jericho,  the 
city  of  palm-trees,  as  far  as  Zo'ar]  "  all  the  land  "  is  the  obj.  of 
"showed,"  the  following  words,  to  the  end  of  v.^,  defining 
the  extent  of  land  that  is  meant  (RV.  renders  wrongly).     The 

*  See  further  Tristram,  Lafid  0/ Israel,  p.  526  f.  (from  the  "lower 
Nebbeh,"  i.e.  probably  Sia5i:]iah,  cf.  p.  524);  Moab,  pp.  325f.,  329f.;  Condcr, 
I.e.  pp.  134-139;  G.  A.  Smith,  Geogr.  p.  563  f. 


XXXIV.  2-3  42  1 

description  begins  uith  the  N.,  and  follows  the  eye  round  to 
the  S.  On  Gile'ad,  see  on  3^0.  The  Dan  meant  can  be  only 
the  well-known  place  of  that  name,  formerly  Leshem  or  Laish 
(Jos.  jg*~  Jud.  18'-'^),  near  the  foot  of  Hermon,  where  one  of 
the  principal  sources  of  the  Jordan  takes  its  rise,  often  men- 
tioned as  the  extreme  N.  limit  of  Cana'an  (i  S.  32"  al.),  now 
Tell-el-Kadi.  Keil  and  others  have  supposed  that  another 
place  of  the  same  name  in  N.  Gile'ad,  mentioned  also  Gn.  14^^ 
2  S.  24'',  is  intended ;  but  the  existence  of  such  a  Dan  is 
extremely  questionable  (see  Del.  or  Dillm.  on  Gn.  14^*;  DB."- 
i.  703,  714:  in  2  S.  24*^  read,  after  ffi,  "And  they  came  to 
Dan,  and  from  Dan  they  went  round  unto  Sidon  ") ;  and  the 
terms  of  the  description  here  imply  some  well-known  locality. 
The  words  "as  far  as  (ty)  Dan"  do  not  mark  the  point  to 
which  the  writer  supposed  Gile'ad  to  reach,  but  the  point  to 
which  Moses'  view  extended.  Dan  is  not,  however,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  visible  from  Neba  (Conder,  I.e.  p.  139),  nor,  if 
Tristram  (p.  527)  be  right,  is  more  than  a  part  (to  Jebel  'Osha) 
even  of  the  Southern  half  (3^^)  of  Gile^ad ;  and  hence  Conder 
supposes  that  1J?  has  the  force  of  towards.  But  ny  means 
distinctly  as  far  as:  no  doubt  the  limit  named  is  intended 
hyperbolically,  and  is  not  to  be  understood  ati  pied  de  la  lettre. 
Hermon  being-  visible  from  Pisgah,  Dan  is  probably  named  as 
the  N.  limit  of  Israel,  near  its  foot. — 2.  And  all  Naphfali]  the 
territory  N.  and  N.N.W.  of  the  sea  of  Gennesareth  (on  33"-'), 
reaching  a  little  further  N.  than  Dan.  Mentioned  as  an  import- 
ant Northerly  region  of  Canaan,  the  hills  of  which  (many  about 
2500  ft.  in  height)  might  (to  judge  by  the  map)  be  discernible  in 
dim  outline  from  an  eminence  such  as  Pisgah. — And  all  the  land 
of  Judah  as  far  as  the  hinder  sea\  i.e.  the  Mediterranean  Sea 
(ii2*).  This  again  is  not  visible  from  Neba  (Conder,  I.e.),  the 
view  being  intercepted  by  the  high  central  ground  of  Palestine. 
The  same  explanation  must  be  adopted  as  in  the  case  of  Dan. 
— 3.  The  South]  the  Negeb,  or  southern  tract  of  Judah  (Jos. 
ig2i-32j .  see  on  \^  (p.  13). — And  the  Round]  we  should  perhaps 
say  the  Oval.  KikkCir,  a  round  (often  of  a  rotind  loaf  of  bread, 
I  S.  lo^,  and  of  a  talent,  i.e.  a  circular  leaden  weight,  Zech. 
5'),  is  used  technically,  as  a  geographical  term,  of  the  circular 


42  2  DEUTERONOMY 

(or  oval)  basin  into  which  the  Jordan-valley  (the  'Ardbah) 
expands,  just  before  the  Jordan  enters  the  Dead  Sea:  so  Gn. 
1312  igi7.  25.  28.  29  2  S.  i82s,  and  **the  Round  of  Jordan  "Gn. 
13I0.  u  I  K.  7*6  ( =  2  Ch.  417) :  RV.  "  Plain  "  (with  a  capital  P). 
(G  here  to.  Trcpip^wpa,  in  Gn.  and  2  Ch.  1)  Trepixoipos  (cf.  Mt.  3^). 
See  S.  &  P.  pp.  284,  287,  484  f. — (Even)  ^/le  plain  of  Jericho 
("im''  nyp3)]  not  "of"  (RV.);  the  words  are  in  apposition  to 
"  the  Round,"  and  define  its  extent.  The  expression  *'  Plain 
of  Jericho "  does  not  occur  elsewhere ;  but  r\^^^^^,  a  broad 
"cleft,"  or  plain  between  mountains  (see  on  8"),  would  be 
quite  suitably  applied  to  the  broad  depressed  plain  in  which 
Jericho  lies. — The  city  of  palm-trces\  so  (in  appos.  \x\\h  Jericho) 
2  Ch.  28^^;  alone  (as  a  name  of  the  city)  Jud.  ii**  3^^.  Jericho 
was  renowned  in  antiquity  for  its  palm-groves.  The  site  of 
the  ancient  city  was,  no  doubt,  close  to  the  beautiful  fountain 
'Ain  es-Sultan,  or  Elisha"s  Spring,  which  gushes  forth  in  a 
copious  stream  about  a  mile  from  the  foot  of  the  mountains 
which  lead  up  into  the  high  ground  of  Judah.  At  present  the 
site  is  neglected,  and  haunted  only  by  wandering  Bedouins; 
but  under  cultivation  it  must  have  presented  a  very  different 
appearance.  Josephus  seldom  mentions  Jericho,  without 
praising  the  richness  and  productiveness  of  its  soil.  He  calls 
it  the  most  fertile  tract  of  Judaea;  and  in  speaking  of  the 
fountain  says  that  it  watered  a  tract  70  stadia  long  by  20 
broad,  covered  w^ith  beautiful  pleasure-gardens  (7rapa8cio-ot 
koXXlcttol  re  Koi  TrvKvoraToi),  and  groves  of  palms  of  different 
species,  besides  many  other  choice  and  rare  trees  {BJ.  iv.  8.  3, 
an  eloquent  description;  cf.  Rob.  BR.  i.  559). — As  far  as 
Zo'ar]  the  site  of  Zo'ar  is  disputed. 

In  Roman  and  Mcdiaival  times  (cf.  Jos.  BJ.  iv.  8.  4 ;  Euseb.  Onom. 
s.v.  /S«?.a),  a  city  called  Zoara  by  the  Greeks,  and  Zughar  by  the  Arabs, 
at  the  S.  end  of  the  Dead  Sea,  was  pointed  to,  as  the  ?o'ar  of  the  OT. ; 
and  it  has  been  located  accordingly  either  (Rob.  BR.  ii.  pp.  107,  518,  and 
others)  at  Mezraa,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wady  Kerak,  on  the  isthmus  of  the 
peninsula  El-Usan,  or  (Wetzstein,  ap.  Del.  Gen.*  ^.  564 ff.;  Dillm.)  in  the 
Ghor  es-Safia,  at  the  S.E.  end  of  the  Dead  Sea.  The  fact,  however,  that 
here  and  Gn.  13'°  19=0-22.23  ^^f.  14--^)  Zo'ar  is  alluded  to  as  being  in  (or 
very  near  to)  the  Kikkar  {see  above)  of  Jordan,  which  was  visible  from  the 
E.  of  Bethel  {ib.  13'",  see  v.^  12^), — as  is  actually  the  case  with  the  lower 
course  of  the  Jordan,  though  not  with  the  S.  half  of  the  Dead  Sea, — inclines 


XXXIV.  4-6  4^3 

others  to  believe  that  it  lay  in  realit\'  somcwliefc  at  llie  North  end  of  llie 
Dead  Sea:  see  G.  Grove  in  />'/A'  (1S63),  s.ik  ;  Tristram,  Moab,  pj). 
330-334;  Conder,  Heth  and  Aloab,'-^  p.  154  f.,  who  identifies  it  with  Tell 
Shagfir,  6  miles  N.E.  of  the  Dead  Sea,  at  the  foot  of  the  Moab  rant;-e, 
near  the  Wady  Hesban  (though  owning,  p.  137,  that  this  site  is  not  dis- 
tinguishable from  Ras  Siaghah).  G.  A.  Smith  {Geogr.  of  the  Holy  Land, 
pp.  505-508),  after  a  review  of  the  opposing  arguments,  considers  the 
Southern  site  on  the  whole  the  more  probable. 

4.  The  land  ivliich  I  sivare,  S^c]  verbatim  as  Ex.  33^.  See 
on  i^. — Caused  thee  to  sce^  in  the  Heb.,  the  same  verb  which 
is  rendered  "showed"  in  v.^.  —  Thou  sJialt  not  go  over  thither^ 
cf.  i37  32T  421. 22  (D) .  3252  ^u.  20^2  (P)._5.  Moses,  the  sei-vant  of 
Jehovah^  so  often  in  the  Deut.  sections  of  Joshua'  (ji- 2.  7. 13. 15 
&c.):  in  Nu.  12^-^  (JE)  Jehovah  calls  Moses  "my  servant." 
Also  sometimes  in  later  books:  i  K.  8^3 •  56  2  K.  21^  (Deut.) 
Mai.  322  Ps.  10526  I  Ch.  634  2  Ch.  i^  246-  9  Neh.  i^-  s  gU  iqSO  Dan. 
9^1.  Comp.  Jud.  28  nin''  nay  p:  p  V'C'^rX^  no''"i. — According  to  the 
command  {inouth) .  of  Jehovah^  so  Nu.  33^8  (p),  of  Aaron. 
Mouth  in  the  sense  of  commandos  a  common  Hebrew  idiom; 
and  the  phrase  here  used  occurs  frequently  (in  P)  with  refer- 
ence to  Jehovah  (e.g.  Nu.  316- 39  ^37.  41  ^is.  20.  23^ .  nevertheless, 
the  Jews  understood  it  here  literally  ;  (IE  paraphrases  np''ti'3  ^y 
~"in''n  XID'O ;  and  hence  the  Rabb.  leg-end  that  Moses  died  by 
the  kiss  of  God. — 6.  And  he  buried  hini\  though  Heb.  idiom 
(see  phil.  n.  on  15-)  would  permit  the  verb  to  be  fairly  repre- 
sented in  English  by  they  buried  him  (Cr  Waif/av),  or  he  Tvas 
buried  (see  the  RV.  of  i  K.  13^  2  K.  2i26 — the  same  word  as 
here — Is.  53^),  yet,  in  view  of  clause^,  the  subject  intended  is 
doubtless  Jehovah. — In  the  ravine  .  .  .  in  front  of  Beth-Peor\ 
i.e.  in  the  very  ravine  in  which  (according  to  32^  4*6)  Israel  at 
the  moment  was. 

Probably  the  Wady  Hesban  (described  in  Tristram,  Moab,  p.  343  ff.) : 
for  this  (to  judge  by  the  map  in  the  Survey  of  E.  Palest.  :  cf.  also  Palmer, 
Desert  of  the  Exodus,  p.  525  f.)  will  have  been  the  natural  route  for  the 
ascent  from  Livias  to  Heshbon,  which,  according  to  Euseb.  (see  note  on 
3^),  passed  by  Beth-pe'or,  though  it  is  just  possible  that  this  might  have 
been  up  the  Wady  'Ayun  Musa,  which  runs,  speaking  roughly,  parallel  to 
the  W.  Hesban,  about  2  miles  S.  of  it.  Beth-pe'or,  it  seems,  must  have 
overlooked  one  of  these  Wadys  (probably  the  former),  the  "top  of  Pe'or" 
(Nu.  23^)  being  an  eminence  on  the  hills  (1800-2000  ft.)  between  them. 

On  apocryphal  literature  relating  to  the  death  of  Moses,  see  Jude**,  J. 


424  DEUTERONOMY 

E.  Gciliard,  De  scpiilf.  A/osis,  1667  ;  J,  A.  Schmid,  De  morte  Mosis,  1703 
(cited  by  Dillm.)  ;  E\v.  Hist.  ii.  224,  226  f.;  PRE.'-  xii.  352  f.  ;  Schiinr, 
N.  Zg."  ii.  630-638  (where  other  literature  is  cited).  The  (incomplete) 
Assitmptio  Mosis  was  first  published,  in  an  Old  Latin  version,  by  Ceriani, 
JMonumcnia  sacra  et pro/ana,  1861,  I.  i.  55^".;  it  was  reprinted  (with  notes) 
by  Hilefcnfeld,  Nov.  Test,  extra  Canon,  receptiun,  i.  98  ff.,  ed.  2,  i.  107^.; 
and  retranslated  into  Greek,  also  with  notes,  in  the  same  writer's  Messias 
Jtidceortan,  1869,  p.  437  ff.:  c.  14  of  this  work  contains  the  lej^cnd  of  the 
devil  claiming'  the  body  of  Moses  from  the  Archangfel  Michael,  on  the 
g-round  that  he  had  been  guilty  of  the  murder  of  the  Egyptians,  which  was 
repelled  by  Michael  in  the  words  quoted  in  Jude  ^,  '."TrtTijj.ma.i  <toi  0  ho;.  See 
also  the  nva  S::*  nras  in  Jellinek,  Beth  ha-Midrasch,  1853,  i.  p.  115  fT. 

7.  And  Moses  was  an  hundred  and  twenty  years  old  when  he 
died\  the  age  stated  agrees  with  Dt.  312;  it  was,  no  doubt, 
traditional.  The  clause  is  derived  from  P  (p.  417):  it  is  the 
natural  complement  of  Ex.  y''  Nu.  33^'^. — His  eye  was  not  dim 
(Gn.  27^),  neither  had  his  freshness  fled\  freshness  (np)  occurs 
only  here:  but  the  cogn.  adj.  np  means  moist.,  fresh ^  of  fruit 
(Nu.  6^),  or  of  growing  or  freshly-cut  wood  (Ez.  17^^  Gn.  30°''), 
opp.  K'3''  dry.  The  natural  moisture  and  freshness  of  his  body 
was  not  reduced  by  age. — Fled\  fig.  ;  cf.  of  sleep  (m:)  Gn.  31^'' 
Est.  6^  Dan.  6^^(i^).  There  is  nothing  distinctive  in  the  phrase- 
ology of  this  clause  ;  hence  it  is  difficult  to  feel  assured  whether 
it  belongs  to  JE,  or  whether,  like  cl.  ^,  it  is  to  be  assigned  to 
P.  Wellh.  {Conip.  p.  118)  is  led  by  its  terseness  and  force  to 
refer  it  to  J  ;  but  it  connects  so  well  with  cl.'"^  that  it  may  be 
part  of  P. ^8-9.  These  two  verses  belong  certainly  to  P. — 
And  the  children  of  Israel  wept  for  Moses  in  the  Steppes  of 
Moah  (v.^)  thirty  day s\  cf.  Nu.  2o29  (P),  of  Aaron:  "And  all 
the  house  of  Israel  wept  for  Aaron  thirty  days." — 9.  Was  filled 
with  the  spirit  of  wisdom]  cf.  Ex.  28^  (P). —  Wisdo/n]  i.e. 
practical,  administrative  ability. — For  Moses  had  laid  his 
hands  ttpon  Jiini]  see  Nu.  27^8.  23  (p^^  which  is  here  evidently 
referred  to.  The  same  ceremony  (for  different  purposes)  is 
also  mentioned  often  besides  in  P  (as  Lev.  i^  Nu.  S^*'-  ^- ; 
nowhere  else,  except  2  Ch.  292-'). — Hearkened  unto  him]  Nu. 

XXXIY.  7.  r\h)>]  the  older  form  of  the  suffix,  retained  regularly  in 
Moabitish,  but  in  Heb.  (in  our  existing  texts)  only  sporadically,  14  times 
in  the  Pent,  (as  Gn.  9-^  49"  Ex.  32^'--'),  some  40  times  in  other  books  (as 
Jcr.  2^-  21  8"-  ^"  i"]"^  26^  22'«).     See  Samuel,  p.  xxxv,  and  on  2  S.  2»  21^. 


XXXIV.  7-II  425 

2J.20  "hearken"  (RV.  "obey").— 10.  Arisen]  Ex.  i^  Jud.  2^"  ; 
also  2^^'  3''- 1''  Dt.  1 8'^-  ^s,  with  which  the  present  passage  is  not 
inconsistent,  for  "Hke"  there  expresses  simihirity,  not  equality. 
—  'Wliom  Jehovah  knew]  i.e.  took  notice  of,  deemed  worthy  of 
His  self-revealing-  friendship  and  regard  (Gn.  18^^  Am.  3^ ; 
I  Cor.  8^). — Face  to  face]  in  personal  converse ;  so  Ex.  33^1 
(E) :  cf.  Nu.  12^  (ns  ^x  ns) ;  and  on  5*.  The  words  denote 
the  special  pre-eminence  of  Moses  among"  the  prophets. — 
11-12.  Two  verses  calling  attention  to  Moses'  pre-eminence  in 
other  respects,  viz.  on  account  of  the  wonders  wrought  by  his 
instrumentality.  The  verses  are  attached  loosely  to  v.^^i.^ 
and  express  really  a  new  point  of  view.  The  phraseology  is 
Deuteronomic ;  but  their  imperfect  connexion  with  v.^o  makes 
it  improbable  that  they  are  the  work  of  D ;  they  are  rather 
the  work  of  a  later  (and  inferior)  Deut.  writer,  who  sought  to 
supplement  v.^'^  by  a  notice  of  particulars  in  which  it  seemed  to 
him  to  be  deficient.— ^j-  regards  all  the  signs  and  wonders.^ 
&c.\  for  the  expressions  used,  see  4^*  6-^  719  n^  26^  2giC2)b^ 
— 11.  In  the  eyes  of  all  Israel]  31^:  cf.  also  4^4  end  522  291(2). 

Additional  Note  on  "1B3  (21^  32**^). 

The  note  on  21*  was  so  worded  as  to  give  the  general  sense  of  this 
term,  whether  its  primary  meaning-  were  assumed  to  be  (from  the  Syriac) 
to  "wipe,  -wipe  off,  or  (from  the  Arabic)  to  cover.  Although,  however,  there 
are  many  passages  in  which  the  use  of  the  word  could  be  naturally  ex- 
plained upon  the  former  supposition,  there  are  others  (esp.  Gn.  32-^)  in 
which  this  is  hardly  the  case  :  the  latter  (which  is  also  the  usual  explana- 
tion) must  accordingly  be  deemed  the  more  probable  one.  The  various 
applications  of  the  word  are  best  explained  in  the  note  in  Wellh.  Covip. 
p.  335  f.  Kipper  is  to  cover — never,  however,  in  a  purely  literal  sense  (like 
n~2),  but  always  morally,  viz.  with  the  collateral  idea  of  either  conciliaiing- 
an  offended  person,  or  screening  an  offence  or  an  offender.  It  is  used  in 
t/tree  applications,  (i)  Its  most  primary  application  appears  in  Gn.  32-^, 
where  Jacob,  in  dread  of  Esau's  anger,  says  nnoaa  v:£)  n-i?:N  I  will  cover 
his  face  with  the  present — i.e.  conciliate  him,  the  fig.  being  that  of  a 
person  blinded  by  a  gift  (Ex.  23"  i  S.  12^)  so  as  not  to  notice  something 
(cf.  Gn.  20"').  Hence  (face  being  omitted)  kipper  acquires  the  gen.  sense 
of  to  conciliate,  propitiate,  appease,  the  means  employed  (the  "i?3)  being, 
according  to  circumstances,  a  gift,  an  entreaty,  conciliatory  behaviour, 
and  esp.  (see  2)  a  sacrifice :  so  Ex.  32^"  DDn.xcn  nj?3  iTi^Jx  '^iN  (by  interces- 
sion :  V.3"-),  fig.  Pr.  16"  (of  a  king's  wrath)  njn£33'  con  b"ni,  Is.  47"  (of 
calamity)  m£33  ''?Din  n!?  (|1  mnc  to  charm  it  away).  The  subst.  iopher,  lit.  a 
covering,  i.e.  a  propitiatory  gift,  is,  however,  restricted  by  usage  to  a  gift 


426 


DEUTERONOMY 


ofTcrc'd  as  an  equivalent  ffir  a  life  that  is  claimed, — the  rcerfflld  so  rijjorouslj' 
prohibited  by  Hebrew  law  (above,  p.  234)  in  the  case  of  murder,  but  per- 
mitted in  certain  other  cases,  and  evidently  a  familiar  popular  institution.* 
This  sense  of  ^(^/i/j^r  illustrates  2  S.  21',  where  David  says  to  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  murdered  Gibe'onites  i?rx  n^ji  wherewith  shall  I  make 
propitiation  ?  the  satisfaction  demanded  being  the  lives  of  Saul's  sons, 
who  are  thereupon  sacrificed  to  appease  Jehovah's  ang-er  (v." ;  cf.  v.'  24^. 
See  also  Nu.  35*',  comp.  with  v.^'-'-.  (2)  In  the  distinctively  priestly 
phraseology  (Ez.  and  P),  the  subject  oi  Upper  is  the  priest, +  the  means  a 
sacrifice — usually  the  blood  of  the  sin-offering,  or  the  guilt-offering  {c™k), 
occasionally  the  burnt-offering  (Lev.  i^  i6-^),  now  and  then  something 
else:§  the  object  was  perhaps  orig.  ni.T  -ii;  (cf.  Gn.  32",  and  rn.T  'js  n'?n), 
the  verb  being  construed  absolutely,  to  perform  a  propitiatory  rite,  with 
•jy  {on  behalf  of)  the  person,  less  freq.  with  iv^  (Lev.  9''  i6"-  ''•  ^^-  ^  Ez.  45'") ; 
but  the  use  of  the  accus.  of  a  material  object  (Lev.  iG'"-^-^  Ez.  43^*^ 
45-"t)  supports  the  view  that  the  idea  involved  is  to  cover  up  (cf.  Sv  n33, 
-iyn  cnn),  screen,  viz.  by  a  propitiatory  rite  :  there  follows  (if  required)  jD 
of  the  guilt  from  which  one  is  freed  (Lev.  4'-'*'  5^- '"  16^"  «/.),  or  S^  (on 
account  of),  Lev.  4-*''  5^^-  '^.  (5  usually  lliXaa-xofnti.  See  more  fully  on 
Lev.  4-".  (3)  Sometimes  God  is  the  subject,  who  "  covers  " — i.e.  treats  as 
covered,  overlooks,  pardons,  condones — either  (a)  the  offender,  or  {b)  the 
offence  :  so  (a)  Dt.  21'*''  yJ^  Ez.  i6«''  2  Ch.  3oi« ;  {b)  Jer.  18-'  Ps.  Gs^*  78-«  798 
Dan.  9^  (obj.  in  all  Jiy  or  C'iT2)t.  God  is  also,  no  doubt,  conceived  as  the 
implicit  agent  where  the  verb  \s  passive:  viz.  Dt.  21^''  i  S.  3"  (py  nSDn'  CK 
vh\]l  ny  nnjom  n^in  "'^y  n'a).  Is.  6^  1221^  iriNam  i;iy  loi  (the  means  a  purging 
or  atoning  rite) ;  Is.  22"  (means  not  specified) ;  Is.  27"  Pr.  16"  raN3i  ^r^3 
\\]1  ~\i2-,  (the  means  meritorious  conduct) :  in  all  these  cases,  the  subj.  is 
the  iniquity,  which,  when  the  verb  is  in  the  active  voice,  is  the  obj.  in  (3d), 
but  never  in  (2).  On  Nu.  35^*,  see  above.  No.  i,  at  the  end.'l  In  actual 
usage,  the  primary  sense  of  covering  was  probably  altogether  forgotten. 
The  connexion  between  the  three  applications  may,  perhaps,  be  best  pre- 
served by  rendering  in  (i)  and  {2) propitiate,  or  viake  propitiation,  and  in 
(3)  deal  propitiously  with. 

*  Kopher  is  an  interesting  word,  which  carries  us  deep  down  into  the 
feeling  and  usage  of  the  ancient  Hebrews.  It  is  the  price,  or  equivalent, 
of  a  life:  Ex.  21^  (JE),  30'-  P  (a  half-shekel  to  be  paid  by  every  one,  at 
the  time  of  a  census,  as  the  iraj  -\ni),  Nu.  35-'^-  *^  P  (not  to  be  accepted  from 
a  murderer),  i  S.  12^  (a  bribe  to  screen  a  murderer:  so  Am.  5'-),  Pr.  6^ 
(the  injured  husband  will  accept  no  13::  from  an  adulterer),  13*  21^^  (11  nnn). 
Is.  43'*  (II  nnn),  Ps.  49^  C'  (no  man  can  ransom  a  brother  from  death,  or  give 
God  a  kopher  for  him) ;  fig.  of  the  discipline  of  suffering.  Job  33--*  2)(>^'^\. 

X  Or  sometimes  the  offering :  Lev.  \*  17"  Ex.  301^^-  Nu.  31^  35^. 

§  See  Ex.  3015-^^  (y^^  half-shekel  paid  at  a  census),  Nu.  B^**  (the  Levites 
taken  in  lieu  of  the  firstborn),  17"'-  {\(i^^-)  (Aaron  with  incense,  quelling 
Jehovah's  wralh),  25'*  (Phinehas,  by  slaying  the  offenders,  and  so  arresting 
Jehovah's  anger),  31''^  (spoil  offered  on  behalf  of  survivors  in  a  campaign), 
35^^  (the  blood  of  a  murderer). 

II  Is.  28"*  -\^\  is  either  simply  be  effaced,  or  an  error  for  -137]  (see  24^). 


INDEX 


Aaron,  death  of,  lo". 

'Abarim,  mountain  of  the,  32'''. 

Abib,  16I. 

"Abomination"  (nni'in),  xxixf., 
Ixxxiii  f. ,  7^  14^  32^". 

'Ain  Kadis  (Kadesh),  6,  20. 

"All  Israel,""  i^. 

'Amalek,  286-28S. 

"Amen,"  27'^. 

'Ammonites,  40,  46,  261  f. 

Amorites,  1 1  f. 

Anachronisms  in  Dt.,  xlii,  xliii,  38, 
77.  322. 

'Anak,  'Anakim,  23  f.,  37. 

'Ar,  36,  45. 

'Ardbah,  the,  2f.,  35,  133. 

Sea  of  the,  58. 

Arabic  customs  or  beliefs  referred 
to,  126,  147,  156,  164,  188  f.,  199, 
223 f.,  224,  225,  226,  234,  240,  241, 
245.  255.  257  w.,  259,  284  «. 

Archaisms,  imag'ined,  Ixxxviii-xc, 
i9«.,  79  M.,  405  «. 

Argob,  48-50. 

Ark,  ii7f.,  i22f. 

Arnon,  45. 

'Aro'er,  45. 

"As  at  this  day,"  2"'''. 

"As  Jehovah  spake,"  xvi,  Ixxxi. 

Asher,  33-'"". 

Asherah,  201-203. 

'Ashtaroth,  8. 

'Ashtoreth,  202. 

Assuviptio  Mosis,  424. 

"At  that  time,"  xlii,  Ixxiiw.,  15. 

"Aveng-er  of  blood,"  xii,  232-234. 

'Avvim,  2^. 


Ba'al  of  pe'or,  4^ 

Baldness,  a  mark  of  mourning-,  14'. 

Bashan,  3^  32^*. 

Bastard,  23^ 

"Belial,"  not  a  pr.  name,  13". 

Benjamin,  33^^. 

Beth-pe'or,  3-^  34". 

Betrothal,  22'-^ 

"  Beyond  Jordan,"  xlii  f. 

Blood,  the  seat  of  the  "soul,"  12-'. 

not  to  be  eaten,  12^^-  -*. 

innocently  shed  pollutes  land, 

218  ^2''^. 
Booths,  feast  (pilg-rimage)  of,  16'""^' 

3110. 
Bribery,  10^^  16^^  27^. 

Caleb,  36. 

Canaan,  seven  nations  of,  7^. 

Canaanites,  11  f.,  13  f.,  133. 

extermination    of,    xxii,    xxxii, 

Ixii,  7-^-  20^''"i^. 
•  places,    or  objects,    venerated 

by,  to  be  destroyed,  75-25f.  12^- '. 

rites  or  customs  of,  xxxii  n. 

"Captivity,  to  turn  the,"  30^,  XX. 
Children,  instruction  of,  xxvi«.,4" 

3.« 
"Choice"    of    Israel    by   Jehovah, 

Ixxx,  7". 

of  Jerusalem,  Ixxx,  12' 

Circumcision  of  the  heart,  10'^. 
Cities  of  Refuge,  Ixviii «. ,  78,  23 1 ,  23  3. 
"  Clean  "  and  "  unclean,"  xii. 

animals,  14''""",  164. 

Cobras,  32"''. 
"  Coney,"  14''. 


428 


INDEX 


"Consecrate"  a  war,  to,  237. 
Copper  in  Palestine,  8". 
Covenant,  4^'  2<)^^\ 

Ark  of  the,  lo^ 

Book  of  the,  iii. 

Dan  (tribe),  33-^. 

(town),  421. 

Dathan  and  Abirain,  11'. 

Dead,  food  for  the,  291  f. 

"  Dead"  Sea,  58. 

"  Demons  "  (d'ie'),  32'^. 

"  Detestation  '  ([•p^',  \^p\:/),  y^  ag^"*^'''. 

Diuteronomic  school,  xcif.,  68,  95, 

96,  141,  &c. 
Deuteronomy — 
aim  and  scope  of,  xix-xxv. 
aims  at  realizing-  in  practice  ideals 

of  prophets,  xxvii-xxix. 
authorship  of,  xxxiv-xlviii. 

of  c.  1-4,  Ixvii-lxxiii, 

of  c.  29-31,  Ixxiii-lxxvi. 

of  32i-«,  345-348. 

■ of  c.  33,  386-389. 

ceremonial    institutions,    attitude 

towards,  xii-xiv,  xxxf.,  xl. 
contents  of,  i-ii,  iv-vii. 
discrepancies     with     JE,     xxxv- 
xxxviii. 

with  P,  xxxviii-xli,  xlviii. 

cudnjmonism  of,  xxxii  f. 

history  in,  based  on  JE,  and  not 

on  P,  xiv-xvii. 
incidents  named  in,  not  mentioned 

in  Ex.  Nu.,  xviif.,  xlviii. 
inducnce,  theological  and  literary, 

of,  Ixiv,  xci  ff.,  68,  81. 
laws   in,    based    mostly   on    prc- 
existent  usage,  Ivi,  Ixi. 

compared  synoptically   with 

others  in  Pent.,  iv-vii. 

expansion   of    those    in    JE, 

viii-x. 

parallel  to  those  in  H,  xf. 

differ  often  from  those  in  P, 

xi-xiv,  xxxviii  f. 

represent    the    usage    of   a 

different  age  from  either  JE  or 
P,   xxxvii-xli,    137,    138,    145  f.. 


Deuteronomy — 

165,  171-173,  178, 184,  185,  i86f., 
191,  192,  216,  218-221,  231. 

leading  ideas  of,  xxv-xxxiv,  lix. 

name,  i. 

objections  to  critical  date  of,  con- 
sidered, Iv-lxiv. 

parenetic  element  in,  ii,  ix,  xvii, 
xix,  xxvi,  lix,  Ixi. 

present  form  of,  how  reached, 
Ixxvii. 

presupposes  an  age  later  than 
that  of  Moses,  xlii-xlviii,  2^^  3" 
jgi4  2910(11)  32"ff- (p.  435  f.)  33"^. 

not  written  by  Jeremiah,  xciv. 

relation  of,  to  JE  (an  enlarged 
and  revised  edition  of  the  Book 
of  the  Covenant  suited  to  needs 
of  a  later  age),  viii-x,  xiv-xvi, 
xix,  xxxviii,  xlvi,  xlviii. 

to    P    (shows    acquaintance 

with  priestly  institutions,  but 
with  neither  legal  nor  historical 
parts  of  P),  xi-xvi,  xix,  xxxviii- 
xli,  xlviii. 

style  of,  xli,  xlvii,  Ixxvii-lxxxviii. 

supposed  allusions  to,  in  early 
prophets  or  historians,  Ixii  f. 

written      under      Manasseh      or 
Josiah  ?  xlix-lv. 
"  Devote,"  to,  "devoted"  thing,  2^ 

f  13'". 
"Discipline"  (n?!,  "iD"o),  4^  n®. 
Divergent  traditions  or  representa- 

tations  in  the  Pent.,  26,  27,  28,  33, 

56,  61,  iigf.,  33S,  339. 
Divination  and  magic  (i8""-),  223- 

226. 
"  Direct,"  to,  "direction"  (law),  17"'. 
Divorce  (24'"*),  269-273. 
"  Do  that  which  is  evil  {or  right)  in 

the  eyes  of  J.,"  to,  Ixxxii,  95  f. 
"  Dowry,"  wrong  rend,  of  ino,  22^". 
"  Dragons,"  32'''*. 
Dreams,  13^. 

"  Eagle,"  wrong  rend,   of  "c*:,  14I-, 

32". 
Eating,  as  sacrificial  act,  143,  186. 


INDEX 


429 


'Ebal,  ii->'27^-i'. 

Edre'i,  8. 

Edom,  Edoniitcs,  33-35,  262,  301. 

Eg'ypt,   deliverance  from,    to   be  a 

motive  for  gratitude,  85,  183. 

diseases  of,  f^,  28-'- «». 

• servitude  in,  to  be  a  motive  for 

sympathj',  10^",  cf.  16^-. 
Egypt  and  Egyptians,   how  to   be 

dealt  with  by  Israel,  211,  262. 
Egyptian   customs,  Ixiiif.,  93,   129, 

279,  280,  292,  296. 
Elath,  36. 
Elders  of  city,  19^^, 
Ele'azar,  lo". 
Emim,  36  f.,  40. 
Ephraim,  33". 
Eunuchs,  23^ 
"  Excellenc)',"  bad  rend,  of  nixj,  416. 

Familiar  spirits  (d'^iI't),  225  f. 

Fear  of  Jehovah,  G'-'  10''. 

Festivals,  1SS-190. 

Fire-bolt  {rpi),  2,2"^. 

"  Fire-offering  "  (nt'N),  iS^ 

First-fruits,  18^  26I-". 

Firstlings,  151""-"'. 

"Fool,"    "folly,"   inadequate    rend. 

of  "73:,   7\bzi,   2  22l32«-15--l. 

Foot,  watering  with  the,  11'". 
Forbidden  kinds  of  food,  i4-'"-"-  '-'•'■. 
Forced  labour  (cd),  20^^. 
Free-will  offering,  143. 
"  Fringes,"  wrong   rend,   of  D'^'ij, 


Gad,  3'2  3320f. 

Galilee,  413. 

"Gates,"  of  cities  of  Israel,  Ixxix, 

Gateway,  the  Oriental  forum,  ji'-'. 

Gennesareth,  58,  413. 

Gcr,  the,  i^"  lo^^  ^^n  (p_  ,6.j_ 

Gerizim,  11'-*  27'-. 

Geshur,  56. 

Char,  the,  3. 

Ghosts  (ni3N),  225  f. 

Gilc'ad,  52. 

Gilgal,  1 1^0. 


Glass,  3319. 

"  Go  a  whoring  after,"  31"'. 

Gudgodah,  10''. 

Havvoth-Jair,  55f.,57. 

Heart,    the     seat     of    intellect 

Hebrew  psychology,  4"- 2". 
"With  all  the  heart  and  with  all 

soul,"  xxi«.,  73,  91. 
Heathen  religions,  part  of  Jehov; 

providence,  4'^  29-'^  (-''). 
"  Heave  "-offering,  inexact  rend 

nonn,  142. 
Heb.  words  and  idioms — 

"I3N,   26\ 

31X,  226, 

V.^,  23". 

in'x,  2I-*. 

h^  (for  n^x),  Ixxxix,  4*2. 

hiVn,  32^^ 

□'n?^,  construed  with  a  pi.,  4''. 

'JN,  rare  in  Dt.,  12^"  29-'. 

'3JN,  preferred  in  Dt.,  Ixxxvii. 

r,,,,  2"  3320- 28. 

m^atx,  3"  (p.  58  «.). 

-\Cii,  a  link  of  relation,  4*. 

~\\:.'ii  =  where,  1^^. 

.  .  .  Nin  nc'N,  20^". 

nx,  anomalous  (different  cases 

J 19.  1!2  gtiS    j_,L'2  20*. 

ii:?,  ixxx,  13"  26'^ 

'•?  ii-a,  43U. 

■7^0,  i67. 

'?NJ,    lOI. 

mn  '?.s-:i,  232-234. 

•^DJ,  32". 

vn,  22-  23--. 

n-,  suff.  of  3  masc.  sg.,  34''. 

Ni.i,  oifem.,  Ixxxviiif. 
Ni.i,  emph.,  I""  322. 28^;!r,  ^^■ 
after  icn,  71-*  20^". 

^"V^i  134,  20S,  275,  401. 
rrn  and  ptcp.,  9^*  2-. 


thi 


of), 


430 


INDEX 


Hcb.  words  and  idioms — 
fi-,  term,  of  2  and  3  p'.  impf.  1'''. 
Ji-,  rare  term,  of  3  pi.  perf.,  8'. 
n3j,  D'nni,  141  f.,  215. 
nat  (verb),  145  n. 
•n3T,  Ixxxix,  16^". 
nnN  njj,  31^". 
mvi,  28-^ 

3n,  188  f.,  195. 
3-on,  sg'o. 

"icn,  102. 
Tsn,  400. 
^|Sn,  33^^ 
pn,  4I. 
ppn,  pphD,  3321. 

\  attaclied  to  a  word  in    const. 
state,  as  binding-  vowel,  33^^. 

13],  4^^  21^^ 

D-p:,  11^- 

inn;,  Ixxxix. 

CT,  XVIII,  Ixxxii. 

with  personal  object,  9^. 

n^n;,  Ixxi  n.,  2^. 

tj-mn,  Ixxix,  4^^  9",  416. 

B",  134W. 

jti"  {]m:),  4^^ 

3,  use  of,  i^''  32". 

nin  crnD,  G--*. 

'D,  idiom,  use  of,  12-*. 

nin  DV3,  2^^ 

DVD,  D'ion,  4'-^  32 

1=?,  425  f- 
nb^,  32'''. 
h,  of  norm,  ii^^  28'- 33^ 

expressing-  the  hr/iiiin  coiit- 

parationis,  i^". 

distributive,  i^". 

^reflexive,  with  verbs  of  motion,  i"*. 

with  trans,  verbs,  1'=^  2-*. 

anS,  preferred  to  2'?,  Ixxi «.,  Ixxxvii. 

ini<g  —  a}i^  ofie  of,  15''. 
njD  331*. 
nnb,  22^^. 


,1C.  19.  27 


Hub.  words  and  idioms — 

rjSo,  188,  189. 

mB"D,  52. 

p  in  nnxa,  15'. 

DO,  20". 

nuaca,  xc,  8''. 

DOD  (of  the  heart),  i^. 

V3Q  (with  force  of  inf.),  10". 

nsp,  16'",  XIX. 

h]ig,  idiom.,  13'^ 

VfO,  fo  break  fail  li,  32'^'. 

nasD,  16-^. 

ma,  man,  i^^. 

mar  a,  11  ^ 

D'na,  2**. 

'?3j,  n^n:,  "j^j,  22-'  32*''i5'2i. 

^-h  39- 

OTj,  li'-ja,  224. 

np:,  31^®. 

□':e3  T3n,  i". 

nj;:,  Sisfem.,  Ixxxix,  22^',  XX. 

e/Si,  1220  14^6  195  21"  23^  24". 

hvi  (two  roots),  7^  xix. 

-\m,  14I-  32". 

T3  in:,  32. 

':E3'?  jm,  18;  48. 

'\hs,  1 618. 

Vbd,  4i«. 

BDy,  may,  15®. 

nny,  4-'-'. 

piy,  piya^  224. 

!?y,  idiom.,  16^;  22'. 

nMv,  22", 

DV,  idiom.,  8\ 

'3d'?  nay,  i=*8  lo*  (p.  123). 

D'oy,  32^ ;  33''. 
I       naynn,  21". 

njy,  to  be  humble,  21". 

3iiyi  -ivjy,  32^'''. 

msy,  16*^. 

rf^']!  =  io  sacrifice,  xii,  12^. 

jn  nai),  i6i'^-  i-'. 
1       nc£3  nis'y,  161. 

nau-  HE'y,  5^^. 

'nry,  i'^  M. 

)N^  m-incy,  7". 

Tny,  nn-ny,  32^. 


INDEX 


431 


Heb.  wortls  and  idioms — 

'J23,  f*  259. 

"?»,  23I*. 

jrri-,  22". 

Dcp,  223  f. 

3115,  Ixxxiii. 

'♦  '33  na  (.n.s-i)  n.snj,  16^'. 

CNl,  33" 

n'c'Nn,  i8^  290. 

C3^  3n,  i^ 

f]m,  32". 

pyn,  122. 

-p\  3224. 

Bnc  and  hl^d,  i^^. 

Dnt?',  32". 
Dnab',  i7f.,  237. 
eac,  nv^?:^',  15I. 
ueyc,  22^^ 
n^sp',  i2f, 
j'lTf,  106,  161. 

~i'-\b,  2'*. 
niTiB',  29^^. 

pK',   14^^,  XIX. 

n-,  in  3  fern.  sg.  perf.,  Ixxxix. 

niDiann,  32-". 

min,  208  f.,  275,  401  f. 

"n,  33"- 

D^?W,  59- 

rflsnn,  142. 

Accus.  of  state,  4''  5''"  '^  9^. 

Apposition,  generalizing,  15-^  i8\ 

loose,  2-"  3^  17**. 

Asyndeta,  Ixxxviiw.*,  f,  and  §. 
Beth  essenticE,  i"  lo'^^  26"  28"-  332". 

pretii,  14^  19"^. 

Casus  pendens,  2-"'  a^. 

Constr.  state,  foil,  by  rcl.  clause, 

4^. 
Daghesh  eupJionicum,  2^. 
Elativcs,  242  n. 
Fern.  sing,  construed  collectively 

with  pi.,  21''  30^". 


Hcb.  words  and  idioms — ■ 
Impersonal  passive,  21^. 
Inipf.   with  a  frequentative  force 

(of  custom,  habit,  &c.),  i«i2ii-"0 

4"  5-1  Ill»I2^'0. 
Impf. ,  synchronistic,  33''. 
Inf.  abs.,  various  uses  of,  i^"  3"8'''* 

Inf.  constr.  Hif.  with  Iiireq  (?)  in 
first  syll.,  3-'4iS7"  28"''. 

Inf.  fern,  in  n-,  xc-xci. 

Nithpael,  xc,  21^ 

Partic.  of  the  imminent  future 
{fict.  insfans),  2*  4^^. 

Pausal  form  (emph. ),  7'', 

Pron.  after  verb  (emph.),  ^^K 

Pron.  sufF.  anticipating  object,  3^*. 

Order  of  words,  noticeable  cases 
of,  I^^  ^6.14  28''i-SI)  ^o-''--^. 

Order  of  words,  emphatic,  i^**  41'^- 

14.  20  6IS  gD  J3I3  155  20"  3l29  32«. 

Perf.    with    Waw    consec,    with 

force  of  imper.,  4^^. 
carrying  on  an  impf.  after  ij;, 

]yDh,  ]S,  &C.,  320  41-  16.  25  6". 

carrying  on   an   imjaf,    with 

freq.  force,  5^1  ni". 
introducing    apodosis,    ^■''-'^0 

5--- 

Resumption,  cases  of,  r'^  ^*^  13'. 

Verb  with  implicit  subject,  15^ 
High-places,  xlixf.,  139. 
Hinder  Sea  (the  Medit.),  ii^^  3^2^ 
Holiness,  Law  of,  iv. 

parallels  with  Dt.,  iv-vii,  xf. 

Holiness  of  Israel,  7*",  164. 

Holy  things,  122626'*. 

Honey  in  Palestine,  2~^'\ 

"  Hor  the  Mountain,"  32^". 

Horeb,  xvf.,  6. 

Horites,  37  f. 

Hormah,  i*". 

Host  of  heaven,  worship  of,  xlvi,  70. 

"  I  am  he,"  32^*. 

"  I  am  Jehovah,"  29'. 

Idols  and    idolatry,    xxi,   f-^''   12^'^ 

^'■^^  c.  13,  172-''  3221. 
Idols,  sarcasm  on,  428. 


432 


INDEX 


Images,  4'"-"  5"  27^'. 

Incense,  ^i^"- 

Incest,  22=«'(23')  27-"- --•=». 

Individual  responsibility,  7'"  24'". 

Inscriptions,  Araniriic  (Zinjirli), 
Ixxxviii. 

• Moabite,  Ixxxviii,  gS. 

Palmyrcne,  204  ?i. 

Phoenician,       Ixxxviii,       69//., 

79"-.  155  w-.  203,  204;/.,  223, 
264  «.,  368. 

"Instruct,"  "instruction,"  wrong- 
renderings  of  ^a',  iDio,  4-'*'  11". 

Interest,  23-0-21. 

feeling  of  ancients  on,  266  f. 

Iron  in  Palestine,  8". 

Israel,  treated  collectively,  i"^ 
227-29  ^_  (p.  42),  31", 

Israel,  "chosen"  bj'  Jehovah,  Ixxx, 

7«- 

holy  to  Jehovah,  7''. 

Jehovah's  "peculiar  pos- 
session," 7". 

Jehovah's  people,  26^^  27'"- 

-Jehovah's  "sons"  (or  "chil- 
dren "),  14^  32^ 

Israel,  kingdom  of,  397. 

Issachar,  33"*^'. 

Jair,  3» 

Jealous,  of  God,  4^  32-^ 
Jehovah,  Israel's  dutj'  to,  xix  ft". 
Jeremiah,  influence  of  Dt.  on,  xcii- 

xciv. 
Jericho,  422. 
orthography     of     the     word, 

Ixxxix  f. 
Jeshurun,  32^^  33^. 
Joseph,  33^^-^''. 
Joshua,  divergent  accounts  of,  26, 

28,  61,  338,  339. 
Josiah,  reformation  of,  xlv,  li. 
Judah,  33'^. 
Judges  in  Israel,   18  f.,   199  f.,  206- 

209. 

Kadesh-barnea',  6,  392. 

sojourn  of  Israel  at,  31-33. 

Kedcshimy  23^^*  ^*. 


Kingdom,  law  of  the,  17'*"-*, 
Kinndreth,  58,  413. 

Laceration  of  person  in  mourning, 

14^ 
Land  defiled  by  crime,  21^  24^. 
Landmark  not  to  be  removed,  19'^ 

27". 
"  Latter  days,"  phrase   explained, 

"Law"  {turdh),  xi,   I4«.,   17'"'-  24^ 

33^"  (P-  401  f.)- 
Law,  Hebrew,  growth  of,  1\  ii. 
Leaven,  prohibition  of,  192. 
Leja,  the,  49-51. 

Leprosy  (elephantiasis),  24'"-  28''''. 
Levi,  tribe  of,  Levites,  1 21-124,  '44> 

168,  300 f.,  343,  398  fT.  (33S-"), 
Levirate-marriage,  25'''""'. 
"  Levite,"  double  meaning  of  term, 

219,  300  f.,  343. 
Levitical  cities,  218. 
Life,  meaning  of,  in  Dt.,  4'  30'"' ™. 
Loans,  legislation  for,  177-180,  276. 
"  Long-haired  head,"  32'*'-. 
Love,    Jehovah's,    for    Israel,    xx, 

xxviii,  4'*''  7^ 
Love  of  Jehovah,   Israel's  primary 

dut)',  xxi,  xxviii,  Ixxviii,  91,  125. 

Ma'acah,  56. 
Machir,  3^', 
Manasseh,  3^-'  33". 
Manna,  lessons  of  the,  8''- 1*^. 
Manslaughter    and    murder,     19^''' 

2 1 1-9  27-'-'- 25, 
Mantle  (no'jty),  24^-. 
Marriage-customs,  255,  257,  25S. 
Marriage-bond,  figure  of,  340. 
Marriage,  Levirate,  25'"^". 
Marriages,    prohibited,     23*     (22'"') 

27-"-  -•-'•  •■». 
Massah,  6^®  33^ 
Mazzofh       (Unleavened       Cakes), 

festival  of,  16^"®. 
Meals,  sacred,  143,  169-173,  186. 
"  Mercy  "  (icn),  7". 
Meribah,  384,  399  f.  (33«). 
Mesusah,  93. 


INDEX 


433 


MisJtor,  the,  52,  419. 
Moab,  Rloabites,  52,  261. 
Moabite  customs,  98. 
Molech-worship,  222  f.  (iSi"). 
Monotheism    in    Dt.,    xx,    xxviiif., 

90  f.,  378. 
Moreh,  terebinths  of,  ii^**. 
Moserah,  Aaron's  death  at,  10®. 
Moses,     death    of    (in    apocryphal 

literature),  423  f. 

"  Name,"  force  of  in  Heb.,  141. 

"  Name  called  over,"  28^*. 

Naphtali,  33-^. 

Nebo,  418  f. 

"  Neck,  stiff,"  9«. 

Negeb,  the,  13,  421. 

"No-god,"  "no-people,"  32"- -^. 

Oath  to  the  patriarchs,  1*  29'-. 
•Og,  I*  3"^- 

■ sarcophagus  (?)  of,  3'^. 

"Other  gods,"  xxi,  xlix,  Ixxviii,  95. 

Paran  (i^ ;  33-),  4,  391  f. 

Parapet  on  roof,  22'*. 

Parents,  duties  towards,  and  au- 
thority of,  21IS-21  271*. 

Passover,  16I"*. 

Peace-offerings,  18''  27''. 

"Peculiar"  people,  7''. 

Pe'or,  64. 

"  Perversions  "  (m^iann),  32-". 

Phoenician  customs  referred  to,  203, 
204,  222,  223,  264  f.,  302,  368. 

Pilgrimages  (o'Jn),  the  three  annual, 

significance  of,  189  f. 

"Pillar"  (obelisk),  16-2  (p.  203 f.). 
Pisgah,  58,  418  f. 

view  from,  419  f- 

Pledges,  law  of,  24"- 1""". 

Plurality  of  altars  permitted  before 

Dt.,  136-138. 
Polyandry,  2S4. 
"Portent"  (n2ic),  4^. 
Post,  A.  H.,  quoted,  234,  255  «.,  257, 

257  «•.  258,  273,  28r,  284  f. 
Pi-iests,  i8'-"  21-^  24**  (p.  401  f.). 
28 


Priests  with  army,  20^^. 

Priests'  Code  (P),  iv. 

how  related  to  Dt.  {sec  mnler 

Deuteronomy). 

idioms  peculiar  to,  7,  383-385, 

417. 

Primogeniture,  2i^°'". 

Prophets,  i&-'^. 

"  Prove,"  to,  "  proving  "  (hdj,  hdd), 
4"-»  6IG  8-  i«. 

"  Provoke  to  anger,"  to,  "  provoca- 
tion," wrong  rend,  of  D''j;3ri,  oyD, 

.25  ril8  ^ -,!().  lit.  L-? 

Punishment,  corporal,  256,  279. 

Rain  in  Palestine,  ii^^'^*. 

Ramoth  in  Gile'ad,  site  of,  xviii,  79. 

"Ransom,"  to  (■^^^),  7^. 

Ras  Siaghah,  419  f. 

Release,  year  of,  15^"®  31^°. 

Rephaim,  37,  40,  53,  54. 

Restoration,  promise  of  future,  Ixxvi, 

3334ff.. 

Reuben,  3^--  ^^  33''. 
Roads  from  Sinai  to  Canaan,  6. 
"  Rock,"  title  of  God,  324. 
"  Round  "  (i??)  of  Jordan,  34^. 

Sacrifice  and  slaugliter  once  identi- 
cal in  Israel,  145!". 

Sacrifices  (o'nat),  142,  215, 

Salchah,  53. 

Sanctuary,  law  of  the  single,  xliiif., 
138,  140. 

Se'ir,  6,  30,  391. 

Senir,  3^. 

Shcdiin,  32^'^. 

Shephclah,  the,  I2f. 

"  Show,"  sense  of,  in  AV.,  5^ 

"  Shut  up  or  left  at  large,"  32^". 

"Sign"  (niN),  4*^. 

Sime'on,  395,  398. 

Similes  in  Heb.  prose,  i^^. 

Sinai,  33". 

Si'on  (name  of  Hermon),  4'*''. 

Sirion  (do.),  3®. 

Slavcr\-,  law  of,  15'-'^^. 

different  from  laws  of  JE  and 

P,  182,  184,  185. 


434 


INDEX 


■Smith,  W.  R.,  MS.  notes  of,  5  (1'),  40 
(2"),  156  (14I),  240  (20"),  241  (21=*), 
259  (23-)»  259  n.  (23I),  2G6W.  (2320), 
307  (28'='),  363  (32'J). 

"Solemn  assembly"  (msy),  195. 

"Solemn  feast"  (li'io),  189. 

Sonship  of  Israel,  14^  32'  (p.  352). 

"Soul,"  ideas  connected  with,  in 
Heb.,  12-"  1 4-"  19'''  «.  21"  23-^  24^''. 

"South"  (3J3)  of  Judah,  13,  421. 

"Stand   before"  (=" attend  on"), 

J  38  jq8^ 

"Steppes  of  Moab,"  417,  418. 
"Stranger"  (Ger),  1^^  io^»  14-^. 

Temple,  in  Benjamin,  404. 

"  Tempt,"     "  temptation,"     wrong; 

rend,  of  nD3,  nsD,  6^®. 
"Tent  of  Meeting,"  xiii,  311^-. 
"  Testimonies,"  4"'^ 
Thank-offerings  {D'oha),  18^  27''. 
"  This  law,"  iii,  8. 
ct-Tih,  wilderness  of,  20. 
Tithes,  law  of,  166-173,  290-292. 
■ irreconcilable    with  law   of   P, 

169-173. 
TC'vuh^  see  "  Law." 


Totemism,  70. 

Tribunal,    supreme     central,     17^"'' 

J9i'-i9. 
"  Tributary,"    inadequate    rend,   of 

z-iS,  20". 
Trees,  sacred,  11^"  16^^ 

Uncleanness,  xii,  249,  263,  272,  291. 

"  Vanities  "  (D'San),  32-1. 
Vengeance  (cpi),  32'''-'-  *'^. 
"Vex,"  "vexation"  (i:'V3.^,  dvd),  4^" 

9     o- 
Vows,  143,  267  f. 

"Wady,"39.     . 

"  Waters  under  the  earth,"  4'^  8^. 

Weeks,  feast  of,  id^-'^K 

Wergild,  234,  426. 

Wild  ox  (cNi),  :^:^T. 

Witness,  law  of,  I'f  it^^'"^. 

Zamzummim,  2"". 
Zehuhin,  33'''  ■. 
Zered,  2^*. 
Zin,  32^1. 
Zo'ar,  422  f. 


irl 


Th''nlr,gi,-.tl     Sf.iii(i.,f,    Sprr- 


1    1012  01085  0008 


DATE  DUE 


